Lasik Risks and Complications

One of the biggest reasons that patients choose not to have surgery is due to the Lasik Risks and Complications. While every surgery has risks, Lasik eye surgery tends to have a lower level of risk, and complications are very rare. The fear that holds many patients back is unfounded.

Common issues with Lasik

The most common problem that patients encounter is overcorrection and undercorrection. In this case, the laser and surgery were performed properly, and no problems occurred. A small number of patients have harder or softer than normal eye surfaces. The laser applies the proper amount of energy, but the eye does not allow the proper effect!

It is not possible to predict which patients will have significant under- or overcorrection. After their eye heals, a second surgery can be done to finish the correction. This is usually carried out about three to four months after the original surgery. The original flap can be lifted to perform this surgery, which may reduce the risk.

Most surgeons report that their re-operation rate for Lasik surgery is less than five percent. This means that the only common Lasik Risks and Complications is actually pretty rare. And it is easy to fix with a simple enhancement.

More serious Lasik Risks and Complications

When patients talk about their biggest worry with Lasik surgery, they discuss the risk of blindness. The risk of blindness has been estimated at one in 250,000 to one in a million cases.

If blindness is to occur, it is probably due to infection, or scar formation on the eye. Lasik surgeons prescribe an antibiotic drop and an anti-inflammatory drop to prevent these serious problems. Proper use of these drops, and proper hygiene when handling the eyedrops and touching around the eye helps prevent infection.

Other issues

There are many other issues that can occur after surgery, and some of them are fairly serious, or can be minor annoyances.

• Glare or halos: Most patients experience some glow around headlights after surgery. This tends to diminish after the first month, but can cause long-term difficulty with driving at night.
• Dry Eyes: All patient have some dryness right after surgery, since the incision cuts a few nerves that help with tear control. Artificial tears are used very frequently until the eyes recover
• Difficulty with night vision: Lasik may cause a decrease in contrast sensitivity, leading to decreased night vision. Advanced CustomVue Lasik helps reduce the odds of this problem

Minimizing risk

There are other Lasik Risks and Complications that are usually covered by Dr. Goldstein when patients come for their full Lasik consultation. It is very important that the Lasik surgeon evaluate patients carefully, and eliminate those that may be at higher risk for problems. Patients who follow the eye drop directions carefully are at lower risk. Following all of the postoperative instructions is very important too.