Lasik Complications

Like all medical procedures involving surgical processes employing the use of advanced technology, there are inherent Lasik complications which men and women can potentially experience. While several of these complications may be defined as mild in nature, others can often cause long term discomfort. Being aware of Lasik eye surgery complications before you get it done can prepare you for to either choose alternative vision correction treatments or help you raise the discussion during your initial consultation with a licensed Ophthalmologist (MD) which is certified to do PRK or laser eye correction.  These are the only specialized eye doctors that should be performing this type of procedure as they are highly trained in Corneal health and care.

Lasik Surgery Complications Typically Include:

Loss of Visual Acuity

Often patients that have Lasik done experience difficulty seeing clearly in light that is dim because they loose a certain degree of sensitivity to distinguish between levels of contrast. The end result can lead to poor vision during the night as patients experience starbursts, soft glowing halos and double vision. According to a report published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) individuals with large eye pupils often have more problems in the dark than those with average size pupils. In fact, this report also established that up to 19.7% of patients experienced seeing visual halos 6 months after surgery and 19.7% experienced complications with glare when looking at bright lights in the nighttime.

Post Corneal Healing Set Backs

A lot of patients have had complications with Lasik when it comes to the post healing process of the corneal flap. Given that the tensile strength of the flap is less than 2.5%, it does not take much for the flap to get mal-adjusted. This often leads to less than perfect results after Lasik has been done. Is there any way to improve the odds? The answer is unfortunately no.

When a patient gets the surgery performed, oftentimes, the cornea becomes weakened as a result of disturbing its natural placement. This happens because the collagen bands which form the properties of the cornea are severely weakened during the procedure, thus resulting in a slight deterioration of its natural strength. In this state, the bands may cause the cornea to become less thinner than usual and lead to a condition which is known as keratectasia. This is one of the complications that patients have to understand when it comes to risk of getting any form of Lasik that involves the lifting the corneal flap.

The most common Lasik complication is well known as ‘dry eyes’. This often leaves the patient feeling uncomfortable as they have frequent bouts of dry eyes and soreness, and more severe symptoms such as the eyelid adhering to the surface of the surface of the eyes.  Additional symptoms can include itching and the uncomfortable feeling that accommodates a person that has a foreign object lodged in their eye. How long do the symptoms of dry-eyes last? Based on a study that was conducted by the FDA, 20% of patients experienced complication with dry eyes 6 months later. While this was based on a clinical study, you should be aware that each person may respond differently and experience slightly varied post corneal side-effects.