Category: Vision Health

Statistics for Lasik Surgery Patients

The Lasik operation can be a wonderful, life-changing option for many people whose vision is less than perfect. There are several different types of Lasik operations now available, from the original and well documented procedure to Lasik procedures done with three dimensional wavefronts, or done entirely with lasers. Each of these variations of the Lasik procedure should be discussed with the physician that is to perform the operation.
Like any surgery, Lasik does have the potential for side effects.

Sometimes reading the horror stories of the outcomes of a Lasik procedure can deter people from seriously considering such a choice. It is also true that the vast numbers of people who have a successful, trouble-free Lasik surgery tend not to report a long and detailed story of their experience, unlike those that have experienced trouble afterward.

However, it is good to know what the possible side effects of the Lasik procedure are, and also the likelihood that one of these side effects will occur for a particular patient. Just like any medicine we take, each has a possible number of side effects, but we generally assume that the likelihood of a serious side effect is small, and we take the medicine anyway. This article will hopefully put concerns of the prospective Lasik patient into perspective so that they can calmly and thoughtfully ponder having a Lasik procedure done in the future.

More than one million Lasik procedures are done in the US every year, according to the FDA. This arm of the national government has accumulated the following statistics for the most common side effects of the Lasik procedure. These statistics will also vary by the physician performing the surgery, so make sure to get as much information on the prospective Lasik physician as possible.

After Lasik surgery, 1.7 percent of patients experience some glare or sensitivity to light after the operation. This varies by patient, but this sensitivity is especially noticeable when looking at a bright light, such as a streetlight when walking at night, or other strong light and dark contrast. Another light related side effect is a halo around a light, and this occurs in 3.5 percent of Lasik patients.

The new, corrected vision can be noticed quickly by some Lasik patients, in as little as a few hours after surgery. Most patients that have undergone the Lasik procedure find the change is permanent within a few days. In 2.6 percent of clients that have had a Lasik procedure done, there is persistent visual fluctuation within at least a part of their sphere of vision.

Finally, some patients do not get a fully corrected sphere of vision after their Lasik procedure. This happens with a small number of clients, and the FDA statistics are that only 3 percent of patients have this effect. In all or nearly all cases, the physician in charge will perform an additional Lasik procedure to improve this.

This detailing of the major permanent side effects of the Lasik procedure should put any personal horror stories into perspective. Notice that none of the percentages are above 3 percent, and this should bring comfort to most prospective Lasik clients. However, it should also motivate them to look carefully at the Lasik physician’s personal record.

Solving a Lasik Post Op Problem

I had Lasik vision correction surgery two years ago, and am quite glad I did. I think that my Lasik story might be helpful to some that consider that they might not be a perfect Lasik client, and are concerned about side effects after the Lasik procedure. I did have a significant side effect after my Lasik operation, but have weathered it well, and still recommend the operation highly.

My operation went exactly as described, with no pain or real discomfort at all. My Lasik physician was clear, stating each step that he completed so that I would know the Lasik procedure was proceeding as expected, and more quickly than I had imagined. I know that all of the discussion I had earlier with the Lasik professionals stated the operation generally took less than twenty minutes, but I was still surprised.

At the end of the operation, my Lasik doctor replaced the flap to its correct position in my eye and covered it with some kind of clear goop. Even at that time I could notice a distinct improvement in my vision. I was instructed to wear goggles over my eyes for five nights in order to prevent me rubbing my eyes while I was sleeping. I guess they assumed that any good Lasik patient would not do that when awake.

In addition, I followed all post-op Lasik procedure instruction to the letter. I slept immediately after the Lasik procedure was done (after I made it home, of course), used the eye drops religiously, and did not try to strain my eyes by reading everything that I could. I was amazed the immediate improvement in vision that Lasik makes, just as if there was a set of weightless contact lenses. Very impressive.

My biggest problem in Lasik procedure recovery was a result of epithelial erosion. The flap that is made in the eye during the Lasik procedure is made from epithelial cells. Once the flap is replaced at the end of the Lasik procedure, these cells start to regenerate in order to fill in the line where the flap has been cut. All of this is normal post-op Lasik healing. However, in my case the cells would grow fine, but at night my eyes tended to dry out when I was asleep. So, when I woke up, my eyelid would pull up some of the new cells from their place where they belonged, where if my eye was sufficiently moist they would have stayed in place.

I told this to my Lasik physician, who said this side effect just makes healing a little longer and it was not a serious side effect. When I went for a checkup to the Lasik center (which I highly recommend any time a Lasik client has any post-op worries or questions) they decided that I needed a thicker, more jelly like version of the eye drops to use at night. This worked well, and the rest of my post-Lasik recovery went well.
I am a strong advocate of the Lasik vision correction procedure. I also strongly suggest interviewing a number of positions, and do not put low cost as the highest priority. Your eyes are very important, and a highly competent Lasik physician is the most important factor.

