How Common are Eye LASIK Complications?

Numerous studies in the late 1990s indicated that up to 5 percent of people who underwent LASIK surgery experienced some type of eye lasik complication.  

However, currently, there are many expert LASIK surgeons who report that the LASIK complication rates can be held below one percent if surgical candidates are carefully selected.

And, even when complications do occur, they often can be resolved through laser re-treatments or enhancements of the eye.

Complications of LASIK surgery

Under-correction.  This complication occurs when the laser has not removed an adequate amount of tissue. It's often noted that regardless of how meticulously a correction is calculated and a laser is calibrated, several factors can still affect the outcome of the procedure. Experts say that these factors include but are not limited to aftershave, perfume or any other scented products; density and composition of tissue; room temperature and humidity; and regression. 

Over-correction. This problem takes place when the laser has removed too much corneal tissue. Normally, occurs in the immediate postoperative interval as a result of a typical swelling which occurs after any surgical operation. Studies have also revealed that overcorrection occur due to the factors as outlined for undercorrection. But, certain enhancements or re-treatments are normally an alternative.

Optical Zone Too Small.  This is a LASIK laser complication which usually occurs when the optical zone is smaller than the night-time or dilated pupil. People who are typically victims of this predicament are those with very large pupils or very large corrections.

De-centered Ablation. This complication is generally caused by one or more of the significant patient eye movement during the laser treatment and incorrect centering of the laser beam. In some cases, this problem is said to cause optical aberrations and astigmatism, glare, starbursts or contrast sensitivity problems.

Flap and Operative Complications

Dry Eye Syndrome. This case is not exclusive to patients who have had refractive surgery. However, reports indicated that it has developed into the most common complication after laser vision correction. It particularly affects what now appears to be the majority of all LASIK patients.

Free Cap. This problem may develop during the creation of the flap, but this is rarer than the one mentioned above. This is more common in patients with a flatter curve on the surface of their eye. If this complication occurs, the laser treatment may or may not proceed depending on the circumstances.

At the start of all procedures, alignment marks are placed on the surface to realign the flap at the end of a normal procedure. But, these are also invaluable in the unlikely event of a free cap.

Wrinkles in the Flap. Wrinkles commonly appear when a patient rubs or squeezes his eye too tightly in the first few hours following the procedure. In refractive surgery, it is a common practice to have your eye examined with a slit lamp, prior to discharge from the clinic. This is often considered to make sure that your flap has not moved from where your surgeon had place it.

Incomplete, Irregular, Decentered Flap or Button Hole of Flap. According to some experts, this LASIK complication occurs at the time of flap creation. The most common cause of this is a loss of suction, or discrepancy in the fit of the eye surface to the suction plate.

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