LASIK laser eye surgery is a procedure where the shape of the cornea is permanently changed to reduce reliance on glasses or contacts. In a large percentage of cases the patient will end up with 20/20 vision even after having a very strong glasses or contacts prescription.

Note: as with any medical procedure different patients and different doctors will have different needs. Never make a decision based on the information you see here. Always consult a doctor to help make any decisions.

LASIK is short for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure to change the shape of the cornea using a excimer laser. A knife is used to cut a flap in the cornea. The flap is then folded back revealing the stroma. Then a computer controlled laser is used to vaporize a small portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. Now the cornea is a different shape and will focus light onto the correct portion of the retina allowing for clearer vision.

What are some of the risks associated with LASIK laser eye surgery?

• Some patients lose vision. Sometimes patients will lose lines of vision. This vision can not be corrected with glasses or contacts.
Hot Tip! There’s no guarantee of 20/20 vision Many people do achieve 20/20 vision after a LASIK surgery. But a good eye surgeon does not guarantee it.
• Over or under correction. Some patients will not achieve 20/20 vision and will need further surgery to make corrections. Or in some cases no further surgery can be performed and the patient will continue to need glasses or contacts.
• Severe dry eyes. Some patients develop dry eyes and need eye drops to keep from having pain. For many this will go away after several months. But for some, especially those with dry eye problems before the surgery it will be permanent. In very sever cases the patient will need eye drops every few minutes to keep from being in pain.
• Visual abnormalities. Again some patients will have some visual abnormalities. Most commonly a “glare halo” or circles around lights in your vision will occur causing vision to be negatively impacted. Also occasionally double vision can occur.
Hot Tip! If your level of nearsightedness is more than -11 or so, implantable lenses will probably offer better vision than LASIK. Consider waiting until the new lenses are available.
• Finally it is still a new technology. The first FDA approved LASIK laser was approved in 1998, so long term effects of LASIK can not yet be known.

So knowing that what percentage of patients have complications? Many doctors who do careful screening of there patients find that they have less than 1% of patients with complications. So be sure to find a good doctor who will honestly evaluate your particular situation and evaluate whether you are a good candidate for the surgery. For more info on choosing a LASIK surgeon see our Choosing a LASIK surgeon.

Want more info about LASIK laser eye surgery? You can also find more at our what to expect before, during and after the procedure page.

With the active lifestyles we lead today, people want to rid themselves of their glasses and contact lenses so many are turning to lasik surgery. Lasik is considered a surgical procedure with the objective of reducing your need for those glasses or contacts. Lasik actually stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure using an excimer laser to change the shape of your eye’s cornea, which is the clear covering in front. Basically, the surgery consists of cutting a flap in the cornea making sure to leave one end connected. With the use of a computer controlled, highly precise laser, a portion of the stroma is vaporized. The flap is put back in place for quick and relatively painless healing to occur.

So why is changing the shape of the cornea so important? The cornea is the part of the eye that helps create an image on the retina by focusing light. It basically works the same way as a camera lens. When vision is blurred or distorted, it often means that the shape of your cornea and your eye are not perfect and therefore when the light is refracted onto the retina, images come across as blurry. Lasik surgery is also referred to as refractive surgery with the goal of reshaping the cornea so that its focusing ability is improved to a point where glasses and contact lenses may no longer be required. Lasik results may not get rid of glasses or contacts completely, but there is a strong likelihood that your prescription will be significantly reduced moving you closer to 20/20 vision.

Surprisingly enough, not everyone is an ideal candidate for lasik or other refractive eye surgery. Because there is no long term data recorded regarding the long term affects of this surgery, if you are not fully confident in the procedure, this is likely not for you. You need to trust your surgeon and the techniques they use at all times. Although the cost of lasik surgery continues to go down, it is still not cheap and not covered by most health plans. You may have to do some budgeting before you go ahead with it. If you have had a new prescription is the past year, it is an indication that your eyes are unstable and therefore should wait before going ahead with any form of refractive surgery. If you suffer from autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, have diabetes or are on certain mediations, proper healing from the surgery may not be possible. Before you proceed, please consult with your family doctor and eye surgeon.

LASIK Eye Surgery Risks

Lasik Surgery poses risks inherent in all surgery. Since surgery is an invasive procedure in your body, Lasik eye surgery is no exception. Studies in the 1990s confirm that up to 5% of LASIK surgery patients experienced some problems after surgery.

Fortunately, today’s LASIK surgeons are able to keep the percentage of people suffering from LASIK eye surgery risks down to less than 1%. This may be due to more thorough screening of the candidates. LASIK eye surgery risks rarely include the possibility of permanent or significant vision loss or the chance that your eyesight could be worse than it was before the surgery.

LASIK eye surgery risks usually pertain to LASIK flaps. These flaps refer to the cutting and lifting of flaps when the cornea is cut to enable the actual eye to be re-shaped by the laser. The flap is then put back into place, forming a “natural bandage.” In traditional LASIK procedures, these flaps were cut by a bladed instrument called a microkeratome. Today, flaps are usually cut with a laser, a technology known as IntraLase. As a result of this technology, LASIK eye surgery risks are reduced because of increased accuracy and fewer flap complications.

However, IntraLase is a considerably more expensive option. Potential candidates may have the option of having their cornea cut by laser or by blade. Also, candidates are given the choice of traditional LASIK, which addresses vision anomalies such as astigmatism or myopia, or custom LASIK, which deals with more obscure irregularities in the eye.

