Progressive loss of corneal cells (keratocytes) after LASIK. Published medical studies have demonstrated a persistent decline in corneal cells (keratocytes) after LASIK. Doctors speculate that this loss could cause long-term problems. The corneal nerves responsible for tear production are cut and destroyed during LASIK.
Less than 1% of people who undergo Lasik will need improvement during the first year after surgery. Around 5% will need improvement in the future. Lasik improvements are safe and predictable. There is only one possible complication after improvements that is more common than the initial surgery.
Epithelial growth occurs when the first layer of the cornea, the epithelium, grows below the flap. If that happens, it is repaired by lifting sagging and washing the cells. After undergoing the procedure two decades ago, Cofer said she suffered from extreme dry eyes, a constant burning sensation, saw flying flies (spots or spots on her vision) and had severe night vision problems. One of those members, Michelle Cooke from Derry, New Hampshire, underwent LASIK nearly four years ago.
Since then, he said he suffered from dry eyes, chronic inflammation, droopy eyelids in one eye and ongoing pain. Although some appreciate those feelings, Dr. Morris Waxler, former head of the diagnostic and surgical device division of the FDA's ophthalmic device division, who voted to approve LASIK in 1998, said he doesn't think the agency is taking the complications of LASIK as seriously as it should. He explained that no other lasers are used in the delicate structure of the cornea, but that the excimer laser, exclusive to LASIK, cuts the corneal nerves and that the surface of the cornea heals unpredictably after the laser shapes it.
This leads to undercorrection, excessive correction, scarring, deformation, irregular astigmatism and, inevitably, decreased vision, he said. Stephen Slade, a member of the American College of Surgeons and a refractive surgeon who practices in Houston, Texas, disagrees. He said that the excimer laser is as safe and effective as the LASIK procedure, and that it is a unique and important tool for refractive surgeons, since the excimer wavelength is specific to corneal tissue, and other lasers would not also remove corneal tissue. Ophthalmologists often announce that the procedure has a high satisfaction rate, but Dr.
Edward Boshnick, an optometrist currently practicing in Miami, Florida, said that these statistics misrepresent the real results because they only show how patients feel shortly after receiving the procedure, when many complications don't manifest until months or years later. Roy Rubinfeld, medical director and refractive surgeon who practices in Rockville, Maryland, said he trusts the procedure so much that, I had laser vision correction in 1995, did LASIK to my wife in 1998 and just performed LASIK on our daughter. Their review article found that between 20 and 55 percent of Lasik patients have persistent eye dryness, defined as that that lasts at least six months after surgery. 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 complications with the device.
When patient activist Paula Cofer, from Tampa, Florida, learned that LASIK surgeries, a laser eye surgery that corrects vision, were skyrocketing during the pandemic, she was disappointed, but not surprised. With the recent arrival of topography-guided laser vision correction, even people who underwent LASIK many, 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. Other recent studies suggest that patients with LASIK surgery may also be at greater risk of long-term eye complications, such as the possibility of requiring earlier cataract surgery and developing a serious vision-endangering condition called corneal ectasia.
Scott Petty, 36, a 3D artist from Houston who made his living developing video games, was diagnosed with corneal ectasia six months after undergoing Lasik surgery. The most common early postoperative side effects after LASIK surgery are dry eyes and halos and glare at night. This may lead to the need for a corneal transplant, even though LASIK surgery is considered “successful”. .
