The Truth About Laser Eye Surgery Risks
The most frequent question
regarding the Lasik operation is about laser
eye surgery risks. Before
agreeing to have this kind of procedure, people want to know what
possible complications may appear. The cost of the laser eye surgery,
for instance, is not nearly as important as the side effects.
Globally speaking, more than 95% of Lasik patients were happy with the
outcome of this operation, stating that they have got their clear
vision back, according to a Study
on Post-Lasik Quality of Life.
And considering the
fact that this article was published in the beginning of the year 2008,
I believe it is safe to assume that this number increased even more,
due to development of new technologies in ophthalmology. This obviously
implies that laser eye surgery risks decreased during the last couple
of years.
Most Reported Laser Eye Surgery Complications
Some of the most common laser
eye surgery risks are overcorrection or undercorrection, the appearance
of a sensibilyty towards powerful light and dry eyes.
While most of the negative side effects are only present for a short
period of time (which is completely normal), there are cases when the
procedure fails to provide the patient with the best results. The
feeling of dry eyes, for example, is almost inevitable during the Lasik
post-operatory period. This is why your surgeon will most likely
prescribe a course of eye-drops that will minimize the discomfort.
Another important factor you must take into consideration after having
laser eye surgery is the amount of sleep you get. It is recommended to
sleep as much as possible, so you might want to make sure before the
operation that you can get all the sleep you want afterward. This way,
you will allow your cornea to heal much faster while minimizing the
discomfort, or other possible laser eye surgery risks.
Overcorrection and undercorrection are not complications per se, but
more like fine errors that may appear after Lasik eye surgery. You
probably know by now that precise measurements are made before having
the actual medical procedure, in order to find out how the stroma (the
middle layer of the cornea) has to be shaped.
However, some factors, like tissue density, might trigger small
calculation errors that may get in the way of the crystal clear vision
most patients desire. Despite this, your vision will definitely
improve, but not up to perfection.
In order to avoid such risks, new technologies have been developed
during the last years. For instance, the wavefront technology helps
surgeons be more precise, but this benefit has an impact on the laser
eye surgery cost.
The Best Way Of Reducing Risks
It is extremely important to
follow your doctor's advice, both before and after the Lasik procedure,
in order to minimize laser eye surgery risks.
The most common mistake people tend to make is believing that the only
important part of the whole treatmant is the operation itself. While
the actual medical procedure is obviously the most significant part,
this does not mean you can ignore the post-operatory process.
As you can seel, laser eye surgery risks exist. No operation in the
world will ever be 100% safe, but judging by comparing statistics, the
Lasik operation is one of the safest.