The safety and effectiveness of a novel annular keratopigmentation technique; a cross-sectional survey of patients

PURPOSE: We investigated safety aspects and other patient experiences related to a novel Femtosecond Laser Assisted Annular Keratopigmentation technique (FLAAK). SETTING: Espace Nouvelle Vision Clinic in Paris. METHODS: Monocentric, post-operative, cross-sectional survey of patients who returned to the clinic for a color correction after the FLAAK procedure. Whilst waiting for their color retouch, consenting patients completed a questionnaire about their experiences following the FLAAK procedure. Aspects related to side-effects or discomfort as well as patient satisfaction were assessed. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 42 of 51 patients returning to the clinic for a color retouch (27 females, 15 males; mean age 37.6 years). Pain was experienced by 34 (81%) patients, dry eyes by 32 (76%) patients, glare by 23 (56%) patients, red eyes by 28 (67%) patients, and tingling by 30 (71%) patients; no patient experienced visual halos. All experienced post-operative symptoms were of a transient nature. Symptoms like pain, tingling, glare and red eyes disappear in less than 48 h after surgery in approximately 50% of the cases, and ocular dryness in 22% of cases., The median duration of these symptoms in patients for whom the symptoms were still present after 48 h, is 7 days. Patient satisfaction with the aesthetical result (scale ranging from 0 to 10) was on average 8,1 (SD 1,6). CONCLUSION: The FLAAK procedure performed for purely aesthetic purposes appears to be safe and is associated with high patient satisfaction.