Effect of Residual Stromal Bed and Postoperative Dry Eye on Quality of Life after FS-LASIK and SMILE

Budiman Budiman,1,2 Pieter Juanarta,1 Susanti Natalya Sirait1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 2Cicendo National Eye Hospital, Bandung, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Budiman Budiman, Cicendo National Eye Hospital, Cicendo No. 4, Bandung, We...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Budiman B, Juanarta P, Sirait SN
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2025-07-01
Series:Clinical Ophthalmology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/effect-of-residual-stromal-bed-and-postoperative-dry-eye-on-quality-of-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Budiman Budiman,1,2 Pieter Juanarta,1 Susanti Natalya Sirait1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 2Cicendo National Eye Hospital, Bandung, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Budiman Budiman, Cicendo National Eye Hospital, Cicendo No. 4, Bandung, West Java, 40117, Indonesia, Tel +6222 2005226, Email budiman2018@unpad.ac.idAim: Several studies have highlighted the importance of residual stromal beds (RSB) in the quality of patient vision. Patients with RSB < 350 μm experienced a significant decrease in vision quality over time. A thinner RSB after refractive surgery increased corneal ectasia risk. Dry eye complaints are the leading cause of decreased quality of life post-surgery. These complaints can manifest immediately after surgery and typically improve within 6 months. This study aimed to compare the improvement in patient quality of life pre- and post-refractive surgery procedures in relation to RBS and postoperative dry eye status.Methods: This was a prospective, analytical, observational study. A total of 57 patients met the inclusion criteria: 33 underwent a femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) procedure, and 24 underwent small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Samples were taken using a purposive method at the LASIK Center. Patients were asked to fill out the National Eye Institute Refractive Error Quality of Life (NEI-RQL) 42 questionnaire, and an integrated dry eye assessment (IDRA) ocular surface analyzer examination was conducted at the Aesthetic and Dry Eye clinic.Results: Significant differences in characteristics were found, with greater refractive error in the thinner RSB group. A comparison of questionnaire score improvements showed higher scores in the thinner RSB group, especially for distance vision and dependence on corrections. No differences in quality-of-life improvement were observed among the different noninvasive break-up time (NIBUT) postoperative groups.Conclusion: Patients with thinner RSB experienced a better quality of life improvement one-month post-surgery.Keywords: SMILE, FS-LASIK, patients’ quality of life
ISSN:1177-5483