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The incidence of the side effects of laser eye surgery are reasonably low, in fact very low however, even with the low risk statistics, it’s still in your best interests to understand what they if you are considering eye surgery.

There are a host of side effects which could surface following the procedure but don’t get too hung up on the long list. If you go through the proper screening process leading up to your surgery, chances are, if you are even slightly at risk you won’t be recommended to go under the laser.

Side Effects Of Laser Eye Surgery

Let’s take a look at some of the side effects of laser eye surgery. Infection and delayed healing is one of the more common risks. Even so, the percentages are well under one per cent. Corneal infection is the more likely side effect but the good news is, there are no real long term effects.

Other side effects include:

- under or over correction is another of the more common side effects. It’s difficult to predict how a person’s eyes will respond to treatment and in some cases, eye wear may still be required following surgery. Further surgery could even be required.

- best corrected vision is another issue although not a serious one. This simply means a patient with contacts may find their vision with contacts is worse than previous and this can be due to factors such as unscheduled tissue removal.

- Corneal haze is usually an issue with patients who undertake PRK(Photorefractive keratotomy) and is less with lasik patients. It doesn’t usually affect the patient’s vision and is usually picked up by an ophthalmologist. Excessive corneal haze in some instances could hamper a person’s vision.

- Regression is a nuisance side effect. It means despite the procedure appearing to be a success, the eye could return back to it’s normal state prior to surgery which means a new procedure may need to be scheduled.

- Halo effect occurs in low light conditions. A halo side effect is a concern to people driving at night and is the result of an image forming because of the untreated section of the cornea.

- Flap damage or loss is one of the side effects of laser eye surgery that can only affect patients undergoing a lasik procedure. In some cases, instead of creating a hinged flap on the center of the cornea, the entire flap tissue comes off. This can usually be replaced after the laser treatment. However, in some cases, the flap can be damaged or lost.

- A distorted flap also affects only patients who have had a lasik procedure. It consists of a distortion in the shape of the cornea created during the healing process, which can result in a lower best-corrected vision.