Temperature, humidity affect Lasik outcomes

The hotter and more humid it is when patients get laser surgery to correct poor vision, the more likely they are to need fine-tuning, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

September was the worst month to get the laser surgery, with 50 percent of eyes needing a follow-up procedure compared to none in drier winter months, said Dr. Keith Walter, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

“This is the first study to show that environmental factors can affect Lasik outcomes,” Walter said in a statement. “For best results, physicians should take these factors into account when calibrating laser equipment.”

Lasik stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and involves changing the shape of the cornea using an ultraviolet laser to correct vision.

Walter performed Lasik on 368 eyes, with an average of 15.5 percent needing a second procedure to fine-tune vision.

Writing in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Walter said he found that a 10 percent increase in treatment room humidity meant an additional nine out of every 100 patients needed more treatment.

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Results also were influenced by outdoor temperatures and humidity in the two weeks before surgery.

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Walter said the extra moisture in the air may reduce the laser energy absorbed by the cornea.

“Our study doesn’t mean that consumers should avoid Lasik surgery during the summer,” he said. “But they should make sure that their physicians compensate for temperature and humidity.”