Most Popular Laser Eye Surgery Clinics
Laser Eye Surgery Special Offers
is run by doctors
to help you find the best clinics at the best price
-
Find
clinics in your area -
Compare
clinics & read reviews -
Contact
all clinics directly -
Save
money with our special offers
Lasik Complications
Lasik is an extremely safe procedure with a complication rate of only about 1 in 1000 procedures. Lasik has been performed for over 20 years and over this time the procedure has become safer and more accurate as the lasers have evolved.
There are however risks involved with the procedure and you need to be fully informed about them prior to agreeing to surgery. When considering the risks of the procedure, they can be separated into the general laser eye surgery risks and those that are specific to Lasik.
The reason Lasik has its own specific complications is due to the creation of the flap during the procedure. Put simply, the flap is a thin layer of cornea that is separated from the surface of the eye to allow the surgeon to access the inner layers of the cornea which are to be lasered during the procedure. This flap is then carefully replaced but occasionally during this process complications may occur. The Lasek procedure does not however involve the creation of a flap and hence the complications below are only relevant to Lasik.
Examples of Lasik complications:
- Wrinkled/uneven Flap: This can result in a distorted cornea which can cause blurred vision. This complication can generally be easily treated by re-lifting the flap and smoothing it over.
- Epithelial in growth/trapped debris: The epithelium (outer layer of the cornea) sometimes grows below the flap that is created during Lasik. Another Lasik risk is debris becoming trapped beneath the flap which like epithelial in growth, can cause your vision to be blurred after surgery. Both these cases can be treated easily by your surgeon by lifting the flap and thoroughly cleaning it before resealing it again.
- DLK: Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis can be a severe Lasik risk and occurs when dead cells which lie beneath the flap, cause an inflammatory response. This can lead to scarring of the cornea which can result in reduced vision. Depending on how serious the inflammation is antibiotics and topical steroids may be used to treat it. In most cases this condition can be successfully treated meaning no loss of vision occurs.
- Keratectasia: Although rare, this is of the most serious complications of Lasik. If during surgery the laser removes too much tissue (cornea) or the flap that is made is cut too deep, the structure/strength of the cornea can become weaker. This can result in the cornea bulging forward in an irregular manner resulting in astigmatism, causing blurred vision. This can often be treated with contact lenses, spectacles or possibly a laser enhancement.
- Retinal Haemorrhage/Retinal detachment: These are extremely rare Lasik risks and can be treated in most cases.
Although there are risks as seen above, the Lasik procedure is considered to be an extremely safe procedure. Complications of the flap are now becoming less and less common, especially with the development of bladeless Lasik, which uses a laser to create the flap (femtosecond laser) instead of a mechanical blade.
More and more clinics are using bladeless Lasik as standard and hence flap complications are reducing. An example of this is Intralase and it gives a more accurate and safer creation of the flap. You can read about Intralase and other femtosecond lasers at the following link: Bladeless Lasik explained.
It is also important to understand that should you be unlucky enough to experience a Lasik complication, in just about all cases your surgeon will be able to successfully treat it ensuring that your vision in unaffected.
Got a question about laser eye surgery? Ask it in our laser eye surgery forum.
Share on Facebook
Tweet