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LASIK Risks
Risks of LASIK Eye Surgery
As with any surgical procedure, there are associated risks to consider when thinking about getting LASIK or other corrective eye surgery.
Some of the risks associated with LASIK procedures are described below. You should be aware of these possibilites before scheduling your surgery. However, keep in mind that the only way to properly determine if you are at risk for complications is to have a board certified surgeon examine your eyes. Reputable surgeons will perform these consultations free of charge. If you would like to schedule a consultation to examine your condition, please see our directory or call 1-800-LaserDr (1-800-527-3737).
Now, let's look at some risks associated with LASIK:
| LASIK Risks and Complications and How They Are Treated |
| Risks & Complications |
Symptoms |
Treatments |
| Incomplete corrections (undercorrection, overcorrection, residual astigmatism) or regression of effect |
Blurry, less-than-perfect vision |
Glasses or contact lenses; eyedrops; re-treatment with laser |
| Decentered ablations |
Visual aberrations* |
Eyedrops; re-treatment with laser |
| Oversize pupils (pupils wider than treatment zone) |
Visual aberrations* |
Eyedrops; re-treatment with laser |
| Haze |
Visual aberrations* |
Eyedrops; re-treatment with laser |
| Irregular flap (folds, wrinkles, striae) |
Visual aberrations* |
Surgical correction; second LASIK procedure |
| Dry eye |
Dry, itchy or scratchy eyes, often with redness and sense of foreign object in eye, and sometimes pain |
Artificial tears; punctal occlusion (blockage of tear ducts in order to retain tear film on eye) |
| Diffuse lamellar keratitis |
Visual aberrations* |
Eyedrops; re-treatment with laser; surgical correction |
| Epithelial ingrowth |
Visual aberrations* |
Eyedrops; re-treatment with laser; surgical correction |
| Infection |
Redness, oozing of eyes, sometimes pain |
Eyedrops; oral medications |
| *Visual aberrations include symptoms such as glare, double vision, ghosting, halos, starbursts, loss of contrast sensitivity, and problems with low-light or night vision. Not all patients experience all symptoms, and some patients with these complications experience no symptoms and require no treatment. |
Source: All About Vision
The FDA has posted information regarding the risks associated with LASIK surgery on its website here.
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