Role of depressive symptoms in patient satisfaction with visual quality after laser in situ keratomileusis.

PURPOSE: To assess the role of depressive symptoms in patient satisfaction with visual quality after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

SETTING

Navy Refractive Surgery Center, Ophthalmology Department, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.

METHODS

This was a prospective study of active-duty military patients having bilateral conventional LASIK to treat low to moderate myopia with or without astigmatism. Patients completed the Armstrong Laboratory Personality Survey Depression scale preoperatively. Patients were also given a 10-point Navy questionnaire that included an assessment of patient satisfaction with visual quality at the 1- and 6-month follow-up examinations. Patients were stratified by their visual quality rating after LASIK as highly satisfied, satisfied, and less satisfied and by their depression scale score into low, medium, and high groups. A proportional odds model was developed to compare the visual quality rating between the 3 depression groups 1 and 6 months post LASIK.

RESULTS

The study comprised 370 patients. An uncorrected visual acuity of at least 20/20 was achieved in 88.6% of eyes. Patients with higher levels of depressive symptoms had 3.0 times higher odds (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 7.4) of being less satisfied than those with low levels of depressive symptoms 1 month after LASIK (P <or= .02) and 2.5 times higher odds (95% CI, 1.0 to 6.5) of being less satisfied at 6 months (P <or= .06).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative depressive symptoms were a significant contributor to patient satisfaction with visual quality after LASIK.