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The Risks of LASIK
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.
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