Complications that cause vision loss are very rare. However, certain side effects of LASIK eye surgery, in particular dry eyes and temporary visual problems, such as glare, are quite common. They usually go away after a few weeks or months, and very few people consider them to be a long-term problem. The most common side effects in the early postoperative period after LASIK surgery are dry eyes and halos and glare at night.
They usually dissipate within a month, but can sometimes last for 3 to 6 months. If these symptoms persist, they can definitely be treated with very rare exceptions. There are some risks associated with LASIK surgery. Common side effects include dry eyes, trouble seeing at night, and flashes or halos around lights, especially at night.
These side effects go away on their own in six months or less. Rarely, these side effects persist for years. This may lead to the need for a corneal transplant, even though LASIK surgery is considered “successful”. In fact, the FDA has created an extensive list of the types of candidates for whom the procedure is not ideal, and the FDA official said that the agency maintains a website on LASIK that describes possible contradictions, warnings and precautions to consider before undergoing LASIK and the complications of the device.
Morris Waxler, former head of the surgical and diagnostic devices division of the FDA's ophthalmic devices division who voted for LASIK surgery in 1998, said he doesn't think the agency is taking the complications of LASIK as seriously as it should. Because LASIK surgery can cause or worsen dry eyes, patients should also have a dry eye exam, according to the FDA. While a causal relationship between LASIK and psychological harm has not been established, the FDA said that a study on suicide and laser refractive surgery suggested that psychiatric complications such as psychosis, depression and suicidal ideation may occur, although they are very rare (less than 1%). When patient activist Paula Cofer, from Tampa, Florida, learned that LASIK surgeries, laser eye surgery that corrects vision, were skyrocketing during the pandemic, she was disappointed, but not surprised.
LASIK is laser eye surgery that corrects refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Ultimately, LASIK is a safe, effective, and common eye surgery used to correct refractive errors such as astigmatism, farsightedness, and myopia. With the recent arrival of topography-guided laser vision correction, even people who underwent Lasik many years ago and who currently have symptoms of halos and glare, or poor quality of vision, can undergo enhancement surgery to substantially improve their quality of vision and are very likely to eliminate the symptoms of halos, glare and poor quality of vision. The agency official said that, even now, the FDA continues to monitor LASIK-related adverse events to better understand the safety and effectiveness associated with this procedure, and that it takes LASIK-related adverse events very seriously.
