LASIK eye surgery is described by the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) as “a surgical technique designed to lessen a person’s reliance on glasses or contact lenses.” LASIK surgery has been performed on millions of individuals worldwide to correct their eyesight. LASIK is a fantastic alternative for those who no longer want to address their vision problems using glasses or contact lenses. While a significant proportion of patients with vision difficulties chose this kind of elective vision correction surgery, it is not appropriate for everyone. In other words, LASIK can only be used to address visual issues in particular categories of patients.
Just as there is no one-size-fits-all magic solution for every sickness, there is no one-size-fits-all eye surgery or method that can repair every eyesight impairment. At Woolfson Eye Institute, we’ve written this article to educate our patients and anybody else contemplating lasik surgery about the types of common eye problems that LASIK or laser eye surgery might possibly correct.
LASIK surgery is not a one-size-fits-all procedure.
While LASIK eye surgery is capable of improving vision difficulties caused by a broad range of conditions, there are alternative vision correction treatments such as monovision, PRK, and others that may be a better match for you. While we make every attempt on this site to educate existing and prospective patients, the most effective approach to “get the facts” is to book a personal consultation.
The Three Most Common Issues That LASIK Surgery Corrects
Without becoming too technical, it is critical for you to understand how your vision is assessed. A diopter is a unit used to assess vision, and a particular value is obtained from it in relation to your eye’s light-perceptive qualities (s). As you are probably aware, the final number is stated as a − (negative) if you are nearsighted and as a + (positive) if you are farsighted (nearsightedness and farsightedness are known medically as myopia and hyperopia, respectively).
1. Myopia
LASIK surgery is an excellent alternative for many people who have both mild and severe nearsightedness. Indeed, a significant proportion of our patients who have had successful LASIK surgery previously had extreme nearsightedness and were often informed that LASIK would not be the best choice for them.
However, because of the Stulting Research Center and other modern technology available to our specialists at Woolfson Eye Institute, we are confident in conducting LASIK surgery on a large number of patients who seek a second opinion.
2. Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
While LASIK surgery remains a very realistic choice for those who suffer from farsightedness or hyperopia, we are more cautious when assessing patients as LASIK candidates who have this particular visual condition. Individuals with farsightedness have a flatter cornea and a shorter eye than a normal eye, which causes distant objects to focus behind the retina.
Although the degree to which you are farsighted will determine the effectiveness of LASIK in treating your specific condition, as the leading LASIK provider in the Southeastern United States, we are confident in our ability to treat your vision problems, whether through LASIK or one of our other vision correction procedures.
3. Perplexed Vision (Astigmatism)
Many people suffer from blurred vision in one or both eyes, which is most often caused by a disease called astigmatism, which you have undoubtedly heard of. Astigmatism is mostly caused by an uneven steepening of the cornea, which may often be rectified through lasik surgery.
LASIK and other laser eye surgery procedures, such as PRK and LASEK, have an outstanding safety profile and a high success rate. They are intended to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism and may enable you to live without glasses or contacts.
Issues of LASIK surgery that are sight-threatening, such as major vision loss, are relatively uncommon, and many side effects and laser eye surgery complications may be treated with subsequent surgery or medical therapy.
As with any other surgical operation, there are risks, complications, and restrictions that you should be completely informed of before opting to undertake the process (or any type of procedure, for that matter). By selecting a qualified and experienced LASIK eye surgeon, you can help mitigate these risks and ensure the best possible outcome from laser eye surgery.
The first step is to assess if you qualify for vision corrective surgery. Your eye doctor will conduct a comprehensive diagnostic eye exam to ascertain your candidacy for LASIK surgery. He or she will assess your cornea’s shape and thickness, your refractive errors and pupil size, the moistness of your eyes (to rule out dry eye syndrome), your overall health and medical history, and any drugs you are now taking.
Even if you are not a candidate for LASIK, you may still be a candidate for alternative vision correction procedures such as PRK, LASEK, or implanted lenses. Visit to read about https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/lasik/what-are-risks-and-how-can-i-find-right-doctor-me What are the risks and how can I find the right doctor for me?
Risks and Limitations of LASIK Eye Surgery
Not everyone qualifies for LASIK eye surgery. Certain medical illnesses and anatomical variables might raise your chance of having a poor LASIK result or restrict your ability to achieve optimum LASIK outcomes. These include the following:
- Corneas that are too thin or uneven
- Pupils that are too large
- A high refractive error
- Unstable vision
- Dry eyes
- Your age
- Pregnancy status
- Presence of certain degenerative or active autoimmune illnesses
For a comprehensive checklist of LASIK risk factors and to determine if you are a suitable candidate, please read our LASIK Criteria for Success.
LASIK Complications and Side Effects
Since LASIK eye surgery was launched in the United States more than two decades ago, millions of Americans have had it to correct their vision, and skilled LASIK doctors indicate that major complication rates may be kept below 1%.
The most often encountered LASIK problems and adverse effects are described here. The majority of these issues may be remedied medically or with extra “enhancement” surgery.
Discomfort and vision problems are just temporary. Discomfort associated with the first few days after LASIK surgery, including as moderate irritation and light sensitivity, is typical and anticipated. You may also suffer halos; glare and starbursts in low-light surroundings, particularly at night; dry eye symptoms; foggy vision; and decreased visual sharpness over the first few weeks or months. The great majority of the time, these issues are transient and resolve entirely within three to six months.
Complications associated with flaps. The LASIK process includes creating a tiny hinged flap on the cornea’s front surface. This is removed during surgery for laser eye reshaping. After that, the flap is restored to create a natural bandage.
If the LASIK flap is not created properly, it may not adhere adequately to the eye’s surface, or small creases called striae (STRIE-ee) may form in the flap. Optical distortions and impaired vision might result from these flap problems.
According to the April 2006 edition of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, flap problems occur in between 0.3 and 5.7 percent of LASIK surgeries. In a study of 3,009 consecutive LASIK procedures performed between August 2002 and July 2009 using a femtosecond laser to create the flap, flap complications occurred in less than half of one percent (0.37 percent) of these procedures, and all complications were successfully managed during the same surgical session. Click here to read about What you probably didn’t know about LASIK.