Concerned About Lasik Eye Surgery Complications?
If you are considering having LASIK eye surgery then of course you are concerned about the possibility of LASIK eye surgery complications and what they are. Fortunately LASIK eye surgery has a solid success rate and complications are rare and for the most part either self limiting or correctable. The complications you are most likely to experience (if you experience any at all which is more likely) are infection, dry eyes, over or under correction or regression. Let’s take a look at these and how they can be treated so we can have
a better understanding of how they could affect our surgical outcome.
Incidence of infection is rarer in eye surgery than it is in daily use of contacts. It’s a matter of numbers, with daily use of contact lenses there is a higher risk of infection simply from handling. No matter how careful you are in washing your hands, your bathroom sink can’t be compared to the sterilization of a surgical suite. In addition, you may be treated with antibiotic eyedrops pre and postoperatively to prevent or treat any infection that might occur.
About 1/2 of all LASIK eye surgery patients experience dry eyes after the procedure. This is because of increased sensitivity of the cornea directly following the procedure. This condition is self limiting and should resolve on it’s own within 6 months. In the meantime it can be relieved with artificial tears, prescription eye drops and/or oral flaxseed oil capsules.
Over or under correction is often due to a patient’s unrealistic expectations of eye surgery, expecting a clarity that is not able to be achieved through surgery. It could also be due to the healing process. Every person heals differently and it could affect the outcome of the surgery. Misdiagnosis or incorrect eye mapping could be a contributing factor as well. This situation can often be corrected with an enhancement, which is a second surgery or “tune up” done after the initial healing process to fine tune the vision. Over correction most often occurs in patients with complicated prescriptions.
Regression or deterioration in vision sometimes occurs after a stable healing. Vision is optimal and then deteriorates. This is most often seen in patients with hyperopia, or farsightedness. One of the causes for this is simply age. As we age our eyes change and we become more farsighted. The regression can sometimes be treated with an enhancement or “tune up” once it is certain that the refractive error is stable. If the regression is due to age and it is unlikely that the refractive error will become stable, reading glasses will most likely be needed.
All in all LASIK eye surgery complications are relatively minor and treatable. The most important step you can take is to find an eye surgeon you are comfortable with and discuss your concerns with before your surgery to make the best informed decision that you can.
