Eye Surgery - Benefits vs. The Risks

Eye surgery, designed to correct basic vision loss, commonly known as refractive surgery, is a wonderful option for most patients. The success rates are high and the results are almost always appreciated. However, as a surgical procedure, there are of course laser eye surgery risk and concerns that you must consider before proceeding.

Because laser eye surgery is a procedure with inherent risks, make sure to take the time and research exactly what you will undergo and how it might affect you. Taking into account the advice of your friends and family is very important with any major decision, but ultimately it will affect you most and for that reason, you should be sure before proceeding. Below are possible side effects directly related to laser eye surgery.

Vision Loss

Although incredibly uncommon, vision loss is a possibility with laser eye surgery. Because of the nature of the procedure, such loss is considered permanent and cannot generally be fixed with corrective lenses or another surgery. The percentage who suffer from vision loss is very small, but keep it in mind as a possible risk when undergoing laser eye surgery.

Debilitating Visual Symptoms

Specific vision related problems might also arise after surgery, including impairment of night vision or other low exposure situations. The presence of double vision or glare in one’s sight is a possible side effect as well, causing worse vision in certain circumstances than before surgery.

Under Treatment or Over Treatment

Results are never guaranteed with laser eye surgery. Often, the result will cause a patient to obtain new problems, different levels of vision impairment or overcorrection. Rarely is a 20/20 result received. So, post surgery you might find that you still need glasses or contacts to repair your vision, even if your impairment was incredibly minor beforehand.

Severe Dry Eye Syndrome

The surgery can and sometimes does lead to the over drying of the eye, directly related to tear production. Often, the eyes will stop being able to produce the proper level of tears to keep your eyes moist, sometimes to the degree of impairing vision further through blurriness. If this condition occurs, it is possible that it becomes permanent, though various treatment methods are available, most commonly eye drops therapy.

Varying Results

The surgery is not a cure all. Because of the different kinds of eye problems and the varying levels of correction necessary in many peoples’ vision, laser eye surgery may only slightly increase your vision, or do nothing at all. To know better whether you might require corrective lenses still after surgery, discuss with your doctor exactly what is wrong with your eyes.

Results Diminishing with Age

It’s also possible that, with time, you might experience the decrease in vision you had before your surgery. The growth or diminishment of the vision impairment is a fickle issue, one that cannot be measured until a while after your surgery. Checking for this problem is a common procedure for an eye doctor, and often results in farsighted patients.

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