Understanding LASIK Surgery Before Making the Appointment

7 November 2019
 Categories: , Blog

Share

LASIK surgery is laser refractive surgery designed to change the shape of your cornea to improve your vision. Whether you are tired of wearing corrective lenses, or you are looking to reduce your need for glasses, LASIK surgery may be right for you. For athletes, the ability to see well without glasses or contacts can greatly improve performance on the field. LASIK surgery improves vision for those that have nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, making it possible for you to see more clearly.

It's rare to experience serious complications from LASIK surgery, although patients commonly experience visual disturbances and dry eyes briefly during the healing process. 

1. Problems with Dry Eyes

LASIK surgery impacts your tear production, reducing the number of tears you have temporarily. This can result in dry eyes, but this is easily remedied using eye drops to lubricate your eyes. If you are already dealing with dry eyes, talk to your optometrist about how LASIK might exacerbate your condition and what you can do to prepare before your surgery.

2. Visual Halos or Glares

You might experience difficulty driving at night because of visual halos or glaring for a few weeks after your LASIK surgery. You can also experience double vision. This is not expected to last more than a week or so as you recover from your LASIK surgery.

3. Your Vision Isn't Fully Corrected

There are times when there isn't enough tissue removed from your cornea, resulting in an under correction of your vision. If you end up with a vision level that is not as sharp as you expected, you can have a second procedure done to remove a little more tissue. If too much tissue is removed during the initial procedure, this is often harder to correct.

4. Complications are Rare

While you may read about trouble with worse vision or eye flap problems, complications from LASIK eye surgery are rare. You may have risk factors, such as an autoimmune disease, that increase your chances of complications from LASIK surgery and your optometrist may advise against doing the procedure.

If you are considering LASIK surgery for vision correction, understand that your optometrist is not going to do the surgery if they feel you are at risk. The surgery is simple, and complications from LASIK are rare. If you're looking to improve your vision without having to rely on contacts or glasses, contact services such as Cornea Consultants of Nashville.