Tip! Laser eye surgery is virtually pain free as the cornea is anesthetized using special drops. There may be mild discomfort when the anesthetic wears off but this irritation should be minor and last only a few hours.

In most cases laser eye surgery is safe. But, like any other surgical procedure there are certain risks that need to be addressed. A large number of patients have been able to stop wearing glasses after surgery and have achieved 20/40 vision, or better, that have been cases where patients have a decreased vision after surgery. There are some things that need to be taken into account before choosing a “safe” laser eye surgery.

Corneal Haze

This is a common side effect of laser eye surgery, but usually fades with time, although not always. It can’t be corrected with contact lenses or glasses, but only a further surgery procedure to treat scarring, such as CustomVue WaveFront.

Decreased 20/20 Vision

Many types of laser eye surgery can leave scarred tissue, resulting in a 20/20 vision lower than the one the patient used to experience before treatment. Over corrected or under corrected vision is also a common side effect of laser eye surgery. In such cases, glasses or contact lenses may still be needed or the patient may be recommended a second surgery for more effectiveness.

Vision Loss

Laser surgery procedures which use a microkeratome blade to cut a flap involve the risk of cutting it off instead of leaving it hinged. If the flap is damaged, the patient may suffer vision loss. Successful procedures that use a blade can still leave small imperfections that can result in blurred vision.

Tip! Laser eye surgery refers to the use of high quality and high precision laser called the Excimer. It is used to carve the corneal tissue of the eye in order to help the light rays to get refracted correctly and fall precisely on the retina of the eye.

Post Operative Infections

Choosing a skilled and experienced surgeon is certainly helpful to make laser eye surgery safe, but there’s always the risk of post operative infection. This risk is higher in PRK and LASEK than LASIK. In most cases, these infections can be treated with medication and usually don’t turn into long-term problems. However, more sever complications ca result into temporary vision loss or even worse. The healing process is longer for PRK and LASEK than LASIK.

It is important to not have extremely high expectations about laser eye surgery, This treatment may not be suitable for some people. There are some things to consider, such as “Is laser eye surgery safe?”, “are your expectations reasonable?”, and “Is laser eye surgery safe for you?” In order to answer these questions you have to learn more about what to expect from each type of laser eye surgery. You should know the positives and negatives of them all, and talk to your doctor about what is best for you.

Tip! Lasik eye surgery is popular because of the general ease of the procedure. Patients discuss a relative lack of pain after Lasik eye surgery and almost immediate occurrence of excellent vision.

Laser eye surgery is not a good choice for everyone. Pregnant women, people who suffer from diabetes, patients who have problems with binocular visions, thin corneas, dry eyes or large pupils may not be good candidates for this type of treatment.

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