Potential Complications of LASIK Surgery

Dec.14, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

While side effects are a necessary and accepted part of any surgical procedure, and most patients are completely prepared for the risk of short-term problems as a result of their surgery, it is important to be aware of the difference between a side effect and a complication. Laser Eye Surgery is no exception to this rule, and in the aftermath of LASIK surgery it is important to pay close attention to the condition of your eyes. While some downside is expected in the immediate aftermath, persistent problems need to be referred to a doctor.

One potential complication that occurs after LASIK surgery for a minority of patients is Severe Dry Eye Syndrome. While the procedure is considered to be among the safest surgical operations you can undergo, everyone’s eyes are different. What appears to be the correct treatment may not have the desired effect, and some LASIK operations have the unexpected effect of preventing the tear ducts from producing the necessary amount of moisture to keep the eyes protected from dust and impurities. Some dryness is expected for a few days afterwards, but if it is persistent then you will need to consult a physician.

It is also possible, although by no means likely, that the aftermath of LASIK surgery will include some loss of vision. Again, in the immediate aftermath it is inevitable that your vision will be compromised, but the longer it goes on the more likely it is that you will need to have follow-up surgery. The requirement for follow-up surgery is not common, but it is wise to clarify in advance with your surgeon what the procedure is if you find that the problems persist.

One other complication that may occur is a change to how you see things through reading glasses. This can be permanent, and in such cases it is important to weigh up whether the overall improvement in your vision is worth the difference when you wear reading glasses. It may require a simple change to the nature of glasses that you wear, but there may well be no need to have any further surgery.

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Myths About Laser Eye Surgery

Dec.19, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

There is a lot said about laser eye surgery. In common with many of the “newer” forms of surgery or medical procedures, a lot of it is less than 100% true, and some of it is absolutely untrue. Some of it is scaremongering and some is down to excessive “pushing” of the medium. Laser eye surgery is neither as risky as some would have you believe, nor as certain a cure for eye problems as others claim. Here are some of the myths, and the truth about the statements.

Laser Eye Surgery is too new for us to be sure of its long-term benefits and risks.

Laser Eye Surgery has been practised for more than fifteen years now. Certainly it is new in comparison to a number of other treatments, but after fifteen years if there were to be major risks they would by now be apparent. By all means we should be cautious before rushing to have any medical procedure done, but a doctor’s advice is worth more than a million scare stories.

You can throw away your old reading glasses – you won’t need any once you’ve had Laser Eye Surgery.

While it is certainly true that you will likely notice a vast improvement in your eyesight after a course of Laser Eye Surgery, it is unlikely to make things perfect. You may still need to wear some glasses for one reason or another. We cannot guarantee anything about surgery. If you have a heart transplant, you will still need to be careful afterwards. Equally, after laser eye surgery your eyesight will be better, but not necessarily good enough to do away with glasses altogether.

Once the surgery is done, the results are permanent.

This just is not true. While Laser Eye Surgery from a good surgeon will make a big difference initially and for some time afterwards, there is no way of locking out what time does to our eyes – just the same as with any part of our body. It will fix things for a satisfactory period, but not permanently. What it will do is stop the rapid deterioration that might happen without.

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Can A Teenager Have LASIK Eye Surgery?

Dec.21, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

Although it is unfair to generalise, there is a perception that people in their teenage years are reluctant to wear glasses because of the possible reaction of their peers. In some cases this is certainly true – and not just true of teenagers, either, as interaction with many adults will demonstrate. This may well lead to situations where teenagers with sight problems, mindful of the potential mocking behaviour of their friends and others, will resist efforts to encourage them to get and wear glasses. Furthermore, they may ask why they can’t have Laser Eye Surgery to fix the problem.

There is an answer to this question. It is true that teenagers are advised they should not have Laser Eye Surgery, and with very good reason. Although it may be desirable to have treatment which negates the need for external aids, a teenager will not find that the cure to their vision problems lies with surgery except in specific and rare circumstances. Most vision problems are a result of the cornea of the eye – which happens to be constantly changing in shape during our teens and even into our early twenties. There may be clinics which are willing to operate on teenagers – but they should be avoided.

The truth is that all surgeons know that it is unwise to give Laser Eye Surgery to someone whose eyes are still developing. Aside from being unnecessary in most cases – the fault may be self-correcting given time – the surgery will not definitively fix the problem anyway. After surgery, the eye will continue to develop, and if there was a fault to begin with it may well reoccur during this time – meaning that the patient will need to go back for further treatment.

Any surgeon who does carry out Laser Eye Surgery on a teenager, therefore, is not someone who should be trusted unless the surgery is necessary for a more extreme fault. If they will carry out surgery regardless, one has to wonder whether they are the kind of surgeon you want to operate on your adolescent son or daughter. And if you explain it this way to your son or daughter, they may not be overjoyed, but they will understand.

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The Side Effects Of LASIK Surgery

Dec.23, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

With any kind of surgery, or even non-surgical medical treatment, it is not at all uncommon to suffer side effects. This truth is enough to put some people off having medical procedures. Others, understanding fully that side effects are a part of the medical landscape, balance the potential side effects against the benefits and consider that, although things might not be absolutely as they would like in the immediate aftermath, they will certainly be better than they might have been without the treatment.

