Retinal detachment after laser in situ keratomileusis in myopic eyes.

Purpose To investigate the incidence, characteristics, and surgical management of retinal detachment (RD) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery in myopia. Design Retrospective, observational case series. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the RDs observed in 18,342 eyes (9,598 patients) that underwent LASIK for the correction of myopia. All patients had no history of corneal diseases, and preoperative examinations, including a thorough fundus examination, were performed. Patients were followed up for a mean of 20 months (range, four to 27 months), and the clinical features of the RD eyes after LASIK were investigated. Results RD developed in six patients, including two males and four females. The incidence of a RD after LASIK in this study was 0.033%. Mean degree of pre-LASIK myopia in these eyes was −9.33 diopters (D; range, −6.25 to 14.00 D). The mean interval between LASIK and RD development was 9.25 months (range, two to 18 months). All RDs occurred spontaneously and were managed with vitreoretinal surgeries. Retinal reattachment was achieved at the first RD surgery in all six eyes (100%) at a mean follow-up of 9.3 months (range, three to 18 months). Conclusions RD after LASIK for correction of myopia is uncommon. This study suggested no cause-and-effect relationship could be proven between RD development and LASIK procedure in myopia. Clinicians should still be aware of retinal pathologic features in patients undergoing LASIK.