Ocular Symptoms After Refractive Surgery.
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is associated with higher odds of prolonged ocular pain.
Ocular Symptoms After Refractive Surgery.
To characterize longitudinal ocular symptom trajectories after refractive surgery, describe associated symptom descriptors over time, and identify baseline factors associated with pain trajectories.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This prospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted at 2 academic ophthalmology centers in the US from April 2021 to July 2025.
PRK is associated with higher odds of prolonged eye pain than LASIK
Among 326 participants with complete pain data (mean [SD] age, 34.3 [7.9] years; 196 [60.1%] female), pain trajectories were heterogeneous.
No clinically relevant pain was observed in 94 participants (28.8%), pain at POD 1 only in 143 participants (43.9%), and prolonged pain (at POM 3 or POM 6) in 59 participants (18.1%); 30 participants had uncommon pain trajectories.
In this cohort study, postoperative ocular symptom trajectories after refractive surgery followed distinct longitudinal patterns, suggesting these trajectories may have been associated with specific baseline factors.
This trajectory-based, symptom-specific approach may provide clinically relevant insight into patient recovery and may improve risk stratification, counseling, and targeted perioperative management, but further corroboration is warranted.