Comparison of visual quality after wavefront-guided LASIK in patients with different levels of preoperative total ocular higher-order aberrations: a retrospective study.

Purpose: To compare the visual quality after wavefront-guided femtosecond LASIK (WFG FS-LASIK) in patients with different levels of preoperative total ocular higher-order aberrations to guide clinical decision-making regarding patient selection and treatment strategies. Methods: This study included 112 right eyes of 112 patients who previously underwent WFG FS-LASIK for correcting myopia and myopic astigmatism. The patients were divided into two groups based on the mean values of preoperative total ocular HOAs (0.30 ± 0.09 µm): HOA ≤ 0.3 and > 0.3 groups. The visual acuity, manifest refraction, corneal Strehl ratio (SR), root mean square (RMS) of corneal and ocular aberrations, and area under the log contrast sensitivity function (AULCSF) of both groups were compared preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Results: The induced ocular HOAs and coma (Δ = 1 mo - Preop) were significantly lower in the HOAs > 0.3 group than in the HOAs ≤ 0.3 group (ΔHOAs: 0.39 ± 0.19 Conclusions: The induced ocular HOAs and coma in HOAs > 0.3 group were lower. However, both groups achieved equivalent and excellent visual quality after WFG FS-LASIK. WFG FS-LASIK may provide significant visual benefits for a wider range of patients.