Quality of Life of Patients After Keratorefractive Surgery in Tertiary Eye Care Hospital of District Rawalpindi, Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: ABSTRACT Keratorefractive surgery, which includes procedures like LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) and PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy), has become a widely accepted and popular means of correcting refractive errors. Objectives:  To assess the quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent keratorefractive surgery.  To determine association of sociodemographic and surgery related factors with quality of life. Methodology: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study was carried out over a period of six months from March 2023 to August 2023 to asses the quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent keratorefractive surgery. Data was collected using non-probability consecutive sampling strategy using a validated and interview-based Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) Questionnaire tool for this study. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26. Results: The results of this study showed no significant association between level of education (p-value=0.09), occupation (p-value=0.70), age groups (p-value=0.30) and gender (p value=1.00) with quality of life of patients after keratorefractive surgery. The results showed that there was no significant association observed among type of refractive surgery, post-surgery duration and quality of life (p-value=0.107) and (p-value=0.512) respectively. ix Conclusion: The findings indicate a moderate increase in the quality of life among individuals who underwent keratorefractive surgical procedures. The majority of the patients reported an improvement in their quality of life following keratorefractive surgery. Keywords: Keratorefractive Surgery, Quality of Life (QOL), Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy (Trans PRK), Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC)