Top 5 Reasons Why People Are Too Afraid To Have LASIK Surgery
1. LASIK causes dry eyes - It is true that the most common complaint by patients after LASIK surgery dry eyes. Sometimes, it can can even stay with them for even years, but this is very rare. Symptoms of dry eye typically involve, itching, burning, stinging, foreign body sensation and the feeling of the eyelid sticking to the eyeball.
2. LASIK causes a loss of visual acuity - This only occurs in the minority of cases, usually because of the lack of experience of the eye surgeon. This complication results in finding it more difficult to see detail in dim lighting and also seeing distortions, such as starbusts, haloes and double vision.
3. LASIK permanently weakens the cornea - This is also a true fact, but it is an inevitable consequence of wanting to achieve clear vision without glasses or contact lenses. As the collagen layers are severed by the microkeratome or laser, it causes the resulting cornea to be thinner and thus make it more susceptible to keratectasia or bulging of the cornea.
Just keep in mind that any kind of surgery, not just corrective eye surgery, will weaken a specific part of your body.
4. LASIK has long term consequences - These long term consequences could be due to the faults of the eye surgeon or the fact that LASIK surgery permanently changes the way light rays enter the eye, such that the rest of the eye may find it difficult to adapt. Intraocular pressure measurements may be underestimated due to LASIK, which results in under diagnosis of glaucoma. Those requiring cataract surgery may receive an inappropriate intraocular lens that does not focus on the retina properly, causing blurred vision.
5. Safer alternatives to LASIK exist - This is also something to keep in mind, as LASIK surgery isn't the be all end all. Other alternatives, such as orthokeratology lenses (also known as Ortho-K) can correct a reasonable range of prescriptions from -4.50D to +1.50D sphere and up to -1.00D of astigmatism, and simply wearing glasses or contact lenses as these will not permanently damage your eyes.
These are the top 5 reasons why people decide not to have LASIK surgery. Many are afraid of the complications of such an invasive procedure, and have every right to be afraid. Nevertheless, with proper research and planning, it is more than humanly possible to achieve crystal clear vision without the need of glasses or contact lenses and with minimal side effects and complications.