Objective To report 45 cases of late traumatic flap complications after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and discuss the continually increasing number of cases in China.

Methods A multicentre retrospective survey of eye injuries was carried in 31 military hospitals from January 2006 to December 2011. Detailed information from the medical records of all 92 cases with a history of prior LASIK treatment were collected and summarised, with respect to visual acuity (VA), flap condition, treatment and final outcome. All Chinese publications relevant to late traumatic flap complications in Chinese patients were retrieved and summarised.

Results 92 inpatients (92 eyes) underwent LASIK surgery; 45 of these had traumatic LASIK flap complications. Flap dislocation was the commonest and most needed surgical repair. VA after treatment was good and no statistically significant difference was observed when compared with the 47 cases without flap complications. 109 articles related to late traumatic flap complications after LASIK were retrieved from four Chinese document databases. There were 550 cases of late traumatic flap complications. From 2004, case reports became more common; 10 or more cases were reported in some case series. VA of most cases was good and there was no remarkable vision loss after treatment.

Conclusions Late traumatic flap complications after LASIK have become more frequent in China, although the prognosis of most cases is good.