Image quality in myopic eyes corrected with laser in situ keratomileusis and phakic intraocular lens

PURPOSE: To compare image quality due to higher-order aberrations following laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or implantation of phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) to correct high myopia. METHODS: Postoperative wavefront examinations, normalized to a pupil size of 5.5 mm, were obtained for 19 LASIK and 20 PIOL eyes for the same surgeon over the same time period. Higher-order aberrations and simulated retinal image's were compared. RESULTS: For this small sample, the LASIK eyes yielded an average three times more spherical aberration and two times more coma than PIOL eyes. The effects of these differences were visualized using the simulated retinal images. CONCLUSION: Spherical aberration and coma are the major differences between postoperative LASIK and PIOL higher-order aberrations, and simulated retinal images can be used to visualize these effects.