Laser eye surgery is viewed as both a miracle and mistake for millions of people who carry the burden of wearing glasses or contact lenses everyday to correct their vision.
Laser eye surgery is intended to correct disorders such as refractive errors that include nearsightedness, farsightedness and distorted vision. The two most common procedures are called the PRK and the LASIK.
According to the Revision Laser Eye Center, 1080 Polaris Parkway, the surgery can be performed in a short amount of time, even during a patient’s lunch hour. The entire laser treatment can take about five to seven minutes per eye or approximately 15 minutes for both eyes.
Advantages of the surgery include swift healing, no scarring and minimum discomfort to the patient. Patients should be able to see better without glasses or contact lenses but may still need them occasionally. Dramatic visual improvements can take place in a matter of just a few hours.
“I know a lot of people who have had laser surgery and they absolutely love it. They say they can’t remember what it was ever like to wear glasses,” said Nick DeSantis, a senior in journalism.
However, there are also many side effects and risks that can be associated with laser surgery. Some patients experience a “halo” effect after surgery, meaning the sight of a second, faded image of an object, which can interfere with night driving. Another effect is seeing “starbursts,” or bright glares from lights. There is also a risk of infection or delayed healing, and with the LASIK procedure the corneal flap sometimes does not heal properly. Under-correction or over-correction may also occur, which means the patient may still require corrective lenses or another laser procedure. Loss of some or all sight is also a severe possibility.
Joe Barr, assistant dean for clinical affairs in the College of Optometry, said the list of dangers of laser surgery is long but problems are not common.
One of the major risks of laser surgery that is being studied is the side effect of diminished night vision, especially for patients with large pupils.
A study conducted by TLC Laser Eye Centers for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year shows that 98.7 percent of patients said their night vision was unchanged. Some 12 percent said they noticed more headlight glare while driving, while 19 percent say they noticed less headlight glare.
Cynthia Green, OSU clinical assistant professor, said surgery results can affect young people differently than older people. Young people tend not to need correction for most activities for several years. However, older people develop presbyopia, or aging eye, and need reading correction part or all of the time.
