Study finds temperature affects LASIK results

Winston-Salem, NC-Warm temperatures can have an effect on LASIK surgery results, according to a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study. A 10% increase in treatment room humidity meant an additional 9 out of every 100 LASIK patients later needed an enhancement procedure.

Outdoor temperatures in weeks leading up to the surgery also had an affect on results. Zero percent of eyes needed enhancement surgery in the winter and 50% needed the enhancement in September when humidity is the highest.

The study tested 368 eyes and evaluated 12 variables that were suspected to affect LASIK results. Factors included age, sex, curvature of the cornea, and environmental factors. Indoor humidity had the most impact on whether a person required an enhancement procedure.

"Environmental data should play a role in how the [LASIK] equipment is programmed to further refine the visual outcome," said study author Keith Walter, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology, in a prepared statement.