Medical science has seen so much of advancement in the last decade or more that these days there are probably only a few things that cannot be corrected by surgery. Laser eye treatment is one such technological wonder and it has turned out to be a well established and successful procedure and a number of people are using this as a way to sort out their vision problems. As with all surgery here too, there are some risks involved in having a serious complication like your vision being threatened or severe eye injury although they are small. But since it has been established that the surgery is not without risks we can explore some of the common risks involved.
We start with the occurrence of under correction and overcorrection. Eyes are special and unique in nature and each person's eye will respond differently to laser eye treatment so it is possible that you may continue needing corrective lenses even after surgery for clarity in your vision and another procedure may be required to correct this deficiency. Regression occurs when patients find that the effects of the procedure are diminishing as in under correction and another surgery may be required.
Excessive corneal haze occurs as part of the healing process and generally it has a miniscule effect on the final result and clarity of vision obtained, though any excesses can interfere with normal vision which may require further laser treatment. There is a 1-in-a-1000 chance of infection and delayed healing of the cornea after having undergone laser eye treatment but lasting effects don't appear till within four years of the procedure.
Irregular removal of tissue and or existence of corneal haze may interfere with the best obtainable vision for patients who use lenses and the result may not be as good as before. It leads to a decrease in the best-corrected vision. The irregular healing of the corneal tissue flap or a distorted flap may cause some distortion in the cornea, and this could also mean a decrease in vision.
Severe dry eye syndrome occurs when the eye is not able to produce enough tears post surgery to keep the eyes wet and comfortable. While this does not cause discomfort it does affect the quality of vision to a slight extent because of intermittent blurring and then there is a possibility that this might be permanent and require further surgery or at the very least, an intensive course of treatment with eye drops.
The halo effect is best defined as an optical effect experienced when there are low lights. When the pupil opens, the patient will find another image slightly faded that is in the peripheral part of the cornea that was not treated and this can cause trouble while driving at night. Flap damage or loss happens when the tissue flap hinged to the central cornea comes unhinged. While the flap can be replaced there is a chance that this bit of tissue may get damaged or lost.
All in all, there are risks involved with laser eye surgery. So one will have to take an informed decision to go ahead with it, weighing all the pros and cons and knowing what to expect and how best to deal with it.
