Patients’ satisfaction and subjective happiness after refractive surgery for myopia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess patients’ satisfaction and change in subjective happiness after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 307 patients (mean age, 34.3 years; range, 20–63 years) who underwent bilateral LASIK surgery and ocular examinations, including subjective refraction and visual acuity axial length measurements at Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic. Patients also completed questionnaires on their satisfaction with the surgery, and on the subjective happiness scale (SHS) within 1 month before and 1 month after surgery. A multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the independent predictors of the SHS score. RESULTS: In total, 91.2% of the patients were satisfied with surgery (very satisfied: n=155; satisfied: n=125). The SHS score increased postoperatively from 5.2±0.9 to 5.3±0.9 (P<0.001). The multiple regression analysis revealed that the preoperative SHS score (β=0.77; P<0.001) and satisfaction with surgery (β=−0.11; P=0.05) were predictors of postoperative SHS score. CONCLUSION: LASIK may contribute to increased patient happiness.