Refractive Surgery Council Reports More Than 200,000 Laser Vision Correction Procedures Performed in Q1 2022

The Refractive Surgery Council (RSC) reported laser vision correction (LVC) procedure volume for Q1 2022 at 200,672, representing a 5.3 percent increase over the previous quarter (Q4 2021). The report combines data for LASIK, SMILE and PRK procedures performed in the U.S. as reported by the industry’s leading device manufacturers.

“The Q1 2022 procedure volume is the strongest Q1 data in RSC’s reporting, excluding last year’s surge,” said RSC Chairman Jim Wachtman. “Encouragingly, our surgeons report that consumer demand is stable, with post-pandemic energy around self-improvement continuing in spite of the complexities around the pandemic and the tightening economy.”

Today, there are many options in LVC to suit a significant portion of the 165 million American adults who need vision correction. The most popular procedures include LASIK, SMILE, and PRK.

“The pandemic ‘threw a switch’ and changed things fundamentally for people and their priorities,” said Vance Thompson, MD, of Vance Thompson Vision. “They may think about having surgery like LASIK for a long time, but, once they commit, they want it yesterday.”

RSC’s procedure volume report is based upon utilization data gathered from the industry’s leading refractive device manufacturers, providing a valuable market performance indicator for the sector. RSC began tracking LASIK, SMILE and PRK procedures in 2015.