Title : Enhancing patient experience: A study of modified manual irrigation ICL implantation vs. smile
Abstract:
This study aims to assess the intraoperative experiences of patients undergoing a modified manual irrigation implantable collamer lens (MI-ICL) implantation technique in comparison to femtosecond laser small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). A customized questionnaire, developed based on surgical experience models and validated through expert review, was administered post-operatively to capture patient feedback on factors such as psychological comfort, pain, and perception of surgical procedures. Among 438 valid responses, patients who underwent MI-ICL reported shorter operation times and a higher sense of comfort during surgery, particularly in self-assessed psychological states, though SMILE had advantages in environmental perception aspects. Statistical analysis, adjusting for factors such as age and psychological state, revealed no significant differences in overall experience scores between the two groups, though MI-ICL patients reported notably improved perceptions on certain comfort aspects. The findings suggest that the MI-ICL technique, by reducing surgical time and complexity, can achieve an intraoperative comfort level similar to SMILE, particularly beneficial in enhancing psychological comfort during surgery.
Keywords: ICL implantation, SMILE, intraoperative experience, myopia correction, patient comfort, refractive surgery
