The LASIK complication rate is extremely low. As a premier Kansas City provider of LASIK, the surgeons at Durrie Vision understand patients are concerned about complications. Fortunately, less than one percent of LASIK patients experience surgical complications.
There is a reason LASIK is the most commonly performed laser refractive surgery for vision correction. Let’s look closer.
LASIK complications vs. side effects
First, it is important to know the difference between side effects and complications. Side effects after your LASIK eye surgery in Kansas City are expected. Those include dry eye, glare, halos, and double vision. These temporary setbacks clear up within a few weeks to a few months. Complications are more serious issues that are not considered normal or expected after your procedure, though they can often be addressed with additional treatments or medications.
What is the LASIK complication rate?
The LASIK complication rate is only about 0.3%. The most commonly reported LASIK complications are infection or dry eye that persists for more than six months. Other complications include:
- Undercorrections occur when the laser removes too little tissue. Though rare, this does occur more often in patients with a higher prescription than those with a lower prescription. If an undercorrection is diagnosed during one of your follow up exams, an enhancement may be needed to get you to your vision goals.
- Overcorrections happen when the laser removes too much tissue from the eye. Like undercorrections, an overcorrection may be addressed through an enhancement surgery.
- Regression occurs when vision slowly changes back to the original prescription. This is not to be confused with the natural aging process of the eye, which will result in dim, yellowed vision due to cataract formation. Regression is one of the most rare LASIK complications.
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At Durrie Vision, you are our top priority every step of the way. We give truly individualized options to any patient who comes to us to enhance their vision. We will make a fair assessment that puts your long term best interests in mind. Because we have the technological options, you can trust you’re getting a straight answer rather than being pushed toward a certain procedure. Find out if you’re a candidate for refractive lens exchange or LASIK.
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FAQs
The LASIK complication rate is only about 0.3%. The most commonly reported LASIK complications are infection or dry eye that persists for more than six months. Other complications include: Undercorrections occur when the laser removes too little tissue.
What percentage of LASIK patients have complications? ›
Intraoperative Complications. The intraoperative complication rate of Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) has been reported to be in between 0.7-6.6%.
Which is the most dreaded complication of LASIK? ›
Ecstasia: Iatrogenic keractecstasia or esctasia (bulging of the cornea) is one of the most dreaded complications of LASIK.
What is the most common complication of laser surgery? ›
Hyperpigmentation. Postoperative hyperpigmentation can be observed after virtually any cutaneous or endovenous laser procedure and after intense pulsed light procedures. This problem is more common in patients with darker skin types. Patients with fresh tans are also more at risk.
What is the failure rate of LASIK? ›
In fact, one study reports that LASIK has an impressive patient success rate between 96-98%! Research indicates LASIK enables: 99% of patients to achieve 20/40 vision or better. 90% of patients to achieve ideal 20/20 vision.
What is the regret rate for Lasik eye surgery? ›
3% of patients have serious problems after LASIK, such as dry eyes or infection. 90% of LASIK patients experience 20/20 vision after surgery. Furthermore, 99% of patients achieve 20/40 vision. Only 3% of patients regret getting LASIK.
Is LASIK worth the risk? ›
LASIK surgery has a good track record. Complications are rare, and most people are satisfied with the results. Certain side effects, particularly dry eyes and temporary visual issues (such as glare), are fairly common.
Can LASIK surgery go wrong? ›
Risks. Complications that result in a loss of vision are very rare. But certain side effects of LASIK eye surgery are common. These include dry eyes and temporary visual problems such as glare.
What is the risk of blindness with LASIK surgery? ›
LASIK has never been reported as a cause of blindness and is in fact a very low-risk procedure. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that each year, 1 out of every 500 contact lens wearers experiences a severe corneal infection that could result in loss of vision.
What percentage of LASIK flaps dislocate? ›
How Do I Know If My LASIK Flap Moved? The dislodging of a flap after LASIK is very rare and occurs in less than 1% of cases. Given the precise nature of modern, bladeless LASIK, the flap is able to heal so seamlessly that it would be surprising to see an injury result in flap complications.
You have a disease or are on medications that may affect wound healing. Certain conditions, such as autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), immunodeficiency states (e.g., HIV) and diabetes, and some medications (e.g., retinoic acid and steroids) may prevent proper healing after a refractive procedure.
What are the 2 body parts most at risk from the dangers of lasers? ›
The human body is vulnerable to the output of certain lasers, and under certain circ*mstances, exposure can result in damage to the eye and skin.
What is the satisfaction rate for Lasik eye surgery? ›
Patient satisfaction after LASIK ranges from 82% to 98%.
Why is LASIK on the decline? ›
LASIK's market share is shrinking as consumers become more aware of safer alternatives to LASIK and more suspicious of profit-focused “LASIK Mills.” In 2009, the FDA found that 46% of LASIK recipients experienced one or more visual problems after the surgery, including dry eyes, haze, halos, and starbursts.
What are the odds of LASIK complications? ›
All surgeries carry some risk of complications and side effects, but LASIK has an excellent safety profile with a low complication rate. In fact, LASIK is one of the safest elective surgical procedures available today, with a complication rate estimated to be less than 1%.
What is the most common complication of LASIK surgery? ›
Caused by corneal denervation, dry eye is one of the most common side effects of LASIK. It is usually temporary. Treatment depends on dry eye severity.
Has anyone had a bad experience with LASIK? ›
60-70% of those undergoing LASIK experience dry eye as one of its side effects, due to nerve damage on the corneal surface caused by the flap creation process.
Can LASIK complications be fixed? ›
Irregularities or damage that has occurred can be fixed with laser corneal reconstruction with topographic guided ablation to reshape the cornea and fix the damage.
What is the regression rate for Lasik eye surgery? ›
A previous study of LASIK reported that the myopic regression for moderate to high myopia was -1.66 ± 2.15 diopters (D) over 15 years, indicating a regression rate of -0.11 D per year [3]. LASIK performed with a mechanical microkeratome may be a factor affecting myopia regressions due to uneven flap thickness [4].
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