Is Laser Eye Surgery Safe?
The FDA recognizes LASIK and PRK surgeries as proven, safe and effective. According to guidelines recently released by the Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), fewer than 1% of patients who have received laser eye surgery to date have experienced serious, vision-threatening problems. Most complications can be treated and usually resolve within several months of surgery. There are no known cases of blindness resulting from LASIK or PRK laser eye treatments.
What Are the Risks Associated with Laser Eye Surgery?
Although no one knows the exact number of complications, studies suggest that the incidence of minor difficulties such as dry eyes and nighttime glare is around 3% to 5% from combined LASIK and PRK procedures. These minor complications include:
- Halos - Some patients will notice glare, halos or starburst around objects in low-light conditions. For the vast majority, these symptoms are temporary. However, others will continue to experience them for several months or longer. During pre-operative evaluation, the refractive surgeon can determine whether or not a person is at high risk for seeing long-term halos.
- Dry eyes - There is increased dryness of the eyes typically for several months following LASIK surgery, though some patients may experience dryness for a longer period of time. It is important to use lubricating drops frequently. If the eyes remain dry for prolonged period, there are other drops or techniques that can help. Pre-operative evaluation will help determine whether or not a person is a likely candidate for experiencing dry eyes.
- Infection - This is an extremely rare occurrence, with a 1 in 2000-3000 chance (similar to any eye surgery). Fortunately, as the LASIK technique has developed over the years and proven to be of great benefit to millions of patients nationwide, firmly established protocols now exist which minimize the risk of infection.
- Over- or under-treatment - While the laser is very precise in the process of reshaping your cornea, we can not predict how each person will respond to the treatment. Individual healing response at times can cause an under or over correction and also the possibility of a reduction in the quality of vision possible. Any loss of best corrected vision is a very infrequent consequence and can not always be corrected. In general any under or over correction can be treated easily with an enhancement procedure.
- Your vision may change again over time - While the goal is to reduce your dependency on glasses and in many cases eliminate the need for glasses, the eye will continue to change to some degree throughout your lifetime. At the time of your visit you doctor will discuss this possibility with you and give you advice specific to your age and a reasonable estimate of what you can expect with your eyes.
Your doctor will answer all your questions honestly and in detail. All safety and risk information specific to the equipment and methods being used in the clinic will be disclosed to you.
