OOMC News

If you have considered LASIK eye surgery, it is not uncommon to have fears about the procedure and what it entails. Things many  patients worry about are what they will feel or see during the procedure, if there is a chance of losing their vision permanently, if they will have a problem with dry eye, or glare and halos around lights. Many patients are worried that they will cause the surgery to be unsuccessful by looking in the wrong place, or moving during surgery.

These are normal issues and anxieties that many patients experience and your eye surgeon is happy to discuss and address these with you.

RISKS OF SURGERY

Your surgeon will review the  risks associated with LASIK surgery with you before you make any decision. It is very important to note that the majority of these risks are extremely rare.  Some of the risks that will be discussed are:

• Infection – Although infection can be quite serious and cause loss of vision, it is extremely rare. The use of a clean or sterile technique in addition to the preventative use of antibiotic drops after surgery has reduced this risk greatly.
• Dry Eye – Just about everyone has some dryness of their eyes for a period of time after LASIK surgery. Artificial tear drops help alleviate this and the majority of patients get back to their base line of moisture in 6-8 weeks.
• Glare and Halo-like dry eye – Most patients experience this as part of the normal healing process. With modern bladeless custom wavefront LASIK, this dissipates over a few months in the majority of patients.
• Vision correction issues – A small percentage of patients will require a touch up or enhancement after surgery. This may occur within the first few months after surgery or could be years later.

Your surgeon will explain to you what to expect during the procedure. Numbing drops take away any pain, but you will still experience touch, pressure, and the feeling of water. Modern lasers have a tracking mechanism that lock on and follow any eye movement, should there be any. If the patient moves, the laser will follow, if the patient moves too far, the laser will stop.

TALKING TO YOUR SURGEON ABOUT YOUR FEARS

It is only human to feel concerned and apprehensive about any surgery. Often a mild sedative is prescribed prior to the procedure to make you more comfortable and less anxious. If you have concerns, you should speak to your doctor or surgeon about them. They are the expert in that field and can be very helpful in explaining the risks of the procedure to you. Remember that serious complications are very rare and LASIK surgery is considered to be very safe and effective in improving eyesight including nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms.

If you are thinking about having LASIK eye surgery, speak with your doctor to see if it is right for you.