-- What Are the Risks? --
It′s only natural that you should want to know all about lasik eye surgery when you consider having it done. After all, you only have one set of eyes. There are a few risks, and you are right to want to be aware of them.
One risk you′ll be interested to know is that the surgery may not correct your vision the way you expect it to. A great many people come away from the surgery without 20/20 vision. You may still need to wear glasses, or need extra procedures.
The results, in fact, are not usually as good for people who start out wearing glasses or contacts with a very strong prescription. The surgery can only do so much. If you are farsighted, your eye problems can get worse as time goes on even with the surgery.
There are a variety of vision problems that can occur after lasik eye surgery that you never had to deal with before it. You might begin to see halos around lighted objects, for instance. You might experience glare such as you′ve never seen before.
You could even have double vision. Many people have trouble driving at night or in the fog. However, after lasik eye surgery, it will get even worse for some people. Not all those who have the surgery have these problems, but it is an important consideration.
Another risk is that you will be left with eyes that are always dry, "dry eye". This is not just an annoyance. It also affects your vision and the health of your eyes. It is a condition that will need to be treated if it occurs.
It is sometimes not as prudent to have both eyes operated on at the same time. This can be a risk because if there is a problem, you have affected both eyes instead of just one. It is usually better to see what happens with one before doing the other.
Dim light might be a problem for you after the surgery. You may have more trouble seeing without full light. This can be a problem in many occupations where work is done in dim quarters.
Sometimes, a patient will actually lose some vision in one or both eyes. They may have such a vision loss that nothing can correct it. No contacts, glasses, or surgery will do any good. This is an unusual situation, but you should be aware of it.
Certainly, you should consider all these risks before you let someone tamper with something as important as your eyes. Yet, the conditions that you risk may happen only to a few people.
There is room for a great deal of optimism.