Accommodative spasm after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)

PURPOSE: To report a case of accommodative spasm following laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). DESIGN: Observational case report. METHODS: Ophthalmic examination including manifest and cycloplegic refraction to assist in diagnosis. RESULTS: Two months following LASIK surgery, a 41-year-old healthy woman complained of intolerable head, aches that had interfered with her daily activities. The patient sought medical consultation, and an MRI of the brain was normal. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 and 20/25 with manifest refraction of -2.25 -0.50 x 170 and plano in the right and the left eye, respectively. Cycloplegic refraction was plano in the right and +0.75 sphere in the left eye, and she was corrected to 20/20 bilaterally. After being treated with cyclopentolate 1% one drop at bedtime to each eye for approximately six weeks, the headache completely resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Accommodative spasm should be considered in patients undergoing LASIK surgery complicated with fluctuating refraction of uncertain causes.