Does Quality of Life Improve After LASIK?

Visual function as measured by what's seen on an eye chart is one way of determining success following a LASIK surgery procedure.

But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to clarify whether LASIK actually improves quality of life.

To do this, the agency will undertake a major study in 2009 in cooperation with the National Eye Institute, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The study will assess quality of life following LASIK based on factors such as general satisfaction beyond how eyesight is traditionally assessed.

Between 1998 and 2006, the FDA reported receiving 140 comments from people unhappy with the outcomes of LASIK procedures.