Severe Dry Eye Complications
any advice on laser surgery?
I really want to have laser eye surgery – I have quite severe astigmatism & I’m short sighted. I wear contact lenses every day & have to wear my glasses if I’m not wearing my contacts. I would love to be free of contacts & to be able to see the time on the clock when I wake up in the morning.
However, I’ve heard recently about various people whose long distance vision has been corrected but it worsened their close up vision.
I’ve been for a consultation & they said my eyes were in perfect health except for slight dry eye in one, but I should wait a while longer so that my prescription could settle, as it’s worsened a lot in recent years. However, they didn’t mention any complications such as the one I mentioned above & I’m worried that they probably wouldn’t in case I back out.
Can anyone tell me what are the most common negative efftecs of the surgery & how likely they are? I really want to have it done but can’t bear the thought of something going wrong.
Even with some side effects present in some people, 96% of people who have had it done say they would recommend it to a friend.
The odds are good for people who are good candidates but that does not reduce the risk to zero.
A stable Rx is strongly recommended.
The most commonly reported side effects or problems are:
Rx not as near zero as hoped,
Dry eyes (temporarily or permanently)
Glare or haloes at night (temporarily or permanently)
Estimates of frequency vary from 1-8%
More serious problems are rarer.
For people 40+ in age who occasionally or frequently do close work without their correction, having their Rx set to infinity can be a drawback as well as a benefit.
Two sources below.
1) The FDA Lasik site.
(nb Lasik is not the only technique available)
2) A fairly conventional consent form, from one particular practitioner, with details of what you’d be agreeing to before surgery.
FDA Lasik Hearing: Roger Davis, PhD