LASIK is effective for both low and high myopia, but patients with high myopia tend to have slightly worse visual and refractive outcomes, even though the differences are small, and overall results remain clinically acceptable, according to a study.
In this large retrospective study, researchers analyzed data from 12,074 eyes treated between. Eyes were divided into low myopia (0.50–3.00 D) and high myopia (≥ 6.00 D) groups. Patients with high myopia (6.7% of the cohort) had steeper corneas and worse preoperative visual acuity. Postoperatively, they achieved slightly lower uncorrected and corrected distance vision, as well as higher residual refractive error and astigmatism, even after adjusting for baseline differences.
Despite these differences, both groups achieved clinically acceptable results, and retreatment rates did not differ significantly. The authors suggest that similar enhancement rates may indicate patient satisfaction or differing surgical practices.
Reference
Sommer A, Safir M, Santhiago MR, et al. A Comparison of LASIK Outcomes for High Versus Low Myopia: Large Data Analysis. J Refract Surg. 2025;41(8):e797-e804. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20250611-04. Epub 2025 Aug 1. PMID: 40778869.
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