In order to truly comprehend the effect of laser eye surgery, we must first consider the vision anomalies that it treats. It is a general belief that common refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, are attributable to certain irregularities in the shape of the cornea. Due to such anomalies, light rays entering the eye don’t fall exactly on the retina (a layer of light-sensing cells) thereby resulting in unclear vision. LASIK is a surgical procedure that aims to rectify these irregularities by reshaping the cornea.
LASIK restores visual acuity through precise ablation of the corneal tissue with the aid of a high precision laser, an excimer laser, which is a cool laser that precisely carves the cornea without heating or damaging the surrounding tissue. Once reshaped, the cornea enables the desired accurate refraction, since the light rays now fall precisely on the retina.
Laser eye surgery imparts enhanced visual acuity, without the need for corrective lenses. With the superlative technology at its disposal, laser eye surgery provides excellent results that are rather impressive. An estimated 98% of patients are within 1 diopter of their refractive error following surgery, possessing unaided visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Over half of the patients achieve unaided visual acuity of 6/6, which is the standard visual acuity. However, visual acuity may sometimes be worthless if vision quality is sacrificed in the process. Though rare, laser eye surgery complications like halos, glare, and double vision may cause vision quality deterioration, rendering blurry vision.
The complications, if any, may be a source of discomfort. The use of prescription eye drops and artificial tear drops helps in soothing the eyes thereby averting the irritable feeling in the eyes that creeps up after surgery. These side effects are known to subside within a few months and the refraction stabilizes within 3 to 6 months following surgery.
Nevertheless, LASIK is a viable, safe, and efficacious procedure. Its effects are permanent in the eyes. That is, the refraction attained lasts forever unless otherwise altered due to age-related eye ailments, such as presbyopia, which is known to affect almost every individual in their mid to late 40s.
If you find a LASIK surgery that you are confident with, you will be able to get more information about the effects of LASIK laser eye surgery.
