AIM: To study the patient characteristics and keratorefractive surgery(KRS)practice in central India.

METHOD: The retrospective study was conducted on 410 patients who underwent KRS from June 2017 to April 2022 at a tertiary eye care center in central India. Demographic data of the patients presenting for the spectacle free vision like age, sex, residence in the form of urban or rural area, refractive error, cause for spectacle-free vision, best-corrected visual acuity, types of procedure, postoperative follow-up and complications were recorded.

RESULTS: Among the 410 patients who presented for spectacle-free vision, 324 patients were considered for KRS(79.0%), and 200 patients(61.7%)underwent the laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK)procedure, whereas 124 patients(38.3%)underwent the photorefractive keratectomy(PRK)procedure. The final study group comprised 179 female and 145 male. The mean age of the patients was(25±3.5)years. A majority of patients were from urban areas(n=250, 77.2%). The mean preoperative manifest refraction in the right and left eyes was -4.5±2.1 and -4.9±2.0, respectively. The mean surgical time in the LASIK patient was(15±2)min and(17±3)min for both eyes in PRK. None of the patients exhibited epithelial ingrowth, flap healing complications, or infection, and none of them required enhancement. Suboptimal corneal thickness(n=28, 32.6%)was the most common reason for rejection. At the end of the 1-year follow up, 3 patients who underwent the LASIK procedure exhibited regression(-0.5 D±1 D), with a refractive error correction of -6.75 D, -8.5 D, and -7.0 D, respectively.

CONCLUSION: LASIK is the predominant procedure for the correction of refractive error in the central Indian population. Although the number of PRK procedures was small, both LASIK and PRK exhibited excellent visual outcome. Myopic regression should be considered when choosing LASIK for high myopia.