LASIK - Is It Safe For My Eyes ?

LASIK stands for LAser in SItu Keratomileusis, a procedure that painlessly reshapes the cornea to correct various refractive errors of the human eye. Millions of people have successfully undergone this treatment worldwide, since its introduction in the early 1990?s.

Cornea refers to the clear glass like structure in the front part of the eye. In myopia or short sightedness the light rays come to a focus in front of the retina, and in hyperopia or long sightedness the light rays come to a point focus behind the retina, and in astigmatism no single point focus is achieved. All these errors can be perfectly corrected using the laser beam to remove tissue from the cornea in a precise manner and altering its power, so as to allow the light rays to get focused on the retina. This results in perfect unaided vision and freedom from glasses.

But the key question still remains ? Doc , is this treatment safe for my eyes ??, what are the long term results ?, people say that the power comes back ? will I go blind after the treatment ? etc etc..

This is something that I hear from my patients wanting to undergo the LASIK procedure. I do not blame my patients for asking these questions, for there is enough negative information available on the internet to scare an individual from this wonderful procedure. The basic reason why this procedure is viewed with caution, is that 90% of the surgeons performing this procedure are not corneal surgeons, nor have had any basic formal training in corneal surgery. They just invest money in a laser machine and start performing treatments on anyone who comes to their clinic wearing glasses. Not everyone who wears glasses is a suitable candidate for LASIK treatment. In my practice (www.corneaclinic.com) almost 25% of the patients are rejected for this procedure as the cornea is not ideal for LASIK treatment. Either the corneal thickness is not sufficient, or there is some abnormality in the corneal shape that may affect the final outcome of LASIK treatment. This is what plays a key role in having satisfied patients following the LASIK procedure. Having performed over 5000 procedures till date, I am yet to have a patient who is unhappy with the LASIK procedure.

I think it is important for patients to realize that the most popular eye specialist, may not be the most ideal LASIK surgeon. As recommended by the FDA, USA patients should look at the experience of the surgeon with the laser treatment procedure, whether any formal training received, and also speak to others who have had treatment earlier at the same center. This is essential, as a corneal surgeon can detect abnormalities in corneal shape or contour preoperatively, handle the corneal tissue better intraoperatively, and in the unfortunate event of some unforeseen complication manage the situation better than a general ophthalmologist. I have had several instances, wherein the treating general ophthalmologist has referred patients with complications following LASIK for further management. All of these patients recovered good vision once the complication was managed successfully. But would it not have been better if these patients were under the care of a corneal surgeon to begin with ?

Decision for LASIK treatment should not be made by the treating doctor, but by the patient himself or herself. The doctor should provide enough information that would help the patient in deciding whether to go in for the treatment or not.

LASIK procedure gives excellent results if performed on the right patient, by a well trained experienced corneal surgeon. So if you are planning on LASIK treatment, do ask yourself?am I in safe hands ?