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Laser Eye Treatment – 10 Risks To Consider
By Donald Saunders
Laser treatment has been around for several years now and as we see continuing technological development and treatments of this nature gain wider acceptance, so an increasing number of people are turning to laser surgery as an alternative to contact lenses or glasses.
But what are the risks of laser treatment?
In spite of the fact that the chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication, or severe injury, following laser treatment are minimal, treatment is not without risk and here we are going to examine a few of the more often seen problems.
Decrease in Best-Corrected Vision: After refractive surgery, the best obtainable vision for some patients with corrective lenses is not as good as it was before the procedure. This can result from the irregular removal of tissue or from the development of corneal haze.
Undercorrection/Overcorrection: It is imposssible to predict exactly how the human is going to respond to laser treatment. As a result of this, you might find that you continue to require corrective lenses following surgery for good vision. On occasion, results can be improved with a second operation.
Regression: In the months following laser treatment some patients find that the effects of the procedure are gradually lost. This is similar to an undercorrection, and further laser treatment is often the answer.
Infection and delayed healing: There is a less than 0.1 percent chance of the cornea becoming infected after laser treatment. Generally, this means added discomfort and a delay in healing, but showing no lasting effects over a period of four years following surgery.
Serious Complication: Only a very small number of cases of severe complication following laser treatment have been reported, and there are no reports of blindness occuring. Severe injury is also extremely rare with a corneal transplant being required to correct the problem in only a handful of cases.
Excessive Corneal Haze: Corneal haze can occur as part of the healing process following laser treatment. In the majority of cases, it has little or no effect on the final vision and can only be seen by an experienced doctor with the use of a microscope. Despite this, there are some cases of excessive haze that interferes with vision which can commonly be dealt
with by means of an additional laser treatment.
Incomplete Procedure: A fault in the equipment used might mean that surgery has got to be stopped prior to completion.
Distorted Flap: Distortion to the cornea can be produced by the irregular healing of the corneal tissue flap, resulting in a decrease of best-corrected vision.
difficulties with a Perfect Procedure: Even when everything goes perfectly, surgery can result in effects that could cause some dissatisfaction. Older patients should be aware that they cannot have both good near vision and good distance vision in the same without corrective lenses. A few patients with myopia rely on their shortsightedness (by taking off their glasses, or by wearing a weaker prescription) when they need to read. Such patients might well need to uses glasses for reading after the myopia is surgically corrected.
Flap Damage or Loss: The flap produced on the central cornea can come off, rather than remain hinged to the cornea. When this happens the flap can be replaced after laser treatment, however, damage to, or loss of, the flap remains a risk.
Halo Effect: The halo effect is an optical effect that is noticed in dim light. The untreated peripheral cornea produces a second faded image as the pupil enlarges. For some patients this effect can interfere with night driving.
Severe dry syndrome: Because of surgery, the may not produce enough tears to keep the moist and, in turn, comfortable. Dry does not simply lead to discomfort, but may cause a drop in visual quality as a result of intermittent blurring and other visual symptoms. This condition can be permanent. Intensive drop therapy or other procedures could be needed.
You've probably concluded at this point that laser treatment is simply too risky, but let's just put things into perspective.
Although all of the risks mentioned here are very real risks and do arise on occasion, the chances of encountering any of these problems is perfectly small indeed. Thousands of procedures are done daily and, in the vast majority of cases, patients are very happy with the results.
The purpose of this article is not to scare you off, but simply to assist you to make a reasoned and thoughtful decision balancing both the pro's and the con's before you embark on laser treatment.
For more information on laser eye treatment and the questions that people considering surgery frequently ask visit Lasik Laser Eye Surgery
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