Is Laser Eye Surgery Safe? - The Ultimate Question

No surgery can be guaranteed 100% safe and laser eye surgery is no exception. There are many risks and benefits associated with this surgery that are similar to those of any other surgery. Some of the risks of laser eye surgery are that the surgery will not correct the person’s vision, the need for a second corrective surgery, or more seriously corneal damage and/or total loss of vision.

If eye surgery is performed and it does not correct the vision a second surgery will need to be performed. A lot of insurance will not cover this type of surgery because it is considered optional and the expense of having to have it done twice can be excessive. There is always a chance that the surgeon you go to is not experienced enough to perform the surgery or does not evaluate his patient enough to know if they are a valid candidate for the surgery. Eliminate some of the risk associated with this surgery by researching surgeons and what makes a good or bad candidate for the surgery before you spend the money to have it performed.

If you undergo surgery and it is unsuccessful it is highly likely you will need a second surgery to correct the problem which will come with a second serving of risks. To have laser eye surgery performed you will have to be put under anaesthesia which has risks all of its own and having this done twice doubles the chance of complication. It also doubles the chance of the surgeon making a mistake. Even if the second surgery goes perfectly and the vision is corrected it is going to be very expensive. The risk of having a second surgery can be greatly reduced if you choose a well qualified surgeon who knows what to look for in a surgery candidate and is not just trying to make money.

The most serious risk of laser eye surgery is the fact that there is a small, rare chance that you can experience corneal damage and lose your vision completely. Even the best doctors can make a mistake and it can result in blindness for their patient. When weighing the risks and benefits of this surgery it is important to be sure that you understand all of the situations that can occur. It might not be a good idea to have laser surgery done on your eyes unless you have exhausted every other option to improve your vision. Losing your vision permanently cannot be reversed as of right now and it would be a drastic life change for someone who had okay vision before the surgery. If you are almost blind and laser surgery is your last hope to be able to see for the rest of your life you might feel like the benefits outweigh the risks but I think in most cases they probably do not.

Laser eye surgery is not an abnormally dangerous surgery but does seem to be more of an optional surgery, kind of like breast implants. The thing that makes it so much more of an intense risk is that if the surgeon makes a mistake and a patient totally loses their vision that is worse than a more common physical deformity. Blindness is a major disability and makes living a normal life much more difficult. Before you decide to have surgery on your eyes you should consider the worst case scenario and compare that to your current situation. Which is worse?

If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful or interesting, be sure to check out my other articles on Vigamox eye drops and prescription safety glasses.