What Are The Common Side Effects of Laser Eye Surgery?

Laser Eye Surgery is a process to correct common eye and vision problems such as myopia (farsightedness) and hypermetropia (nearsightedness). Laser Eye Surgery is medically known as LASIK Eye Surgery, wherein LASIK stands for laser in situ keratomileusis. The science behind the process is correcting the refractive index of your eye lens by changing the shape of the dome-shaped tissue that encloses your eye lens called the cornea of your eye using a particular type of cutting laser. This surgery is generally availed by people who want to avert their glasses or contact lens usage. Glasses or contact lenses, too, like Laser Eye Surgery, set the refractive index of your eye lens correctly so that you can perceive everything without a blur.

Side Effects of Laser Eye Surgery

Besides being proven successful and extremely helpful to most patients, Laser Eye Surgery has also delivered some side effects to people who had the surgery. These side effects and general complications are either expected aftermath and are minor or can be a significant consequence of the surgery. However, it is observed that almost all of these symptoms due to the Laser Eye Surgery get resolved within a few days of the surgery or after taking appropriate measures and prescriptions by your doctor or surgeon.

1. Dry Eyes

Having dry eyes after undergoing Laser Eye Surgery is a common aftermath. A dry eye is a phenomenon wherein your eyes produce fewer tears than usual and thus seem drier than they are regularly. This condition is faced by about ninety-five percent of people who undergo Laser Eye Surgery. This after-effect of Laser Eye Surgery is easily curable by using a lubricating eye drop that your doctor or surgeon prescribes.

2. Double vision or blurry vision

After having dry eyes, having blurred or double vision is the second most prevalent effect of Laser Eye Surgery. Blurred vision or double vision means having a feeling that there is something in front of your eye lens. A common cause for this side effect is diffuse lamellar keratitis, which is the name given to the syndrome in which the space beneath the cornea in your eye is infiltrated by an inflammation that causes blurry vision or double vision. It is also commonly known as the Sands of Sahara syndrome.

3. Halo or glares

It is generally observed that about 20 percent of people who undergo laser eye surgery develop halos or glares in front of their eyes. Halos usually are outer circles that are visible around the circumference of any light source and appear like a headlight. Glare is an unexpected ray of light that blocks your vision by entering uninvited eyes. These visual changes are treatable with common medication by your doctor or surgeon.

4. Eye infection

An eye infection is a rare consequence of having laser eye surgery. According to a study published in 2019, less than one percent of the patients with laser eye surgery end up with an eye infection. This can be considered one of the advantages of Laser Eye surgery: it has the lowest rates of any eye infection among several other eye surgeries.

5. LASIK Flap

A small incision creates a LASIK flap on the cornea to get the procedure of laser eye surgery done on the deeper corneal layer of the eye. Once the surgery is done, the flap heals itself and blends into the tissue of the cornea without requiring any external aid in the recovery period after the surgery. However, some surgery cases have had certain complications related to the LASIK flap. These complications involve a dislocation of the flap from its original position to some other place in the cornea, and folds or wrinkles appear in the flap over the cornea, which hinders proper vision and epithelial ingrowth. This means that instead of the flap blending into the epithelial tissue of the cornea, the cells of the epithelium grow and stay inside the flap, which makes it difficult for the flap to blend into its original position. Diffuse lamellar keratitis and irregular astigmatism are two serious complications arising from the LASIK flap. However, complications that occur due to the LASIK flap can be avoided by taking a few simple precautionary measures like keeping your eyes closed for a few hours after the laser surgery has taken place, avoiding rubbing your eyes too hysterically, avoiding contact sports, and strictly abiding by the medications and prescription that your doctor or surgeon recommends.

6. Red or bloodshot whites in your eyes

Red or bloodshot eyes generally refer to eyes that become red due to blockage, congestion, or enlargement of the blood vessels in the eye. This can be a consequence of a medical error during the surgery that has somehow hampered the blood vessels in your regard or any underlying eye condition that has been agitated by the laser eye surgery.

Who is not suitable to get Laser Eye Surgery?

Laser Eye surgery gathers a lot of attention from seekers as it is a hassle-free process with significant advantages. You might want to get it to get rid of your glasses or contact lenses or to get into a job or training sector wherein candidates are required to be physically fit, including the eye, or to treat an underlying eye condition that the Laser Eye treatment can treat. However, one should keep in mind that this surgery, too, like any other one, has significant aftermath and is restricted for people who have some pre-existing conditions or health characteristics. Therefore, before going into the Laser Eye surgery process, check and assess if you are fit and suitable to undergo surgery. People who are unsuitable for the surgery have their characteristics listed down below:

• You are considered ineligible for Laser Eye surgery if your eye prescription has changed even a bit in the last twelve months.
• Pregnant women or women who are nursing their child currently are not advised to undergo Laser Eye surgery.
• Doctors set a safe age at 18, so if you are an adult, only then are you eligible to get Laser Eye surgery done on yourself.
• There have been cases wherein people who wanted to have Laser Eye surgery on their eyes were denied because of the beforehand checkup, which showed that they have thin corneas. Doctors and surgeons avoid surgeries on thin corneas as they can be susceptible to needles and incisions, increasing the risk of a surgical complication or eye infection.
• Before you are declared suitable for having Laser Eye surgery, your medical history is examined. Suppose you are taking any medications or receiving treatment for a prevalent ailment. In that case, you can be liable to be denied Laser Eye surgery for the risk of complications that may arise and cause any other kind of disease or ailment in the body.

How to care for your eyes after Laser Eye Surgery?

You need to take the following precautions after laser eye surgery:

• Do not rub your eyes or use non-sterile water anywhere around your eye.
• Wear safety goggles every time you step out in the sun. 
• Regularly use your eye drops as the doctor prescribes.
• Wear dark sunglasses to avoid any reaction of your eye towards the light. 
• Do not color your hair or undergo any treatment for about a month.
• Avoid dusty, windy, and polluted environments for a week. 
• Do not drive until you feel okay and have your doctor's permission. 

Conclusion

Like every cloud has a silver lining, every rose has its thorn too. As helpful and advantageous as Laser Eye surgery seems to you, it can be as degrading and consequential if you are not careful and go for it absurdly and abruptly without following proper protocols and preventive measures. 

Laser Eye surgery has proven beneficial for most of its receivers. It is advised for thousands of people around the globe with only a few negative feedbacks from people who get the surgery done. However, keeping in mind the side effects of the surgery, it would not hurt you to take appropriate precautionary measures to protect your eyes from any adverse consequences of the injury and enjoy your vision without any aid for a lifetime after the smooth surgery process. For more informative health issues and advice, follow the content on Cured.com regularly!