The authors conclude that excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy does not constitute a medical necessity. It is an irreversible process associated with certain risks and is usually performed for mainly aesthetic reasons. Anyone considering excimer laser surgery to correct myopia or astigmatism should compare it with glasses or contact lenses, for these alternatives are extremely effective and are not associated with the complications observed with photorefractive keratectomy.
The authors consider excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for the treatment of myopia and astigmatism to be an innovative technology, that is, as technology that has passed the experimental stage and whose efficacy has been established, but about which there are some important questions that are still unanswered. Specifically, for patients with higher degrees of myopia (about -6.00 diopters or more), knowledge is less complete than for patients with lower degrees of myopia.