Lasik and the Weather

If you’re thinking of getting lasik surgery and finally ditching those eyeglasses you might want to wait until after the summer. It has been found that temperature and humidity affect how well the procedure goes. The hotter and more humid it is outside, the poorer the outcome of lasik (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) surgery, according to research from North Carolina. This first study to link lasik surgery and the environment is in a report in the April Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. It is based on observations by Dr Keith A. Walter, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Wake Forest University.

The study looked at 191 patients and a total of 368 eye surgeries. All of the patients had their eye surgery performed by the same doctor using the same machine during the same year. Those who were operated on during times of higher temperature and humidity needed more follow-up treatment after the first year than those treated during colder, drier times. September was the worst month when fifty percent of those in the study needed follow-up surgery compared to none of the patients needing enhancement procedures when lasik surgery was done during cooler, drier months. The study also showed a strong indication that the temperature and humidity during the two weeks prior to the surgery affected the outcomes.

Dr. Walter suspects that the extra moisture in the air is absorbed by the eye, reducing the effectiveness of the laser surgery. Since lasik surgery involves changing the shape of the cornea using lasers to cut the eye, he advises doctors to take the weather into account when adjusting their equipment for the operation.

Lasik has been popular in America for more than a decade, and over one million operations are done each year. This is the first study to look into the environment as a factor in the outcome of lasik surgery, so you may want to adopt a wait-and-see approach to lasik until more is known before you plan to have this elective surgery.
SOURCE: Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
www.ascrs.org/publications/jcrs/absapr04.html#walter

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