Is Laser Eye Surgery Safe?

You’ve heard all the hype, seen it on more than one reality television show, and now you are pondering the all important question, how safe is laser eye surgery? Well the answer is, probably safer than you think.

Most often referred to as refractive surgery, this procedure corrects refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. This is done by permanently changing the shape of the cornea by cutting a flap where the laser can remove material behind the cornea.

It is a quick procedure done in an office setting with minimal healing time and pain. Due to these factors, patients tend to overlook the possibility of complications and feel secure that it is 100% safe. Laser eye surgery can involve side effects though and while most of the possible side effects are relatively mild, you should still be aware of anything that could go wrong, as with any surgery.

To ensure safe laser eye surgery, do your homework in regards to the surgeon you are considering. You want to choose a surgeon with plenty of experience in the procedure he recommends to you, and of course a second opinion never hurts. Be aware of the questions that the surgeon should ask you during the consultation and if those things are not asked then you should move on.

Laser eye surgery has been deemed safe by the FDA through the approval of specific lasers and procedures. Make sure to discuss those factors with your surgeon as well and if you make a well informed decision then safe laser eye surgery can be done and you will see things a lot more clearly.

Complications Associated With Laser Eye Surgery

There are risks associated with any kind of surgery and laser eye surgery is no exception. There are several, possible, laser eye surgery complications.

In most cases where laser eye surgery has been performed, the cornea tries to return to its original state but stabilizes within a few months. Because of this, over-correction is necessary, initially. Though it is uncommon, over-correction can be one of the permanent laser eye surgery complications in which you would need glasses for reading and other such work done close to the eyes.

Since the density and composition of the tissue to be removed can vary, it is possible to encounter another laser eye surgery complication, under-correction. There are several factors that may lead to this problem, one being the aforementioned tendency of the cornea to return to its original state. Re-treatment is usually an option if this occurs.

If there is a lot of eye movement during the procedure, or if the laser is not centered correctly, the complication can be a decentered ablation. This can result in irregular astigmatism, optical aberrations, starbursts, or contrast sensitivity.

Nighttime glare can be one of the more serious laser eye surgery complications. At night, pupils dilate and if the optical zone is smaller than the dilated pupil then nighttime glare can occur. This can be serious because it may result in the person having to stop driving at night.

Of course there are other possible laser eye surgery complications. Just be sure to talk to your doctor about all the possibilities and worse case scenarios before making the decision to take this step in vision correction.

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