One of the most common reasons that people decide against having laser eye surgery is because of the perceived risks of the procedure. The fact of the matter is that as with all surgical procedures there will always be an element of risk, but the chances of any serious complications occurring are very small. Having carried out a two-year study, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) deemed laser eye surgery to be “safe and efficacious for use in appropriately selected patients.” Having said this, there are certain risks and these need to be fully understood before people should decide to go ahead and have laser eye surgery.
Common risks associated with laser eye surgery:
- Dry eye: This is probably the most common risk of laser eye surgery and this is the reason that it is so important that it is assessed during your laser consultation. People who already have dry eyes may be deemed unsuitable for the procedure by their surgeon. The reason there is the risk of dry eyes following the surgery is because corneal nerves severed during the procedure. These nerves send information to the lacrimal gland to produce tears when the eye is dry.
- Night vision problems: This is another common complication and can affect people’s night driving. Having wavefront laser eye surgery reduces the chances of this occurring.
- Corneal infection: This is a serious complication and will need to be treated with antibiotics and steroid eye drops.
- Over/under correction: This essentially means that the laser does not accurately correct the prescription. This can typically be treated once the eye has fully healed with a laser re-enhancement.
- Reaction to the anaesthetic:This is an extremely rare but serious complication.
- Flap complications:These only apply to patients having Lasik eye surgery as there is no flap created during Lasik surgery. Examples of flap complications are wrinkled/uneven flaps, debris under the flap and inflammatory response under the flap. Such complications are treatable by a skilled surgeon
Summary of the risks of laser eye surgery:
These are the main risks of laser eye surgery, although it is not an exhaustive list. The reality is that the vast majority of the complications are treatable by a skilled surgeon. The chances of there being a complication during the procedure are about one in a thousand and it is estimated that only about one in thirty thousand of these complications will not be correctable by the surgeon. It is estimated that the risk of going blind following laser eye surgery is only about one in five million. In summary there are risks, but they are very small. Most risks are only minor and most of them recede in the six months following the surgery as the eyes heal. For those deciding whether or not to have surgery, it is extremely important to understand all the laser eye surgery risks so that an informed decision can be made.
Timothy Harwood - Tim Harwood is a UK based Optometrist who has been in private practice for the past 8 years and is especially interested in laser eye ...
