Comparison of Clinical Results of Lens Extraction and LASIK for Correction of High Myopia

ABSTRACT

We compared the clinical results of lens extraction with or without intraocular lens (IOL) for 41 eyes of 24 high myopic patients (axial length >26mm, diopter <-10) to those of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for 54 eyes of 29 patients. After operation,uncorrected visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity were improved in both patient groups. They gained visual improvement of 2 or more lines in 73% and 11%, respectively. Predictability was significantly higher in lens extraction group than LASIK group, while postoperative near vision was vise versa. The postoperative intraocular pressure was measured significantly low in LASIK group, while the number of corneal endothelium was significantly decreased in lens extraction group. In the point of postoperative complications, the incidence of posterior capsular opacity was 9.8% in lens extraction group and that of corneal ectasia was 5.3%in LASIK group. Conclusively, for precision and quality of vision, lens extraction with or without IOL implantation would be superior to LASIK for correction of high myopia. However, corneal endothelial cell loss, near vision impair-ment, and developememt of after-cataract might be problems in the procedure of lens extraction.