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Lasik Risks as Perscribed by the NIH:
LASIK is a surgical procedure that can reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses by permanently changing the shape of the cornea (the delicate clear covering on the front of the eye). For clear vision, the eye's cornea and lens must bend (refract) light rays properly, so that images are focused on the retina. If the light rays aren't clearly focused on the retina, the images you see are blurry.
This blurriness is referred to as a "refractive error." It is caused by an imperfectly shaped eyeball, cornea, or lens. LASIK uses an Excimer Laser (an ultraviolet laser) to precisely remove corneal tissue to correct the shape for better focusing.
LASIK eye surgery is performed most often on people who have myopia (nearsightedness), which means that they only clearly see nearby objects; anything far away is blurry.
Description:
A complete eye examination will be done before surgery to make sure your eyes are healthy. Once this is determined, the doctor will measure the curve of the cornea and the size and position of the pupils, the shape of the eyes (making sure there are no irregularities that would prevent LASIK as an option), and the thickness of the cornea (making sure there will be enough tissue left, once the cornea is cut and reshaped).
A signed informed consent form is needed before the procedure, confirming knowledge of the risks, benefits, alternative options, and possible complications.
LASIK is an outpatient surgical procedure and will take 10 to 15 minutes for each eye.
The only anesthetic used is an eye drop that numbs the surface of the eye. The procedure is done with the person awake. LASIK may be done on one or both eyes during the same session.
Risks:
- Over- or under-treatment of the condition may occur, requiring additional surgery, contact lens, or glasses.
- Reading glasses may still be needed after surgery.
- Some patients, although they may see much better than before LASIK without glasses, will still need glasses for their best vision.
- Problems with night driving or visual symptoms, such as glare and haloes.
- Problems with a decrease in contrast sensitivity, and even with 20/20 vision, objects may appear fuzzy or gray.
- Corneal scarring, permanent warping of the cornea and an inability to wear contact lenses.
- A loss of vision -- not seeing as well after surgery, even with glasses or contacts as before the surgery.
- Patches of red or pink in the white of the eye.
- Decreased distance vision at high altitudes.
Convalescence
- It may take up to 3-6 months for vision to stabilize after surgery.
- The most common complaints after LASIK are glare, haloes, and difficulty with night driving. Often, these problems will go away after 6 months, but a small percentage of people continue to complain about glare.
- Sometimes additional surgery may be needed in order to get the best possible vision. These re-operations may be called "enhancement surgery."
- Generally, while the distance vision may improve with enhancement surgery, other visual symptoms such as glare or haloes may not.
- The Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) reports that of approximately 500,000 Americans who had LASIK surgery in 1999, 70% had 20/20 vision after surgery.
- If your distance vision has been corrected with LASIK, it is likely that you may still need reading glasses around age 45.
- The long-term effects of LASIK past 5 years after the surgery are yet to be determined.
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