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Safety
Laser Eye Surgery Safety
All prospective patients must consider laser eye surgery safety and complications before treatment.
Long-term outlook
The long-term effects of laser eye treatment appear to be excellent. The longest study to date is from London with 15 years of follow-up. The results are completely stable with no signs of the treatment wearing off or of any side effects.
Possible side effects and complications of laser eye surgery will be discussed fully at your consultation, and include:
Over-correction or under-correction – meaning your response to the treatment is either too weak or too strong. Approximately 98% of patients are very happy with their vision with one correction and are either at or very close to the target for treatment. About 2% of patients need a second 'enhancement' procedure.
This is easily carried out about 3-6 months after the first treatment, to give time for the vision to fully settle.
Dry eyes - you may need to use lubricating eye drops, especially during the first 3-6 months.
Infection – occurs on average every 1 in 4000 cases. Treatment with antibiotics will be necessary.
Superficial scarring – for example, following an infection. This will require a further procedure to correct.
Excessive thinning of the cornea – treatment planning is carried out so that your cornea will have sufficient strength following treatment. We use a generous safety margin. However, 1 in 10,000 cases to date have shown some degree of progressive thinning of the cornea and require the use of contact lenses or further surgery.
It is likely that a proportion of these cases in the past were due to excessive thinning of the cornea at the time of treatment, when greater amounts of tissue were removed compared to today. Recent advances in the field of collagen cross-linking may now allow these cases to be treated without further surgery.
Sensitive eyes - some people report increased sensitivity to glare, which can make driving dangerous, especially during the first 3 months.
Blurred vision - 'halos' or rings of fuzzy light may result from the treatment.
Taking care of yourself at home
Be guided by your ophthalmologist, but general suggestions include:
Use antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medication (in the form of drops) in the operated eye(s) for a period after surgery.
Use plastic shields over the operated eye(s) for several nights after surgery to prevent damage caused by rubbing.
Do not use pressure to rub the operated eye(s).
Other forms of treatment
Traditional methods of correcting vision include prescription glasses and contact lenses.
There are also alternative surgical procedures that do not require the use of an excimer laser. These include implantation of an intraocular lens, corneal incisions (sometimes called microsurgery - now out-dated) and conductive keratoplasty for reading vision problems (use of radiofrequency waves).