4 POPULAR MYTHS ABOUT LASIK

LASIK eye surgery is the best known and most commonly performed laser refractive surgery to correct vision problems. Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) can be an alternative to glasses or contact lenses.

During LASIK surgery, a special type of cutting laser is used to precisely change the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of your eye (cornea) to improve vision.

In eyes with normal vision, the cornea bends (refracts) light precisely onto the retina at the back of the eye. But with nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism, the light is bent incorrectly, resulting in blurred vision.

Glasses or contact lenses can correct vision, but reshaping the cornea itself also will provide the necessary refraction.

Why is it done?

As the most commonly performed eye surgery to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism, thousands of people have LASIK each year. And yet, many people still have reservations concerning how safe and effective the procedure is.

If you're considering LASIK surgery, you probably already wear glasses or contact lenses. Your eye doctor will talk with you about whether LASIK surgery or another similar refractive procedure is an option that will work for you.

We get it. Having any kind of procedure can be an intimidating, frightening ordeal.

But LASIK has been proven to be one of the safest, most effective forms of vision correction.

Though it’s up to you and your eye doctor to determine whether or not LASIK is right for you, allow us to put your mind at ease by debunking 4 popular myths about LASIK.

4 Common Myths about LASIK

1. Physicians would not have LASIK on their own eyes.

You may have heard a rumor floating around that eye doctors would never have LASIK on their own eyes. This is flatly untrue. In fact, LASIK surgeons are actually more likely to have laser vision correction compared to the general population.

2. Contact lenses are safer than LASIK.

Though contact lenses are often assumed to be safer than LASIK due to the fact that they don’t require surgery, the risk of significant vision loss is about 5 times higher with extended contact lens wear than with LASIK.

This is due to the fact that so many contact lens wearers do not wear their lenses safely, which puts them at risk for infection and at times, complete vision loss.

3. LASIK significantly increases the risk of glare/halo.

Though there are rare cases where a patient might temporarily experience nighttime glare or “halos” around light at night, these symptoms are almost always gone in 3-6 months time.

A study of pilots who land on aircraft carriers at night even found that 88% of pilots said their night vision was better after LASIK than before surgery with glasses.

4. Dry eyes are extremely common after LASIK.

Again, though some patients experience temporary symptoms of dry eye after LASIK surgery, these symptoms are typically gone within 6 months time.

In two studies conducted by the FDA, only 3% of patients reported moderate dry eye at 3 months, and 23% reported mild dry eye. These symptoms were frequently resolved within 6 months of their procedure.