Are there permanent side effects like dryness after LASIK?

Doctor's Answers 2

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Dr E-Shawn Goh

Ophthalmologist

Certainly. The most common side-effect after LASIK or any form of laser-refractive surgery to the cornea, is loss of contrast sensitivity, and glares and haloes that are worse at night-time. It is very rare for patients to be completely disabled by them, and for some patients it is more obvious than for others. Some people rarely experience significant dry-eye symptoms after surgery, however this is rare, especially in young patients.

For the majority of patients however, they may experience temporary dry eye symptoms that disappear after 1-2 weeks (longer in patients who are older). The glares / haloes also usually improve rapidly after the first 2-3 months.

You are on the money though – EVERY single operation has a risk of complications, side effects etc.

In the case of lasik, that risk is very very low though, probably less than 1% if you go and read all the scientific studies done online.

I guess it’s just your own risk benefit analysis at the end of the day – talk to your doctor about it as well!

Similar Questions

Is LASIK still suitable for me if I have dry and sensitive eyes? Will it cause even worse dryness?

Current options available for laser vision correction include corneal flap-based procedures like LASIK, and also no flap, Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) methods like TransPRK. During LASIK, the doctor will have to cut your cornea to create an external flap using either a blade or a Femtosecond laser (bladeless LASIK). Whether using a blade or the laser, there will still be a cut corneal flap and this will result in cut corneal nerve endings, increasing the risk of procedure-induced dry eyes. This, together with flap complications, are the main disadvantages of LASIK.

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Answered By

Dr Tony Ho

Ophthalmologist

Should I delay LASIK if I suffer from symptomatic dry eyes and Epithelial Keratopathy?

When there are symptoms suggestive of any potential eye disease, I would recommend addressing the underlying problems first before embarking on any form of surgery, refractive surgery included. Complaints such those you described are suggestive of dry eye and refractive error instability which would warrant caution prior to making any decision for surgery. Should you have any concerns, it would be perfectly appropriate for you to raise them with your surgeon. Work closely with a trusted surgeon to decide on the best course forward. Otherwise, a second opinion could help allay your worries.

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