SACRAMENTO, Calif., August 14, 2007 -- The size of
naturally dilated pupils does not predict a Lasik patient's
postoperative quality of life, says a study published in the
Archives of Ophthalmology.
A relatively small percentage of Lasik patients develop night
vision problems that include starbursting or halos emitting from
light sources. Symptoms tend to diminish if the size of the
pupil is reduced. Some believe that a large pupil before Lasik
means poor night vision after Lasik, however several studies
have shown no predictable correlation between preoperative pupil
size and postoperative complications.
Of 300 Lasik patients contacted, 97 (32.3%) responded to a
mailed study questionnaire; the National Eye Institute
Refractive Error Quality of Life (RQL) Instrument. Results
showed that correlations between larger pupil diameter and
higher RQL satisfaction scores (0.12 and 0.19, respectively)
were not statistically significant, however if refractive error
remained, patients reported significantly more worry, less
satisfaction , less clear vision, and worse far vision.
Improvement in residual refractive error provided more
satisfactory results and a higher perception of quality of life.
The study's lead author is Gregory Schmidt, MD of the
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San
Francisco.
