The Risks of LASIK Surgery
Posted Under: Safety
The Risks of LASIK Surgery
Whenever a patient undergoes any type of surgical procedure there is a possibility for complications. It is natural that when a person’s body is opened up and tools are in use, that bacteria of some sort can enter the patient or the body could have a reaction related to the medication. LASIK surgery is no different, there are risks to LASIK surgery, but they are few and far between.
LASIK risk continues to drop as doctors and engineers perfect the equipment used in the process. The risks involved in LASIK also drop as doctors continue to screen for the right candidates to have the surgery. Research now shows that with the right pre-testing and surgical care, the risk of any complications in LASIK surgery is less than 1%.
The most common risk with LASIK surgery is a complication with the flap created by the surgeon to cover the cornea. In traditional eye LASIK surgery the flap is created when tissue is cut by a surgical tool known as a microkeratome. Since this tool, a metal blade is used by a human being there remains a risk related to human error.
When this type of traditional eye LASIK surgery is performed the risk is when the flap is then used as the natural bandage at the end of the surgery it is not the right size. Therefore, the complication is an irregular bandage that irritates the eye and causes what is known as an irregular astigmatism. This LASIK risk is greatly reduced by a newer “bladeless” LASIK procedure.
In bladeless LASIK surgery, the risk of complication is reduced because the blade or microkeratome is no longer used. It is replaced by IntraLase, or another type of laser, that eliminates the human error. And this is called the eye laser LASIK surgery.
When assessing these LASIK risks it is recommended that when you are considering LASIK surgery that you ask your doctor how he/she goes about correcting these problems. Some complications that arise from LASIK surgery can be made even worse by over or under correction. Ask your doctor as part of your original process on how they handle this situation.
There are many other risks associated with LASIK surgery, particularly laser LASIK surgery. The risk of VISION LOSS is the one that cannot be corrected with glasses, lenses or another surgery.
DRY EYE SYNDROME is another risk after LASIK that causes the eye not to produce enough tears and moisture. UNDERCORRECTION/OVERCORRECTION, a patient may still require additional treatment that may or may not be possible after the procedure. DEBILITATING VISION PROBLEM is a risk that makes a LASIK patient develop bothersome symptoms after the procedure including glare, halos and double vision.
Source: FREE ARTICLES
