Association Between Preoperative Negative Emotional States and Eye Movement During Photorefractive Keratectomy

Purpose: To describe the link between negative emotions—depression, anxiety, and stress—and eye movement during photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Methods: This comparative case series was conducted on 53 PRK candidates and involved completing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) before surgery. Eye movement, measured as the radial distance between the pupil and laser center during each shot, was analyzed. Average distance indicated centralization accuracy, while standard deviation (SD) indicated precision. Stress, depression, anxiety, and their relationship with eye movement during PRK were studied. Results: The mean and SD of eye movements were not significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, stress, or the total DASS-21 score. A weak negative correlation was observed between the preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) and stress (r = –0.305, P = 0.004), anxiety (r = –0.401, P < 0.001), and total DASS-21 scores (r = –0.324, P = 0.002). Lastly, a weak positive correlation was found between ablation time and the SD of eye movement (r = 0.473, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The DASS-21 questionnaire showed no link between negative emotions and eye movement. Additionally, longer ablation times correlated with greater SD of eye movement.