A Factual Survey on PRK and LASIK in Korea

ABSTRACT

The surgeons performing photorefractive keratectomy[PRK]and laser in situ keratomileusis[LASIK]and patients got these relatively convenient and effective procedures for correcting myopia are increasing now. Korean Society of cataract and refractive surgery[KSCRS]performed a survey on PRK and LASIK with the members of this society. Seventy-six members replied to questionnaire and fifty answered that they were doing PRK or LASIK. The number of surgeons who had performed more than three hundred cases of PRK or LASIK were twenty-four and seventeen, respectively. The number of surgeons who having done these procedures less than three years were twenty-five and this suggested these operations were much increased recently. Maximum attempted corrections were -5.9 to -6.5 diopter in PRK and -14.4 to -14.9 diopter in LASIK. The surgeons thought reduction of best corrected visual acuity as the complication of LASIK procedure was occurred the incidence of 3.97%[0.1~30%]. Eighty percent of members replied they explained the predictable result and possible complication of operation to their patients by themselves and seventy seven percent of members agreed to the plan that surgeons should do PRK and LASIK with qualification from Korean Ophthalmological Society. We suggest this survey could help performing better procedure by establishing common therapeutic criteria with communication of information and opinion between ophthal-mologist.