The Risks of LASIK Eye Surgery

Whenever a patient undergoes any type of surgical procedure there is a possibility for complications. It is natural that when a person’s body is opened up and tools are in use that bacteria of some can enter the patient or the body could have a reaction related to the medication. LASIK surgery is no different, there are risks to LASIK surgery, but they are few and far between. LASIK risk continues to drop as doctors and engineers perfect the equipment used in the process. The risks involved in LASIK also drop as doctors continue to screen for the right candidates to have the surgery. Research now shows that with the right pre-testing and surgical care the risk of any complications in LASIK surgery are less than 1%. The most common risk with LASIK surgery is a complication with the flap created by the surgeon to cover the cornea. In traditional LASIK surgery the flap is created when tissue is cut by a surgical tool known as a microkeratome. Since this tool, a metal blade is used by a human being there remains a risk related to human error. When this type of traditional LASIK is performed the risk is when the flap is then used as the natural bandage at the end of the surgery it is not the right size. Therefore, the complication is an irregular bandage that irritates the eye and causes what is known as an irregular astigmatism. This LASIK risk is greatly reduced by a newer “bladeless” LASIK procedure. In bladeless LASIK the risk of complication is reduced because the blade or microkeratome is no longer used. It is replaced by IntraLase, or another type of laser, that eliminates the human error. When assessing these LASIK risks it is recommended that when you are considering LASIK surgery that you ask your doctor how he/she goes about correcting these problems. Some complications that arise from LASIK can be made even worse by over or under correction. Ask your doctor as part of your original process how they handle this situation.