It is undeniable that LASIK treatment, although a highly popular way to improve the performance of your eyes, has some side effects of its own. While this is a fact, there are still many people who see it as their best bet for a future free of compromised eyesight. Setting the negative side-effects against the positive effects, one must make a decision on whether they are prepared to accept the negative.

It is worth noting, too, that many of the side effects can be lessened or nullified by medication which is prescribed by surgeons for the aftermath of the treatment.

One side effect of LASIK eye surgery is a slightly painful, gritty feeling in the eyes in the immediate aftermath. A consequence of the inevitable drying out of the eyes, this can be unpleasant, it can be itchy and it is irritating to many. However, it does not last long and can be reduced by the correct medication. Ironically, another of the side effects commonly reported by patients is a tendency for the eyes to tear up unexpectedly. In time, the tear ducts adjust to the treatment and this side effect tends not to persist for long.

You may find that in the days following surgery your eyes are prone to blurred vision. It is not recommended that you drive during this time, and any other procedure that relies on having clear vision should be avoided. This is part of the healing process, and is over within 24-72 hours. Then again, if you had ligament surgery on your knees, you wouldn’t be playing football three days, or even three weeks later (probably not even three months). Side effects are not complications – they are a necessary part of the process – but consult your doctor if you are concerned.

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Can You Have LASIK Surgery?

Dec.27, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

Although LASIK surgery is a procedure with many benefits and a great number of satisfied customers, the unfortunate truth is that it is not right for everyone, and for some people it is unavailable and/or impossible. While this may not apply to you, it is important to be aware in advance of what your situation is as regards the treatment, and the potential drawbacks which might disbar you from having the treatment.

The first, and most simple, thing which may prevent you from having LASIK eye surgery is age. Unless you are over eighteen years of age, you will be strongly and correctly advised against having it. Your eyes and your vision change considerably during childhood and adolescence, and any surgery you may have during that time may well be less positively effective.

This much is true of anyone whose quality of vision is not stable. If you wear glasses, it is important to look at your prescription over the course of a year or more. If your prescription is changing with time, the surgery may not be as effective as you would like, and could actually have negative effects. Doctors will advise a steady prescription period dating back at least a year before going for surgery.

You should also be in relatively good general health before going for LASIK surgery. If you have an ongoing medical condition requiring medication, it may rule you out from having the surgery. For example, people with autoimmune conditions often suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome – which, along with the likelihood of it worsening post-surgery is also a potential contributor to a slow recovery period and an increased infection risk.

A pregnant or nursing woman will also be advised not to have LASIK surgery, and with good reason. Not only is the risk of Dry Eye Surgery higher, but perhaps more importantly it is necessary to take medication post-surgery and during the operation which can be absorbed into the blood supply and directed toward the foetus – or passed on through the mother’s milk – and adversely affect the child. Pregnant women will be well advised to wait until the baby is born and weaned before having the surgery.

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Are The Effects Of LASIK Permanent?

Jan.02, 2010 inLaser Eye Surgery

One attractive aspect of having LASIK laser eye surgery, for a number of people, is the idea of being able to do away with needing glasses or contact lenses in the future. Although wearing glasses is something that does not bother many (perhaps most) people, for a lot of others it is annoying. Either they don’t like the way they look with glasses on, or they are sick and tired of losing or breaking pairs of glasses or contacts. For a lot of people, the taunts – usually silly playground barbs – that they remember from their first pair of glasses can continue to hurt.

So, if you are suddenly offered the opportunity to cast off the need for adornments to help you see, it is understandable to take the opportunity with enthusiasm. Often, companies will sell LASIK by suggesting or openly stating that you will be able to throw away your glasses for the foreseeable future. Indeed, it is often implied that this will be a permanent solution to your vision problems. However, this is not wholly true.

While not wholly true, it is also not a direct lie, and this probably has a large bearing on the reason that companies are allowed to continue implying it. However, it is not something on which you should rely. The effects of LASIK surgery are not necessarily permanent. It may be the case that you never need to wear glasses again. It is, however, not something that can be guaranteed – not before the surgery, and not in the aftermath. LASIK surgery, as long as you are an appropriate candidate, will improve your immediate vision, but can no more guarantee your future vision than knee surgery will guarantee future mobility.

The effects of LASIK are more permanent than a lot of other forms of eye surgery, and for some patients are the best available. However, it is unhelpful to think in terms of guarantees and better to think about what can be said with a high degree of confidence. If you are realistic and sanguine you will be happy with the results of your LASIK eye surgery now and in the long term.

Comments (1)

One Comment on “”Larry
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:16 am

The effects may not be predicted before the surgery. But after the surgery and the recovery period, one can have a normal vision as possible and the long term effects of this corrected vision has been extensively researched. Some of the explanation based on these researches are available in the website http://www.worldclasslasik.com/lasik-long-term, which can provide a basic insight into the patients who are deciding on this surgery as an option.

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The Cost Of LASIK Eye Surgery

Jan.04, 2010 inLaser Eye Surgery

With any kind of elective medical treatment, there will be one consideration that everyone must pause to think about. This consideration is cost. If you live somewhere with public healthcare, then there will be options for free treatment, but if you want to have surgery that outstrips those options in terms of efficiency and benefits, you will have to pay. LASIK eye surgery falls into this category. You can go public and get glasses or contact lenses, but surgery is strictly a private option.

Therefore, it is important to consider the cost of LASIK surgery. It is fairly common to see advertisements on television and in the daily press offering treatment from
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