What are the long terms side effects of laser eye surgery?
lasik eye surgery information
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Sunseeka
I am interested in having laser eye surgery to correct short sight but I am concerned about the longer term side effects as I get older. I can't find much information about this subject on the web so I would be really interested to find out.
Answer
The risks outlined below apply to both PRK and LASIK procedures. The chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication are minimal, and there have been no reported cases of blindness following either PRK or LASIK, says James Salz, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology. However, FDA is aware of a few instances of severe eye injury requiring corneal transplant.
Infection and delayed healing: There is about a 0.1 percent chance of the cornea becoming infected after PRK, and a somewhat smaller chance after LASIK. Generally, this means added discomfort and a delay in healing, with no long-term effects within a period of four years.
Undercorrection/Overcorrection: It is not possible to predict perfectly how your eye will respond to laser surgery. As a result, you may still need corrective lenses after the procedure to obtain good vision. In some cases, a second procedure can be done to improve the result.
Decrease in Best-Corrected Vision: After refractive surgery, some patients find that their best obtainable vision with corrective lenses is worse than it was before the surgery. This can occur as a result of irregular tissue removal or the development of corneal haze.
Excessive Corneal Haze: Corneal haze occurs as part of the normal healing process after PRK. In most cases, it has little or no effect on the final vision and can only be seen by an eye doctor with a microscope. However, there are some cases of excessive haze that interferes with vision. As with undercorrections, this can often be dealt with by means of an additional laser treatment. The risk of significant haze is much less with LASIK than with PRK.
Regression: In some patients the effect of refractive surgery is gradually lost over several months. This is like an undercorrection, and a re-treatment is often feasible.
Halo Effect: The halo effect is an optical effect that is noticed in dim light. As the pupil enlarges, a second faded image is produced by the untreated peripheral cornea. For some patients who have undergone PRK or LASIK, this effect can interfere with night driving.
Flap Damage or Loss (LASIK only): Instead of creating a hinged flap of tissue on the central cornea, the entire flap could come off. If this were to occur it could be replaced after the laser treatment. However, there is a risk that the flap could be damaged or lost.
Distorted Flap (LASIK only): Irregular healing of the corneal flap could create a distorted corneal shape, resulting in a decrease of best-corrected vision.
Incomplete Procedure: Equipment malfunction may require the procedure to be stopped before completion. This is a more significant factor in LASIK, with its higher degree of complexity, than in PRK.
Problems with a Perfect Procedure: Even when everything goes perfectly, there are effects that might cause some dissatisfaction. Older patients should be aware that they can't have both good distance vision and good near vision in the same eye without corrective lenses. Some myopic patients rely on their myopia (by taking off their glasses, or by wearing a weaker prescription) to allow them to read. Such a patient may need reading glasses after the myopia is surgically corrected. Another consideration is the delay between eye treatments. If one eye is being done at a time, then the eyes may not work well together during the time between treatments. If a contact lens is not tolerated on the unoperated eye, work and driving may be awkward or impossible until the second eye has been treated.
The risks outlined below apply to both PRK and LASIK procedures. The chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication are minimal, and there have been no reported cases of blindness following either PRK or LASIK, says James Salz, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology. However, FDA is aware of a few instances of severe eye injury requiring corneal transplant.
Infection and delayed healing: There is about a 0.1 percent chance of the cornea becoming infected after PRK, and a somewhat smaller chance after LASIK. Generally, this means added discomfort and a delay in healing, with no long-term effects within a period of four years.
Undercorrection/Overcorrection: It is not possible to predict perfectly how your eye will respond to laser surgery. As a result, you may still need corrective lenses after the procedure to obtain good vision. In some cases, a second procedure can be done to improve the result.
Decrease in Best-Corrected Vision: After refractive surgery, some patients find that their best obtainable vision with corrective lenses is worse than it was before the surgery. This can occur as a result of irregular tissue removal or the development of corneal haze.
Excessive Corneal Haze: Corneal haze occurs as part of the normal healing process after PRK. In most cases, it has little or no effect on the final vision and can only be seen by an eye doctor with a microscope. However, there are some cases of excessive haze that interferes with vision. As with undercorrections, this can often be dealt with by means of an additional laser treatment. The risk of significant haze is much less with LASIK than with PRK.
Regression: In some patients the effect of refractive surgery is gradually lost over several months. This is like an undercorrection, and a re-treatment is often feasible.
