Key Takeaways

  • Patients who underwent LASIK experienced lower rates of postoperative dry eye disease, visual disturbances, and ocular symptoms compared with those who underwent PRK
  • The timing and incidence of complications differed between procedures, underscoring the importance of long-term follow-up and patient counseling 

A large national registry study has found that patients undergoing LASIK experienced lower rates of postoperative dry eye disease, visual disturbances, and other ocular symptoms compared with those receiving PRK, offering new insights into the long-term safety profiles of the two most commonly performed laser vision correction procedures.

In the study, published in The American Journal of Ophthalmology,1 researchers analyzed data from a national clinical registry to compare the incidence and timing of postoperative complications following LASIK and PRK. A total of 48,892 eyes of 27,372 patients who underwent refractive surgery in the IRIS Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) were analyzed. The study focused on patient-reported and clinically documented outcomes, including dry eye disease, glare, halos, visual disturbances, and other ocular complaints that can affect quality of life after refractive surgery.

The findings showed meaningful differences in the frequency and timing of these complications between the two procedures. While both LASIK and PRK are widely regarded as safe and effective methods for correcting refractive errors such as myopia and astigmatism, the registry data suggest that LASIK patients generally experienced fewer postoperative ocular surface and visual symptoms over time.

Dry eye disease (DED) was the most frequently documented postoperative complication, occurring in 16.1% of LASIK eyes and 15.6% of PRK eyes over the follow-up period. During the 1 to 3 months interval, LASIK was associated with a lower incidence of DED compared with PRK (IRR, 0.8 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.7-0.9]). In the first postoperative month, visual disturbances occurred more frequently after PRK (IRR, 0.3 [95% CI, 0.3-0.4]), but differences between procedures were not significant at later intervals. Ocular pain was rare after both procedures, with no consistent differences in early intervals, but showed a lower incidence after LASIK in the 3 to 12 months interval (IRR, 0.5 [95% CI, 0.3-0.9]).

The authors concluded that understanding the incidence and timing of postoperative complications can improve patient expectations and support more personalized refractive surgery planning. As laser vision correction continues to evolve, real-world registry data are increasingly being used to assess outcomes across large and diverse patient populations.

Reference

Kang S, Persad L, Woreta F, et al. Temporal Incidence of Dry Eye Disease, Visual Disturbances, and Ocular Pain After Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis Versus Photorefractive Keratectomy. Am J Ophthalmol. 2026;277:1-10.