Should I have Lasik or ICL?

A number of people who are considering the Lasik procedure to correct their nearsightedness or farsightedness have of some potential problems of Lasik, and are wondering if there are other options. Though more than 95 percent of the Lasik patients have a very successful procedure without any major side effects, there are choices for people who wish to improve their vision. Let’s compare two, and discuss these choices with a reputable ophthalmologist.

Traditional Lasik surgery uses a scalpel to create a small flap in the eye, and then a laser reshapes the eye in order to focus accurately. There are two more recent forms of Lasik, one that entirely uses a laser and does away with the scalpel. Another variation uses a three dimension waveform for people with unusual eye shapes, and both of these are worth discussing with your ophthalmologist.

Those people with very thin corneas or other issues that make Lasik not a good candidate for their particular case can consider implantable contact lens surgery. This is known as ICL in the eye surgeon’s lingo, and is a good alternative to Lasik to permanently correct vision. These lenses function in exactly the same way as removable lenses, except that they remain permanently in the eye. Like Lasik, they reshape the eye in order for it to focus accurately. The patient will not feel the lens once the operation has been performed.

Lasik and ICL are similar in several ways. Lasik can improve vision affected by nearsightedness and astigmatism, and ICL can improve these vision deficiencies also. Both Lasik and ICL also have some of the same risks, one of these being that the correction is not accurate after the first operation is done. Lasik is a much more frequently performed procedure, and less than 3 percent (according to the FDA) of these patients need to undergo additional surgery to further correct vision after the first Lasik procedure is done.

Like any operation, there is a chance of infection in either a Lasik procedure or an ICL operation. Good post-operative care by the patient will minimize this and regular checkups at the Lasik or eye care center will nearly always clear this up without further complication. In a small percentage of the cases, either Lasik or ICL patients may not achieve perfect vision and may need to continue to wear corrective eyewear, though usually not at the same strength as the original eyewear.

One advantage of ICL over Lasik is that ICL is a reversible procedure, where the implanted lens can be removed later if that becomes necessary. Lasik involves the reshaping of the cornea to bring objects accurately into focus, and is permanent. However, for a typical, healthy patient either Lasik or ICL will generally bring about the desired improvement in vision.

Lasik is generally a less invasive procedure, and this is reflected in the current cost of the operation. The current price for a Lasik procedure is between $500 and $2500 per eye, depending on the type of procedure and the presiding physician. A typical price for ICL is between $1500 and $3000 per eye. Do some investigation into the options offered, and select the eye procedure that is best for your personal case.

Pros and Cons for Lasik with IntraLase

Those who have had a Lasik technique done, and those who are investigating having a Lasik vision correction procedure, know that the first step of that procedure is to create a small flap in order for the Lasik physician to reshape the cornea. This flap is created by the surgeon, and can be done using a small blade or using a laser. Using the laser is generally called a bladeless Lasik procedure, or IntraLasik, or IntraLase.

For those that are considering a Lasik procedure, this review should be helpful in order to determine the pros and cons of the Lasik procedure using IntraLase. One comment to be made is that the risks and complications possible using the small blade are well known and documented, since that procedure has been done for years and has a database of millions of patients.

Granted, 90% or more of all Lasik patients have no serious side effects or even minor lasting side effects, but it is true that a large part of the complications from Lasik procedures stem from the flap made with the microkeratome blade. Over the years additional techniques have been developed to further minimize such problems from the standard Lasik procedure.

The introduction of the laser to create the flap is a new frontier in the Lasik procedure. The laser is used in combination with state of the art software to create a flap of a pre-programmed size at a specific depth and position. During this process, a soft suction ring holds the eye in place, but this causes no discomfort to the Lasik client. Generally the only effect noticed by most Lasik patients is a dimming of vision in the eye being worked on for the duration of the treatment of that eye.

The use of the laser creates very small bubbles of water and carbon dioxide that serve as a good buffer between the flap and the cornea itself, and so this Lasik procedure conserves the eye very carefully. The whole process of creating a flap for one eye takes approximately one minute.

The advantages of using a laser to make the flap for the Lasik vision correction procedure is that there is no way that the cornea can be abraded, nor any chance of the wrong size or depth of flap, since it is all pre-programmed with Lasik software. The exact vertical edges of the flap produced using this Lasik procedure help healing, and also decrease the possibility that the flap might slip or wrinkle if the eye is accidentally bumped or rubbed during the healing process.

There are very few cons to using a laser to create the flap during a Lasik procedure. One is that the process takes a bit longer, up to a minute. A second reason is that the low level suction during this phase of the Lasik operation does result in eye redness for about 5% of the patients, but this goes away within a few days. The last reason is that there is still a difference in cost between this and the traditional Lasik procedure, but hopefully that will decrease as the years progress.