Laser anxiety. Laser eye surgery is associated with a large number of difficult-to-treat complications
The fear of laser vision correction often stems from the fact that before we decide to take a qualifying examination, we consult with people who have already had such a procedure, and they are eager to tell us about the discomfort experienced right after the operation. Exactly: about discomfort – not about complications. It’s perfectly natural that the eyes need some time to recover from laser vision correction. Everything you want to know about recovery after laser eye surgery can be found here.
Discomfort, however, is not the same as complications.
UK sources read that: realistically, the chance of losing vision as a result of laser vision correction performed by an experienced surgeon is too small to measure – it is close to 1 in 5 million.
Laser vision correction is a procedure that is as safe as possible. The number of complications is less than 1% of cases. The risk of complications during and after laser vision correction is lower than when you wear contact lenses every day!
It is important to remember that in the case of any medical procedure, the term “guarantee” is not used, but “effectiveness of the procedure”. The laser vision correction procedure is about 95% effective, which in practice means for patients that about 95% of those operated on achieve a quality of vision safe for driving after the procedure.
Why there are so few complications after laser vision correction
The maximum safety of all laser surgical interventions in the eye consists of several issues:
- Laser vision correction is considered the most advanced method a refractive surgeon can reach for, but even within this method we can point out more and less advanced surgical techniques – it is also worth being aware that refractive surgery is developing all the time, and the most modern ophthalmic lasers are devices so complicated and precise that they are called robotic, which means that the surgeon can program them with great precision and they do part of the work without his participation.
- The history of surgical correction of vision defects is already years old – it dates back to the 1950s – so doctors have really had time to learn a lot.
- Laser vision correction is one of the most individualized surgical interventions we know of: it’s truly a tailor-made procedure, each time tailored to the patient’s specific vision defect, the anatomical conditions of his or her eye, his or her overall health, and expectations for visual acuity after treatment. Individualized treatments, closely tailored to the specific eye structure of a particular patient, are referred to as wavefront-guided treatments.
- Laser vision correction is always preceded by a very detailed qualifying examination, which means that if anything raises doubts in the doctor’s mind, the operation will not take place. Everything you want to know about qualifying examinations can be found here.
- Modern ophthalmic lasers have so-called eye-trackers , which are devices that track (monitor) eye movements. Even if you blink, cough, sneeze or move your eyes even by a fraction of a millimeter, the eye-tracking system will take control of the situation, so there is no fear that the procedure architecture planned by the doctor will be shattered and anything will go wrong.
The fact that laser vision correction is safe is also evidenced by the short recovery time. It is possible to return to daily activities as early as 24 hours after the procedure, although the aforementioned discomfort may last a bit longer: in the case of the so-called deep methods, it may occur up to 3-4 hours after the procedure, and there may also be tearing due to the fact that the epithelium has been incised. In the PRK/LASEK/TransPRK method, the discomfort can last up to 3-4 days. We emphasize again: discomfort is not the same as complications.
What to do to minimize potential post-operative complications to almost zero
Simply follow the post-operative recommendations without question, both those related to the dosage of medications, the timing of subsequent follow-up appointments or refraining from certain activities. You can find more information here.
The fact that laser vision correction went smoothly does not mean that you can ignore the post-operative recommendations and, for example, start sitting for hours at the computer, put on eye makeup or go to the swimming pool right away when you get home. You can’t! You don’t want complications, hold off on everything on your list of post-op recommendations.
Laser vision correction – regardless of the method – is an effective and safe procedure. Proper preparation of the patient for surgery, properly performed surgery and the patient’s adherence to post-operative recommendations completely eliminate any risk of vision loss and the risk of serious complications.
