A quality of life assessment of military recruits after refractive surgery

AIM: To evaluate the quality of life of recruits after refractive surgery. METHODS: Population-based, cross-sectional study. Using the Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) questionnaire, the quality of life in 615 recruits underwent refractive surgery was evaluated. The overall score and each question score of QIRC were compared between subgroups of different strength of preoperative refractive error, postoperative interval, type of surgical procedure and postoperative recovery. RESULTS: The mean overall QIRC score of recruits underwent refractive surgery was 49.15±7.89. Significant difference was found for strength of preoperative refractive error (F=4.16, P<0.05), with the low myopia group (50.67±7.59) had significantly better scores than those with high myopia (47.57±7.52, F=4.16, P<0.05). Recruits after a postoperative interval no more than 6mo (49.18±7.86) scored equally to those of more than 6mo (49.18±8.03). Recruits underwent surface ablation surgery scored lowest (46.68±6.09), but showed no significant difference when compared with all underwent refractive surgery (t=1.99, P>0.05). Scores of recruits underwent mechanical microkeratome laser in situ keratomileusis (MK-LASIK), Sub-Bowman’s keratomileusis (SBK), femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK), femtosecond lenticule extraction (ReLEx flex) or small-incision lenticule extraction (ReLEx SMILE) procedure showed no significant difference too. Recruits had adverse complaints postoperatively (45.85±6.66) scored lower when compared with all underwent refractive surgery (t=5.28, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The quality of life of recruits after refractive surgery was good except those with postoperative complications. Preoperative low myopia recruits had better quality of life than medium and high myopia ones.