Risk Of Over Treatment with LASIK

More and more people are becoming aware that no form of surgery is without some potential danger. Only one percent of laser eye surgery cases result in serious complications, and although this figure is low, the possibility of a problematic outcome is still there. There is both a risk of over treatment with LASIK and problems that can arise from being under treated.

Public confidence in the procedure has grown over recent years and with good reason. The treatment's effectiveness and safety continue to improve. Experienced surgeons report that the percentage of serious complications can be kept below one percent, as long as the patients are carefully selected.

Problems can arise from a preexisting condition the patient may have or medications they may be taking. It is very important that you tell the doctor all of this information during your consultation so that they can properly assess your compatibility with the surgery.

It is possible for your eyes to be both over and under corrected during the procedure. The reasons for this can vary from patient to patient and will depend on healing ability, water content and other factors. It is possible to fix these problems, but this must only be done with the guidance of a professional and by following their specific instructions.

The symptoms of the problems are usually temporary. If you are farsighted, you may find that have become temporarily nearsighted and your distance vision will be somewhat blurry. Some patients find that wearing glasses or contact lenses make these conditions more tolerable until they resolve.

Wearing glasses or contact lenses will also diagnose whether or not a follow up correction is necessary. If the patient wears glasses and their conditions persist, a follow up surgery will be less likely successful.

Your surgeon may prescribe eye drops to help the healing process speed along more quickly. Eye drops will also help your doctor assess the permanence of your condition because your eyes will heal in a more predictable fashion.

An additional appointment will generally fix any problem should it arise. Generally these will take place three to six months after the first treatment. This will give the eyes time to naturally heal and time to explore all other options to resolve the problem. If the over correction is severe enough, a procedure known as enhancement may be necessary.

There are common complaints that a patient may suffer after their first appointment. These are not signs of a more serious problem and are far more common. Your doctor will tell you beforehand exactly what standard side effects to expect.

You may experience dry eyes. Half or all people report this symptom in the first six months. If you know that you have previously suffered from dry eye discomfort, it is essential that you inform the doctor. This may disqualify you because you will have an increased chance of post-surgery complaints. Commonly, this problem can be fixed by using prescribed medications and should completely disappear when your healing period is over.

A less common problem is eye irritation or infection. It is reported that bacterial infections are more likely when bladed instruments called microkeratomes are used to cut a flap during the correction. These infections are rare and can mostly be remedied by using eye drops that contain antibiotics and anti-inflammatory properties.

If the flap is cut either too thickly or thinly, when it is placed back on the surface of the eye it may wrinkle. These wrinkles may cause further complications.

An irregular astigmatism may cause double vision and an enhancement will be needed to fix this rare problem. An inflammation under the flap may occur if the cut was performed incorrectly. In certain cases the flap will need to be lifted and cleaned of all inflamed cells that could cause damage to the tissue.

You can reduce the risk of this by choosing a qualified and well-experienced doctor to perform the task. It is important you choose the very best professional and people that are offering the same procedure at half the price should be avoided.

As you age you will naturally develop changes in your vision that will not be related to the procedure. If you underwent the operation before you were forty, your eyes may naturally change as you grow older. You may lose the ability to focus on closer objects.

You may develop cataracts; again this is not uncommon and not related to surgery. Should you need surgery to correct your cataracts later in life, the surgery you had to correct your vision will not affect this.

Before you undergo surgery, be sure to talk to your doctor about the risk of over treatment with LASIK and other possible problems. Make sure you reveal all of your medical history as this will help increase your chances of avoiding all possible defects.