AIM: To compare visual performance of wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with iris-registration (Wg-LASIK group) and conventional LASIK (LASIK group) one year after surgery and analyze the correlation between wavefront aberrations and visual performance.METHODS: Eight hundred and fifty-two myopic eyes of 430 patients were enrolled in this prospective study and divided into two groups:Wg-LASIK group (436 eyes) and LASIK group (416 eyes). A Wavescan Wavefront aberrometer was used to analyze Zernike coefficients and the root-mean-square (RMS) of higher order aberrations, and Optec 6500 visual function instrument was used to measure contrast sensitivity (CS) before and 3, 6, 12 months after surgery.RESULTS:The mean spherical equivalent (SE) in Wg-LASIK group was significantly better than those in LASIK group one year after surgery (P=0.024). Wg-LASIK eyes showed better CS values than LASIK eyes at all spatial frequencies with and without glare after surgery (P all<0.01). Moreover, the increase of higher RMS (RMSh), coma, RMS3, RMS4, RMS5 in Wg-LASIK group were significantly lower than those in LASIK group 1 year after surgery (P all<0.05). The increase of coma, spherical aberration (SA), RMS3 and RMS4 in Wg-LASIK and coma and RMS3 in LASIK group were negatively correlated with reduction of contrast sensitivity 1 year after surgery.