As an optometrist, I am asked several times a week about LASIK surgery. Many people have the notion that if they can afford it, they should have this surgery done to correct their refractive error. Well, think again folks! This surgery to eliminate glasses (temporarily) is not all it's SOLD to be.
I have seen some horrendous results in my office. Granted, most of these came from one particular surgeon, but nonetheless, they were in my office hoping to get their 20/20 (6/6) vision restored with glasses. Some were not so lucky – one case was barely legal to drive best corrected – and I was happy to hear he was the husband of a lawyer! Poor fellow had folds across his cornea. The surgeon did not get the corneal flap laid back down smoothly.
As with any elective surgery, one must weigh the risks vs. benefits. As I see it, if you've already got 20/20 vision with glasses or contact lenses, all that is left is risk! Risk of chronic dry eye, risk of chronic inflammation, which can lead to glaucoma, risk of a fold in your cornea, risk of induced astigmatism, risk of glare & halos around lights. A colleague of mine had a friend who went to Canada to have the surgery – this was before it was approved in the USA. Poor thing, has such bad glare problems at night, that she has to instill drops of Pilocarpine to constrict her pupils if she needs to drive at night. OMG, was all I could say.
Most of these Lasik Centers will do their best to sell you “Lifetime Enhancement” packages. What a joke! Each time Lasik is done on a cornea, it becomes thinner & flatter. Most folks have an average corneal thickness, which would allow this procedure to be done only twice! If you had a really thick cornea, you may squeak by for a third go-round. So this sales pitch is really a con job!
If you are a die-hard contact lens wearer & have LASIK, don’t think you’ll go back to contacts when your 20/20 vision shifts to 20/40 after a few years. Your cornea will be too FLAT. The contacts will not center on the eye. It seems to be the “norm” that your prescription will shift after 6-10 years. The amount of the shift will depend on how high your refractive error was going into the surgery. But know - it WILL shift!
I saw a very unfortunate case just this past week. The fellow had LASIK for his near sightedness with no astigmatism - pretty straight forward case. Well, in just a few short years after the surgery, he had a HUGE astigmatism. I was actually stunned by the amount. So he’s back in glasses with a football shaped cornea (ideally, we’d like it round).
In addition to my view of LASIK, the following article was on yahoo last week.
_http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/10/is-lasik-eye-surgery-safe-fda-scientist-regrets-saying-yes/
If you’ve had LASIK with good results, I’m happy for you! If you are thinking of having it, think twice or even three times. But from where I sit, the risks far outweigh the benefits – and the only benefit is no glasses or contacts – for a while anyway .
I have seen some horrendous results in my office. Granted, most of these came from one particular surgeon, but nonetheless, they were in my office hoping to get their 20/20 (6/6) vision restored with glasses. Some were not so lucky – one case was barely legal to drive best corrected – and I was happy to hear he was the husband of a lawyer! Poor fellow had folds across his cornea. The surgeon did not get the corneal flap laid back down smoothly.
As with any elective surgery, one must weigh the risks vs. benefits. As I see it, if you've already got 20/20 vision with glasses or contact lenses, all that is left is risk! Risk of chronic dry eye, risk of chronic inflammation, which can lead to glaucoma, risk of a fold in your cornea, risk of induced astigmatism, risk of glare & halos around lights. A colleague of mine had a friend who went to Canada to have the surgery – this was before it was approved in the USA. Poor thing, has such bad glare problems at night, that she has to instill drops of Pilocarpine to constrict her pupils if she needs to drive at night. OMG, was all I could say.
Most of these Lasik Centers will do their best to sell you “Lifetime Enhancement” packages. What a joke! Each time Lasik is done on a cornea, it becomes thinner & flatter. Most folks have an average corneal thickness, which would allow this procedure to be done only twice! If you had a really thick cornea, you may squeak by for a third go-round. So this sales pitch is really a con job!
If you are a die-hard contact lens wearer & have LASIK, don’t think you’ll go back to contacts when your 20/20 vision shifts to 20/40 after a few years. Your cornea will be too FLAT. The contacts will not center on the eye. It seems to be the “norm” that your prescription will shift after 6-10 years. The amount of the shift will depend on how high your refractive error was going into the surgery. But know - it WILL shift!
I saw a very unfortunate case just this past week. The fellow had LASIK for his near sightedness with no astigmatism - pretty straight forward case. Well, in just a few short years after the surgery, he had a HUGE astigmatism. I was actually stunned by the amount. So he’s back in glasses with a football shaped cornea (ideally, we’d like it round).
In addition to my view of LASIK, the following article was on yahoo last week.
_http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/10/is-lasik-eye-surgery-safe-fda-scientist-regrets-saying-yes/
If you’ve had LASIK with good results, I’m happy for you! If you are thinking of having it, think twice or even three times. But from where I sit, the risks far outweigh the benefits – and the only benefit is no glasses or contacts – for a while anyway .