What are the Risks Associated with Lasik Eye Surgery?

As with most other surgical procedures, there is an element of risk involved with lasik eye surgery. While laser and refractive eye surgery has proven to be a boon for correcting different eye-related defects, you cannot wish away the risks associated with this procedure. These risks include damage to the eye, or loss of vision, among others. Though these risks are not commonplace, they are there, and you need to be aware of them before opting for the procedure.

One of the first risks to be aware of is the risk of undercorrection or, at the other end of the spectrum, overcorrection. Undercorrection happens when the correction made by the lasik eye surgery procedure is still not enough to provide the patient with 20/20 vision. How does this happen? Basically, each patient’s eye is unique, with unique surface texture, depth, composition, etc. For some patients, after one procedure, the correction may have been slightly lesser than required. They would require another procedure to set it right.

In the case of some other patients, lasik eye surgery may result in overcorrection, wherein more than the required amount of correction occurs. In both these cases, the result is a diminished and sometimes hazy vision, and requires a second procedure to set it right. In the case of both undercorrection and overcorrection, you can continue to wear glasses or lenses till the second operation is done. The second operation is absolutely necessary, however, as without it your vision will continue to remain impaired when you are not using the corrective glasses or lenses.

Another major risk of lasik eye surgery is infection. While infection is not a common occurrence, it does happen, and can cause irritation of the eyes, swelling, burning sensation of the cornea, etc. In some cases, the infection is taken care of by the anti-inflammatory eye drops that are generally prescribed after an operation. However, in some other cases where the infection is severe, it may require another surgery to cut open the flap once again and scrape out the infection.

Besides, a patient may also suffer from the ‘severe dry eye’ syndrome. After lasik eye surgery, the eye requires enough of tears to keep it wet and comfortable. In some patients, this does not happen. Such a situation affects the vision of the patient, and if persistent, would require either surgery or treatment with medication for correction. Severe dry eye syndrome does not, however, cause major discomfort to the patient.

Certain other patients experience what is called the halo effect, or the starburst effect, after lasik eye surgery. This happens in dim light. The halo effect can cause serious problems while driving at night, and many patients having this side effect refrain from driving at night till it is treated.

There are other side effects as well that patients may experience. The bottom line is that while lasik eye surgery is a great way to get your eye problems treated, there are inherent risks that you need to be aware of. Knowing about the risks keeps you prepared for them in case things go wrong.

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A Brief Introduction to LASIK

LasikPlus - A Brief History

What are the Risks Associated with Lasik Eye Surgery?

The Lasik Vision Institute

The Lasik Surgery Procedure

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