LASIK Side Effects
October 21st, 2013
LASIK has helped millions of men and women achieve perfect vision. LASIK is an extremely safe, effective, and popular treatment for myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. With that being said, LASIK is still a surgical procedure. As with any surgical procedure, patients should expect to experience some degree of side effects immediately following surgery.
One of the ways that Dr. Danny Lee ensures an easier recovery period for patients of his eye care center in Huntsville, is by determining that they are good candidates for LASIK. By performing a comprehensive examination, Dr. Danny Lee is able to determine a patient’s candidacy for LASIK surgery. During this time, Dr. Lee will also discuss what to expect before, during, and after LASIK surgery.
What to Expect Immediately after Surgery
The first thing that most patients notice immediately following surgery is a significant improvement in their vision. It is normal for patients to experience fluctuating vision, blurry vision, watery eyes, dry eyes, itching in the eyes, burning in the eyes, or a feeling of a foreign object being in the eyes immediately after undergoing LASIK surgery. These side effects are to be expected and will begin to improve within a few hours to a few days after surgery.
Side Effects
Many of the side effects most commonly experienced immediately following surgery will disappear or begin to subside within one to two days after the procedure. The most commonly experienced side effects after LASIK are temporary. It is normal for a patient to experience side effects during the recovery period. These side effects may include:
- Dry eye: Dry eye is probably the most commonly experienced LASIK side effect. The symptoms of dry eye can worsen with LASIK. Patients that suffer from chronic dry eye are typically not ideal candidates for LASIK surgery. Dry eye can cause many negative side effects to occur including a feeling of something being in the eye and itchiness. Dry eye can also cause the vision to become blurry and the vision to fluctuate. Eye drops and other medications may be provided to help alleviate the symptoms of dry eye after surgery.
- Difficulty driving at night: During the LASIK recovery period, patients may experience glare and halos. These side effects can make it difficult for a patient to drive at night or in periods of low light.
- Halos: Many patients will experience halos immediately following LASIK surgery. Halos refer to the appearance of rings around bright lights.
- Glare: Many patients will also experience glare immediately following LASIK surgery. Glare simply refers to difficulty seeing in the presence of bright lights.
- Sensitivity to light: During the first few days after surgery, it is common for patients to experience sensitivity to light. It is normal for patients to experience a slight twinge of pain when exposed to bright lights early in the LASIK recovery process. Patients affected by bright lights may wear sunglasses when exposed to bright lights.
- Fluctuating vision: Patients should expect their vision to fluctuate for the first two or three weeks following surgery.
Learn More about LASIK Side Effects
If you would like to learn more about the side effects associated with LASIK surgery, pleasecontact Dr. Danny Lee and his eye care team today.
