Changes in quality of life after laser <i>in situ</i> keratomileusis for myopia

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to measure quality of life (QoL) outcomes and the changes in best corrected visual acuity and uncorrected visual acuity in pre-presbyopic myopic patients undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) refractive surgery using the quality of life impact of refractive correction (QIRC) questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Sixty-one patients undergoing LASIK for myopia and myopic astigmatism aiming for full correction were administered the QIRC questionnaire 1 month before and after undergoing LASIK over a period of 2 years. QIRC scores were summed and categorised into glare-related, vision-related, psychosocial and financial categories. Results: Mean QIRC score improved from 38.51 ± 4.62 (preoperative) to 58.06 ± 5.17 (post-LASIK) ( P &lt; 0.0001). The glare-related score reduced from 49.72 ± 11.57 to 41.85 ± 9.75 ( P &lt; 0.0001), the mean vision-related score improved from 36.71 ± 4.47 to 56.40 ± 3.64 ( P &lt; 0.0001) and the mean psychosocial score improved from 39.93 ± 6.74 to 64.96 ± 10.09 ( P &lt; 0.0001). The financial aspect score also improved from 38.87 ± 10.61 to 48.43 ± 8.76 ( P &lt; 0.0001). More improvement occurred in those with higher refractive errors than in those with low to moderate errors. Conclusion: This study gave us an insight into how the QoL of the people living with refractive errors was affected. Refractive surgery in patients having high refractive error is more beneficial, as their QoL showed a drastic improvement post-surgery. On the QIRC questionnaire, the mean vision-related score, psychosocial score and financial aspect score showed improvement postoperatively. However, glare-related scores did not. The evaluation of the impact of refractive surgery on QoL is important as it helps in understanding the effectiveness of the surgery from the patient’s perspective and provides us with areas that need further research and development.