LASIK eye surgery risks are often related to whether the flaps are cut correctly or not. If the flaps are cut incorrectly, there is the possibility that the cornea may not stick to the surface of the eye. If the flap is cut too thin or thick, it may wrinkle after being placed back on the eye. This will result in an irregular eye shape and can distort vision. This condition is often referred to as irregular astigmatism.

Irregular astigmatism that is due to a less then smooth surface of the cornea can also become a LASIK eye surgery risk if the laser correction is not centered correctly on the eye. This LASIK eye surgery risk may lead to conditions commonly known as double vision or ghost images. In this case, re-treatment or enhancement of the eye may be necessary. Additionally, swelling or irregular healing of the cornea can cause ghost images and double vision. Most often, when the healing process takes its course, these problems will usually correct themselves.

Other possible LASIK eye surgery risks may include night vision problems such as the appearance of halos, and possible glare
surrounding brightly lit objects. Some patients also experience infection, inflammation of the eye, dry eye, redness, visual bluriness and eye irritation.

When it comes to eye impairments, there are many concerns. The eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of the body, which means that even a little, tiny mistake may put total vision at risk . With so many doubts, worries and frustration, Lasik vision correction surgery appears to be the number one choice of thousands of people who have any sort of vision impairment. This is because of the safety involved in the procedure plus the benefits. What could please people more than combining safety with benefits?

This surgery is safe due to the unique type of laser used: the excimer. This special light was designed exclusively to be used in Lasik surgery, offering no risk to people who undergo the procedure.

Lasik surgery is declared to be the best and the highest technology procedure to correct vision impairments.

Lasik Procedure

The Lasik procedure is really simple. It’s so simple that people who undergo this surgery are able to get back to work the next day. There is no need to stay at home and spend those boring days - as doctors like to say - recovering. The idea lies in the fact that all vision impairment has to do with irregularity around the cornea. Due to this, the procedure consists of cutting away the bad tissue surrounding the cornea and reshaping the cornea, which corrects your vision. The surgery is performed with the patient awake. However, the patient will be given some mild sedative in order to keep the body relaxed and anesthetic eye drops. The surgeon operates the laser and a computer system tracks 4000 times per second the patient’s eye position and simply redirects the laser pulses for precise placement.

One day after undergoing the procedure, the person feels a significant improvement in the vision.

Lasik Complications

It’s not common, but Lasik surgery can have some complications. Although it is the safest and most technological method to correct vision impairments, some complications are not overruled.

The most common situations are:

- dry eyes
- over/undercorrection
- visual acuity fluctuation
- light sensitivity
- double vision
- decentered ablation

There are some others, but when complications happen, these are the most frequent.

Lasik Benefits

People sometimes are afraid to undergo Lasik surgery in order to correct their vision because, most of the time, they are not aware of what exactly the benefits are. Here, it’s important to make clear that although complications may occur, they are rare and the benefits are worth taking the risk. Besides, studies show that less than 5% of people who undergo this procedure experience complications.

The most interesting benefits are:

- elimination of the need for glasses
- the discomfort felt with the use of lenses will be gone
- the quality of vision will be increased
- people will be able to pass a driver’s test without glasses.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new custom lasik procedure in September of 2005. This new procedure can now treat many patients who were previously ineligible for the surgery.

Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness occurs when the eye is too long and light rays focus in front of the retina, instead of focusing on the retina. Some of the symptoms of nearsightedness are blurred distant vision, eyestrain, and squinting, along with having a difficult time seeing at night.

Although nearsightedness can be easily fixed with glasses or contact lenses (when not too severe), many people don’t like to hassle with either one. With this new lasik procedure, folks will now be able to have pure vision.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is the effect of the eye being shaped like a football, instead of round like a baseball. This deformity — where the light rays focus on two points on the retina instead of one — results in blurred vision, double vision, and shadows on letters when reading. Until recently, this deformity has prevented some people from even getting contact lenses. Breakthroughs in contact lenses have only helped those with slight astigmatism.

However, with this new lasik procedure, patients can now have their eyes repaired to normal, or at least be repaired enough to comfortably wear contact lenses. Either way, their vision is enhanced and many are happy just to get rid of the glasses and finally be able to wear contacts, or possibly nothing at all.

Farsightedness

Farsightedness happens when light rays focus behind the retina instead of on the retina, resulting in blurred near vision. Some patients with severe farsightedness have to step back from what they are reading and others require magnifying glasses to see something that is right in front of them. People with farsightedness can see you 30 feet away, but when you get right up close they can’t see you! This can be embarrassing and cause the afflicted person much insecurity along with the feeling that they are going blind.

Farsightedness is easily remedied by wearing glasses to read and see things up close, but it’s very inconvenient to constantly be taking your glasses on and off. Not only is it inconvenient, you take the chance of leaving your glasses behind. Some patients keep their glasses on a chain so they won’t lose them, but this makes them feel old. Now, lasik surgery is another option for these patients.

New Laser Technology

The FDA recently approved the new Visx STAR Excimer laser system. This fantastic breakthrough in technology allows doctors to do more than they ever could before, giving them the ability to reshape the eye to correct astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness. Before this marvelous breakthrough these patients were not good candidates for lasik eye surgery. They now can join the rest of the vision impaired and have the option for lasik.

Recent FDA studies show that over 98% of all patients receiving these new procedures were seeing 20/40 or better 6 months after surgery. Over 84% were seeing much better than 20/20 after 6 months. Now that’s reason to celebrate!

New breakthroughs in lasik eye surgery technology are happening all the time. Now people don’t have to be inconvenienced by the hassle of glasses or contacts. All they want to do is to be able to get up in the morning and see normally. These breakthroughs in lasik technology are giving them an improved quality of life that once was unattainable.