Bilateral laser refractive surgery more frequent among young women in UK

Issue: March 10, 2016

Bilateral laser refractive surgery was most frequent among young, active and affluent women, according to a study conducted in the United Kingdom.

The study included 2,441 patients who reported undergoing laser refractive surgery; 1,892 patients had bilateral surgery and 549 patients had unilateral surgery. The analysis also included 106,875 subjects who did not undergo laser refractive surgery.

Investigators collected data on sociodemographic factors, medical history, and patient reports on refractive error, ocular disease and treatment received.

Manifest spherical equivalent ranged from –19.59 D to 9.19 D among patients who had surgery in one eye; 47.9% were emmetropic, 34.8% were myopic and 17.4% were hyperopic. The range was 25.04 D to 7.36 D in patients who underwent bilateral surgery; 77.3% were emmetropic, 13.6% were myopic and 9.1% hypertrophic.

Use of eyeglasses or contact lenses was reported by 56.3% of patients who had bilateral surgery, 75.6% of those who had unilateral surgery and 88.9% of those who had refractive error and did not undergo surgery.

Twenty-eight percent of patients who underwent refractive surgery reported other eye conditions vs. 11% of those who were eligible for treatment but did not have surgery.

“Frequency of bilateral surgery decreased with increasing age and was higher in women. Frequency did not vary with educational attainment or accommodation status but increased with income among working-age adults. Social participation, for example, regular visits to a pub or social club, was more common among those who underwent surgery,” the study authors said. – by Matt Hasson

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

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Source:

Cumberland PM, et al. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2015;doi:10.1016/j.jcrs.2015.05.040.