Jj. Perezsantonja et al., CONTRAST SENSITIVITY AFTER LASER IN-SITU KERATOMILEUSIS, Journal of cataract and refractive surgery, 24(2), 1998, pp. 183-189
Purpose: To evaluate the effect on contrast sensitivity function of la
ser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the correction of myopia. Setti
ng: Alicante Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Alicante,:Spain
; Methods: Fourteen eyes of 10 patients had LASIK to correct myopia ra
nging from 6.00 to 19.50 diopters (D). Mean preoperative myopia was 10
.39 D +/- 3.69 (SD). Contrast sensitivity was tested preoperatively an
d 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively using the CVS-1000E contrast sens
itivity unit (VectorVision). Results: Contrast sensitivity decreased 1
month postoperatively;the decrease:was significant only at the low an
d intermediate spatial frequencies of 3 and 6 cycles per degree (cpd)
(P =.034 and .030, respectively); Starting from the first month, there
was rapid recovery of contrast sensitivity and at; the third month, n
o statistically significant decrease at all spatial frequencies; Six m
onths after surgery, there was an increase in contrast sensitivity val
ues:at 3, 12, and 18 cpd, although : the changes were not significant.
Conclusion: Although LASIK decreased contrast sensitivity values at l
ow and intermediate spatial frequencies for 1 month after surgery, the
se values rapidly returned to the preoperative values at 3 months. The
improvement at Certain : frequencies at 6 months suggests that LASIK
can:improve the quality of vision in eyes with moderate and high myopi
a.