To evaluate the long-term change of postoperative refraction after cataract surgery in patients with a history of LASIK.

A retrospective chart review was performed on 40 eyes of 28 patients who had undergone cataract surgery with a history of LASIK, and 40 eyes of 31 patients who had undergone cataract surgery without LASIK. We evaluated preoperative target refraction, and postoperative refraction during the 2-year follow-up period.

In the group with a history of LASIK, the target refraction was -1.00 ± 0.98 D, the 2-month postoperative spherical equivalent was -0.53 ± 1.92 D, and the 2-year postoperative spherical equivalent was -1.03 ± 1.84 D. In the group with cataract surgery only, the target refraction was -1.44 ± 1.06 D, the 2-month postoperative spherical equivalent was -1.07 ± 1.27 D, and the 2-year postoperative spherical equivalent was -0.97 ± 1.28 D. The difference in mean spherical equivalent at 2 months postoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively between the 2 groups was statistically significant ( p = 0.037). The difference in mean spherical equivalent preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively between the 2 groups was statistically significant ( p = 0.002). In the group with cataract surgery only, the postoperative refraction shifted to hyperopic refractive power, and was statistically significant. In the group with a history of LASIK, there were no statistically significant differences between preoperative and postoperative refraction. There were no statistically significant differences according to the cataract type in the group with a history of LASIK. The greater the myopic preoperative spherical equivalent was, the shorter the duration between LASIK and cataract surgery, which was significant in the group with a history of LASIK.

The long-term refractive change after cataract surgery was statistically significant between the cataract surgery after LASIK group and the cataract surgery alone group.