Comparison of visual acuity, refractive outcomes, and satisfaction between LASIK performed with a microkeratome and a femto laser

• Main Authors: Hashmani S, Hashmani N, Rajani H, Ramesh P, Soomro JA, Hussain Shah SR, Kumar J, Mahmood Shah SM
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2017-05-01
• Series: Clinical Ophthalmology
• Subjects: LASIK; Femtosecond; Microkeratome; Cornea; Refractive surgery
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/comparison-of-visual-acuity-refractive-outcomes-and-satisfaction-betwe-peer-reviewed-article-OPTH

Sharif Hashmani,1 Nauman Hashmani,1 Hina Rajani,2 Priyanka Ramesh,2 Junaid Ahmed Soomro,2 Syed Rashid Hussain Shah,2 Jaish Kumar,2 Sayed Mustafa Mahmood Shah2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Hashmanis Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan Purpose: To compare refractive outcomes, visual acuities, and satisfaction of patients between those treated with laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using a Hansatome microkeratome (HM) and femto-assisted laser (FAL).Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 1,366 eyes in 687 patients who underwent LASIK with an HM (n=1,137) and an FAL (n=229) at the two centers of Hashmanis Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Refractive outcomes, including sphere, cylinder, and spherical equivalent in diopters (D), and visual acuities were assessed both preoperatively and at 1 month follow-up. Patient satisfaction was gauged by contacting the patient at the time of chart review.Results: The postoperative median sphere, cylinder, and spherical equivalent values for those treated with FAL were 0.3±0.7 (-5.5–1.8), -0.5±0.6 (-5.0–1.0), and 0.0±0.7 (-6.0–1.6), respectively. For the HM arm, they were 0.0±1.28 (-10.8–6.8), -0.5±0.5 (-4.5–1.5), and -0.3±1.3 (-11.6–6.8), respectively. All preoperative values were statistically insignificant between the groups, while postoperative values were significant with P-values <0.001. Predictability and efficacy index was higher for the FAL (92.1%, 1.00) than the HM group (82.2%, 0.84). Similarly, patient satisfaction was slightly higher for those treated with FAL (93.3%) than HM (91.4%).Conclusion: Our large retrospective analysis of eyes that have undergone LASIK using HM and FAL shows superior refractive outcomes in the latter, with special regard to procedural efficacy and predictability. Keywords: laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, femtosecond, microkeratome, cornea, refractive surgery