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The risk of suffering
vision correction side effects - including haloing and blurring - following
corrective laser surgery is about one in 200, it has been claimed.
According to Dr Joseph Leong-Sit, associate clinical professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Alberta, when compared with the surgical techniques pioneered in the 1980s, modern
corrective laser surgery is relatively complicated.
Writing for the Montreal Gazette, Dr Leong-Sit said: "There are a number of complications that could be sight-threatening."
He claimed that in isolation, the risk of infection following
corrective laser surgery is about one in 5,000.
However, when all risk factors are lumped together, the potential for irreversible damage increases substantially.
He added: "When put altogether, the risk of decreased vision after the procedure is about one in 200."
Adding: "Risks are significantly higher for people with such medical conditions as lupus, diabetes, glaucoma or dry eyes."
Meanwhile, Dr David Climenhaga, another associate clinical professor at the University of Alberta' Department of Ophthalmology, told the news provider: "Both procedures have a risk for corneal infection, which can result in vision loss.
"A small number of patients suffer from side effects such as blurry and double vision, halos, and dry eyes, but those usually disappear in three to six months. In some cases the side effects are permanent."
An alternative to risky
corrective laser surgery is the prescription of i-GO's Ortho K corrective lenses.
The
vision correction aids have a similar outcome to laser eye surgery in that they do not require the wearer to sport regular contact lenses or glasses during the day after treatment, but they have none of the potentially permanent side effects associated with surgery.
Moreover, the minimum age for
corrective laser surgery is 21, whereas i-GO's Ortho K lenses can be prescribed to younger people.
