Ocular residual astigmatism measurement could salvage 5% of dissatisfied LASIK patients

SAN FRANCISCO — Calculating the ocular residual astigmatism in patients seeking LASIK could be a major step in reducing the number of dissatisfied LASIK patients, according to one surgeon here.

In an interview with Ocular Surgery News during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Noel A. Alpins, FRACO, FRCOphth, FACS, said the 5% patient dissatisfaction rate cited by the ASCRS global literature review preliminarily released last year could be effectively lowered if all LASIK surgeons used the ocular residual astigmatism calculation he developed.

The ASCRS review reported 95.4% of LASIK patients were satisfied with their visual outcomes. "So what about the 5% of patients who are ambivalent or dissatisfied with their vision?" Dr. Alpins asked.

The calculation is a simple combination of corneal and refractive measurement values, according to Dr. Alpins. The measurement of the difference between those values determines the amount of ocular residual astigmatism. The formula can be used to determine which patients would be at high risk of visual dissatisfaction after LASIK as well as establish a proper ablation profile for lower-risk patients.

"We should be calculating the ocular residual astigmatism, and at the end of the day, we will be leaving less astigmatism on the cornea," Dr. Alpins said.