Halo Effect: The halo effect is an optical effect that is noticed in dim light. As the pupil enlarges, a second faded image is produced by the untreated peripheral cornea. For some patients who have undergone PRK or LASIK, this effect can interfere with night driving.
Flap Damage or Loss (LASIK only): Instead of creating a hinged flap of tissue on the central cornea, the entire flap could come off. If this were to occur it could be replaced after the laser treatment. However, there is a risk that the flap could be damaged or lost.
Distorted Flap (LASIK only): Irregular healing of the corneal flap could create a distorted corneal shape, resulting in a decrease of best-corrected vision.
Incomplete Procedure: Equipment malfunction may require the procedure to be stopped before completion. This is a more significant factor in LASIK, with its higher degree of complexity, than in PRK.
Problems with a Perfect Procedure: Even when everything goes perfectly, there are effects that might cause some dissatisfaction. Older patients should be aware that they can't have both good distance vision and good near vision in the same eye without corrective lenses. Some myopic patients rely on their myopia (by taking off their glasses, or by wearing a weaker prescription) to allow them to read. Such a patient may need reading glasses after the myopia is surgically corrected. Another consideration is the delay between eye treatments. If one eye is being done at a time, then the eyes may not work well together during the time between treatments. If a contact lens is not tolerated on the unoperated eye, work and driving may be awkward or impossible until the second eye has been treated.
It is possible to become a military pilot if I have eye surgery?
Anton
I have done a research but still I am not sure that candidates who have eye surgery are allowed to be military pilots. I do not want to be a pilot of fighter but an aviator of military-transport aircraft. I don't know requirements for military-transport aircraft aviators. If you know any information about requirements, please, write me an answer.
A little bit about my health:
I have myopia(-3.5 diopters) and, may be, astigmatism(I am not sure). Except my vision problems, I have perfect health.
And about me:
I am 15 years old.
P.S. I actually want to be a commercial aviation pilot, but I will need to join Air Force. Civilian way to implement my dream is too expensive for my parents.
Answer
Glad to hear you want to become a military pilot. I'm an Air Force and civilian pilot who had to get an eye waiver to fly because of my astigmatism. First off, you are not qualified to fly after having eye surgery without a waiver. That being said waivers are very common for those who have had both LASIK and PRK. Each person has to be reviewed individually, but many of my fellow pilot buddies have had either LASIK or PRK. I didn't even have to get the surgery because I qualified for a waiver as long as I wear glasses. The regulation the covers all AF medical requirements is AFI-48-123 which you can get at http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI48-123.pdf
Don't get your eye surgery now though. The AF prefers that you get it while your in college or at the AF Academy. That way they can approve everything ahead of time so the waiver is a breeze.
I wrote a book called Your Road to Wings: How to Become an Air Force Pilot which is available on Amazon and other retailers if you're interested in learning more about the process. You can check it out at:
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Road-Wings-Become-ebook/dp/B00BWQLQUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364522094&sr=8-2&keywords=how+to+become+an+air+force+pilot
or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/297169
Let me know if you have more questions or want to talk specifics. I'd be happy to help and my contact info is below.
Good Luck!
Jonathan
jkulak@aviationfutures.com
www.aviationfutures.com
Glad to hear you want to become a military pilot. I'm an Air Force and civilian pilot who had to get an eye waiver to fly because of my astigmatism. First off, you are not qualified to fly after having eye surgery without a waiver. That being said waivers are very common for those who have had both LASIK and PRK. Each person has to be reviewed individually, but many of my fellow pilot buddies have had either LASIK or PRK. I didn't even have to get the surgery because I qualified for a waiver as long as I wear glasses. The regulation the covers all AF medical requirements is AFI-48-123 which you can get at http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI48-123.pdf
Don't get your eye surgery now though. The AF prefers that you get it while your in college or at the AF Academy. That way they can approve everything ahead of time so the waiver is a breeze.
I wrote a book called Your Road to Wings: How to Become an Air Force Pilot which is available on Amazon and other retailers if you're interested in learning more about the process. You can check it out at:
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Road-Wings-Become-ebook/dp/B00BWQLQUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364522094&sr=8-2&keywords=how+to+become+an+air+force+pilot
or
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/297169
Let me know if you have more questions or want to talk specifics. I'd be happy to help and my contact info is below.
Good Luck!
Jonathan
jkulak@aviationfutures.com
www.aviationfutures.com
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Title Post: What are the long terms side effects of laser eye surgery?
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