What patients search: Analyzing Google queries on laser refractive surgery and information transparency

• Analyzed top Google questions on LASIK, PRK, and laser eye surgery • Most patient questions focused on recovery, outcomes, and indications • Questions were classified using Rothwell’s system for health communication • Website quality was assessed using the JAMA Benchmark Criteria • Medical practice sites were most common but had amongst the lowest transparency To analyze the most common patient questions about laser refractive surgery on Google and to evaluate the transparency of the corresponding online information. Cross-sectional study. The first 100 Google “People Also Ask” (PAA) questions were extracted for each of five search terms (“Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis”, “LASIK”, “Photorefractive Keratectomy”, “PRK”, and “Laser eye surgery”). After deduplication, the study sample comprised 189 unique PAA questions and 284 unique source websites. Data were collected on September 27, 2024, using an automated script. Questions were categorized by topic and type using Rothwell’s classification system. Source websites were assessed for transparency using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria. A repeat data extraction was performed on November 17, 2025, to assess temporal stability. Of the 189 unique questions analyzed (88 LASIK, 60 PRK, 41 laser eye surgery), most focused on evaluating the procedures (26%), recovery timelines (17%), and indications/management (14%). Fact-based questions were the most common (43%). Among the 284 unique websites, medical practice websites were the most frequent (75%) but had amongst the lowest mean JAMA scores (1.64). Commercial websites had the highest JAMA scores (3.42). LASIK-related searches had the highest mean JAMA score (2.01), followed by laser eye surgery (2.00) and PRK (1.67). The repeat data extraction on November 17, 2025, demonstrated low temporal stability, with only 9% to 18% of questions and 18% to 27% of websites recurring. At the primary sampled time point, a transparency deficit characterized the online information most frequently encountered by patients. Although medical practice websites were the most visible sources, they often lacked transparency compared to other site types. These findings suggest that clinicians and academic institutions should prioritize the transparency of their online educational content to better support informed patient decision making.