Deciding To Have Laser Eye Surgery

What factors should you take into account in deciding whether to have laser eye surgery? LASIK as a technique for laser eye surgery is a relatively new procedure. Indeed it has only been around in the United Kingdom since 1995. As a result its long-term safety and effectiveness are still not fully understood and are in fact still being researched. However, since 1995 many thousands of people do appear to have been successfully treated. But in order to make te most well-informed decision you are able and to finally feel as though you are in a position to give your consent to the operation, you should make sure you understand the full extent of the possible side-effects and the risk of complications.

In order to be absolutely clear we define side-effects as unwanted but mostly temporary effects of a successful laser eye surgery procedure. In the case of LASIK eye surgery these side-effects might include:

• a potential for glare to be seen around bright lights. This might manifest itself in a "halo" or "starburst" effect. The consequences of this is that sometimes night-time driving might prove difficult. Fortunately this effect, when it occurs does not usually last longer than approximately six weeks
• a drying of the eye, or eyes (depending upon whether you have the operation for one or both eyes). This dryness effect can laset for up to a year after the eye surgery has taken place.
• a drooping eyelid. This is not serious and usually clears up within a few weeks

Other adverse effects that can occur during or after the procedure which are more unexpected are called complications. The vast majority of people who elect to have laser eye surgery are not affected by any form of complication, however they do occur and you should be aware of them and their likely impact on your everyday life. The most significant complication that you may encounter following a LASIK eye operation is bleeding either during or soon after the procedure. You may also suffer an infection and / or an abnormal reaction to the anaesthetic. Unfortunately in an admittedly small, but still significant number of cases, complications may arise which ultimately lead to reduced vision or blindness.

Other more specific complications arising from LASIK eye surgery although rare but can include:

• problems with the flap that is made in the cornea
• slight over or under-correction of short-sightedness
• some return of short-sightedness
• mild or moderate haziness or scarring of the cornea
• accidental damage to the cornea that requires stitches or a graft
• a deterioration of vision - but this is rare

In summary the assessed deger to which your eyesight improves as a consequence of your election to have laser eye surgery depends largely on how well your eyes heal. You should not assume a significant improvement can absolutely be guaranteed. However, should the operation not fulfil your initial objectives you are not necessarily precluded from having additional LASIK or laser eye treatment in order to achieve this. This information should be provided by your Bristol laser eye surgery consultant.