LASIK successful in corporate practice setting, surgeon says

Steven C. Schallhorn

BERLIN — LASIK can be successful in large volumes, as performed in corporate practice settings, one surgeon said here.

"LASIK is safe and effective when offered as a corporate provider," Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, said at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting. "It certainly exceeds target goals in every category and greatly exceeds them in many."

Dr. Schallhorn presented data from Optical Express, a European health care company with 34 laser centers and 27 surgeons. In the first 6 months of 2008, Optical Express performed myopic LASIK on 28,677 eyes targeted for emmetropia.

At 1-month follow-up, 89% were within 0.5 D of emmetropia, and 98% were within 1 D; 87% were 20/20 or better, and 95% were 20/25 or better. Looking at patient factors associated with outcomes, Dr. Schallhorn said preop sphere, cylinder and patient age were significant.

In a follow-up survey that had a 32% response rate, 87% of patients said they were very satisfied with their surgeon, he said.

I’m happy to hear, even in this huge database, preoperative cylinder is still one of the unsecure factors. … We’re doing about five investigations preoperatively: topography, aberrometry, autorefraction, manifest refraction and Scheimpflug imaging. Regarding sphere, pretty much you get coincident readings with all the techniques preoperatively. Regarding cylinder, sometimes that will be spread between the autorefractive and corneal topography, sometimes even in aberrometry. Therefore, I believe insecurity regarding this astigmatism postoperatively rises a little bit also on the insecurity of the numbers you have to dial in, in your LASIK correction preoperatively.

– Theo Seiler, MD, PhD
OSN Europe/Asia-Pacific Edition Board Member