Risks and complications of LASIK surgery

Like other types of surgeries, LAISK eye surgery also involves some risks and potential complications. The eyes are very delicate and the effect created by LASIK is irreversible, so that patients should be very clear of potential negative results of the surgery before making a decision. Common problems include excessive or inadequate corneal reshaping, loss of visual acuity, flap-related corneal defects and postoperative temporary complications.

How to deal with over-correction and under-correction

LASIK surgery is supposed to offer permanent vision correction. But in some instances, eyeglasses or contact lenses are still needed after LASIK procedure once over-correction or under-correction occurs. Encountered by the second condition, the patient may choose to make a remedy through a re-treatment or a second surgery. During such an enhancement surgery, it is possible to remove additionally a small amount of corneal tissues. But over-correction is generally out of control, because it is nearly impossible to “add” some corneal tissues.

Loss of visual sharpness and acuity

Some patients may experience a decrease in visual contrast or sharpness. They can always have 20/20 visual acuity but still get gray or fuzzy images. Another risk is “loss of best corrected visual acuity”. This problem can reduce the visual acuity in the patient, even if he wears corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses. Loss of visual sharpness and acuity after a laser eye surgery are hard to make a remedy. And those patients have to endure imperfect eyesight during the remaining years.

Flap-related conditions

LASIK surgery requires the surgeon to create a corneal flap, which can also cause some problems. During the surgery, irregular or incomplete flaps may be abnormally cut, which cause irregular corneal surface. In addition, a distorted cornea may form if there is the growth of cells under the flap or irregular healing. These flap-related problems may require a corneal transplant eventually. These potential risks highlight the importance of precise cut of a corneal flap. Today, there is bladeless LASIK, which uses an advanced type of laser to carry out this task and greatly reduce related risks.

Temporary complications after LASIK surgery

Furthermore, there are still many temporary complications of LASIK surgery. These complications occur immediately after the surgery, such as corneal infection, discomfort or pain in and around the eyes. Hazy or blurry vision with some glare is also potential. Other common complications include sensitivity to light, difficulty in driving at night because of halo and star-burst formation, dry eye and small reddish patches on the whites of the eye.

LASIK surgery has always been reported with high success rates. However, risks and complications described above should not be overlooked. Some of them may lead to permanent visual defects.