What are the Risks of LASIK Surgery?
July 1, 2024
While LASIK is a safe procedure for correcting refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, it still comes with certain risks and potential complications. Awareness and understanding of these risks are crucial for anyone considering LASIK.
Keep reading to learn what the risks of LASIK surgery are and what you can do to reduce them.
Side Effects vs. Complications
It's important to note the difference between a side effect and a complication. The term side effect defines everything that can happen from a medical treatment that wasn't intended.
Conversely, complications are unintended results that make a condition more complicated than it originally was and may require additional treatment. While most medical procedures have some minor side effects, few have commonly occurring complications.
Common Side Effects
Like any surgical procedure, LASIK can cause some side effects. These side effects are usually temporary and will dissipate as your eyes heal.
Dry Eyes
The most commonly reported side effect of LASIK is dry eyes. The vision correction procedure can temporarily reduce tear production, increasing the likelihood of experiencing dry eyes.
Dry eye symptoms after LASIK include burning, itching, a gritty sensation, and pronounced redness. Though it may seem strange, dry eyes can also be very watery as the eyes increase tear production in response to irritation.
In most cases, dry eye after LASIK can be effectively treated with over-the-counter lubricating eye drops. In rare instances, LASIK can cause chronic dry eyes that require ongoing treatment.
Visual Disturbances
After LASIK surgery, some people experience visual disturbances such as glare, halos, starbursts around lights, and double vision. Visual disturbances often occur in low-light conditions, like when driving at night, and are more common in people with higher degrees of refractive errors.
Visual disturbances usually diminish as the eye heals. However, you should report any prolonged instances to your LASIK surgeon at Eyes of York.
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Red Spots on the Eye
Some people notice tiny red spots on the white of the eye after LASIK. These spots are subconjunctival hemorrhages.
Subconjunctival hemorrhages are harmless bruises caused by the suction ring used during LASIK. Typically, they disappear within a few weeks after the procedure.
Possible Complications
LASIK is incredibly safe, with a less than 1% complication rate. However, complications do sometimes occur, including:
Infection
Although rare, infections are a serious risk that can occur with any surgery, including LASIK. Signs of infection include redness, pain, excessive tearing, and reduced vision.
Getting an infection after LASIK is caused by bacteria entering the eye that attacks the corneal incision. This often happens if you rub your eyes and haven't washed your hands.
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications can treat infections. The best way to prevent an infection after LASIK is to follow all care instructions from your LASIK surgeon, including avoiding touching or rubbing your eyes.
Flap Complications
During LASIK, a flap is created on the cornea. Flap complications occur when the flap does not heal properly, usually because of an uneven corneal surface or any issue with healing during the LASIK recovery process.
There are two main types of flap complications: dislocation and epithelial ingrowth. With flap dislocation, healing is disrupted by the flap's displacement in the early stages of healing; in epithelial ingrowth, cells from the surface of the eye grow under the flap.
Flap complications usually require additional surgical intervention. They can lead to other eye problems like keratoconus (outward bulging of the eye) and irregular astigmatism (unevenness on the corneal surface).
Under Correction or Over Correction
While LASIK aims to correct common refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, it may not always achieve the desired results. This can result in under or over-correction.
It most often occurs in people with preexisting eye conditions, like thin corneas or higher degrees of refractive errors. These patients may have been aware of the risk of this complication before undergoing LASIK.
In some cases, you can address under- or overcorrection with enhancements or additional laser treatments. In other instances, additional procedures are not possible, and corrective aids may still be necessary to ensure clear vision.
Rare Complications or Outcomes
90% of LASIK patients end up with 20/20 vision or better with no complications. The complications or outcomes listed below are extremely rare and happen infrequently. However, there is still a slight chance these can occur:
Corneal Ectasia
Corneal ectasia occurs when too much corneal tissue is removed during LASIK. It causes corneal tissue to thin and weaken, allowing the cornea to lose its standard shape and take on a cone-like, bulging form.
One reason people with thin corneas are not good candidates for LASIK is the potential for developing corneal ectasia. People who want to correct their vision need to have corneas of a suitable thickness.
Corneal ectasia can lead to vision that can't be corrected to 20/20 with visual aids like glasses or contact lenses. Treatment of corneal ectasia may include collagen cross-linking to help strengthen the cornea and corneal transplants in severe cases.
Changes in Vision Quality
Some LASIK patients have reported a general decrease in vision quality, including issues with contrast sensitivity and color vision after surgery. The most commonly reported changes were difficulty seeing in low-light conditions and distinguishing between similar shades of color.
In some cases, the changes in vision quality improved over time, but in others, the changes were long-lasting. For some people, eye exercises or corrective lenses can help manage changes in vision quality.
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Delayed Effects
The results are permanent for most people who have corrected their vision with LASIK. They enjoy years of clear, crisp vision without relying on corrective aids.
While studies of the long-term outcomes of LASIK are ongoing, some patients have reported changes to the acuity of their vision years after surgery. These people noted a gradual regression of their corrected vision over time.
In some cases of regression, vision changes were caused by the onset of presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). People most commonly develop presbyopia after the age of 40, which could be years after they initially had LASIK.
By carefully following your post-surgery care instructions, you can avoid potential risks associated with LASIK. The best way to ensure a lifetime of clear, crisp vision after LASIK is to manage side effects and avoid complications.
Learn more about LASIK and if you could be a good candidate by requesting a LASIK screening at Eyes of York in York, PA, today!