About the Procedure
LASIK
The First Step
Day of the Procedure
After the Procedure
What are the Possible Risks?
Unrealistic Expectations
Will it work for me?
How the Eye Works
Visual Problems |
What Are The Possible Risks?
Laser vision correction can be a good alternative for you. However, it is important for you to understand the potential risks.
In general the risks are low. Still, there are important factors to consider. There are very low (2% or less) rates of complications relating to undercorrection, overcorrection, night glare and halos or loss of best corrected vision. Infection occurs in less than one in one thousand procedures.
The chance of risks with PRK versus LASIK are about the same, but of a different nature. Most risks with PRK are related to healing, while in LASIK they relate to creating the corneal flap.
Rates of complications are:
- Overcorrection 2%
- Night glare & halos 2%
- Loss of best corrected vision 2%
Undercorrection
This is more common than overcorrection. Slight undercorrection will not seriously affect your vision. It may be desirable in patients over 40 to help with reading vision. If there's significant undercorrection, we will perform an enhancement, at no additional cost. The higher the myopia, the more frequently undercorrection occurs.
Overcorrection
An initial overcorrection may occur and usually corrects itself in the first month. Overcorrection will make your vision at close range more difficult. After laser vision correction, your distance vision clears first and then your near vision. Overcorrections are rare, about 2% or two of every 100 procedures.
Night Glare and Halos
These are common immediately following the procedure and almost always clear in the first three months. These symptoms usually resolve after the second eye is corrected. Sometimes a weak prescription for night driving may be needed. The incidence of night glare and halos (beyond the early months) is 2%.
Loss of Best-Corrected Vision
A small number of patients experience a slight loss of visual sharpness following laser vision correction. This means that even with your best correction you may loose ability to read the bottom one to three lines of the eye chart. This can be due to irregular healing or an irregular flap and may improve over the first year. This occurs in less than 2% of the procedures.
Infection
While most feared, it is extremely rare. If it does occur, it happens in the first 48 to 72 hours. You will receive antibiotic drops after the procedure to help prevent infection. Infection occurs in less than one-tenth of one percent of the procedures.
Haze
A term for a protein that develops on the surface of the eye after laser refractive procedures, a trace haze is very common. Even a moderate amount of haze does not affect your vision. Ultraviolet light appears to aggravate haze, so it is important, particularly in Hawaii, to wear good ultraviolet protection. Serious haze may occur in less than 1% of PRK procedures, and is very rarely seen with LASIK.
Regression
This is a tendency for the eye to drift back toward your original prescription. This occurs more commonly in patients with higher amounts of myopia. Enhancement procedures can be performed to "tune up" your treatment. In some cases, glasses for night driving may be all that you need.
Corneal Flap Risks
These are very rare. These occur in less than 1% of the procedures. This may result in loss of best corrected vision. |
