Common LASIK Side Effects By David Gross on December 29, 2012

If you are one of the millions of Americans who cannot see the alarm clock in the morning without first putting on your eyeglasses, you may benefit from LASIK. Not being able to see clearly without the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses can be incredibly frustrating. Contact lenses can be expensive, difficult to put in, and irritating to the wearer. Eyeglasses are subjected to dirt, dust, and other elements on a daily basis. Because of this, they can become dirty and smudged, and may even become scratched. Needing eyeglasses or contact lenses to see is a hassle you no longer need to struggle with. Since its approval by the FDA, millions of men and women have been able to see clearly without the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses by way of LASIK. LASIK has been proven to be an effective and safe treatment of the vision errors myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. If you want to eliminate your reliance on eyeglasses and contact lenses altogether, you may be a good candidate for LASIK.

The success rate at our Lake County vision center, Deen Gross Eye Centers, is high, and most patients will be able to achieve perfect or near-perfect vision soon after undergoing LASIK surgery. To help ensure a positive and successful LASIK outcome, each patient must first undergo a careful screening and comprehensive eye examination. Many patients are candidates for LASIK, but some are not. If it is determined that you are not a suitable candidate for LASIK surgery, we will recommend an alternative vision correction procedure.

It is important that patients have realistic expectations when considering LASIK. Side effects after LASIK are common and should be expected. While this is true, for the majority of Lake County LASIK patients, these side effects will only be temporary.

Common LASIK Side Effects

For most of our patients in Lake County, LASIK side effects will only be temporary and will subside within days or weeks of the surgery. Some patients may experience side effects for a slightly longer period of time such as a few weeks or months after their LASIK surgery, with even fewer experiencing side effects for a much longer period of time. Through advances in LASIK techniques and technology, the LASIK procedure is now safer than ever before. Because of this, most side effects will subside early in the LASIK recovery phase. The most common LASIK side effects are:

Glare: Glare refers to difficulty seeing in the presence of bright lights
Halos: Halos refers to the appearance of rings around bright lights
Difficulty driving at night: Sometimes patients experience difficulty seeing in periods of low light, such as nighttime, which can make driving difficult. Halos and glare may also make it difficult to see clearly when driving at night.
Fluctuating vision: This side effect is incredibly common and should be expected for the first few days to couple weeks after surgery. Within two to three weeks, vision should even out, and most patients will no longer experience a fluctuating in their vision.
Sensitivity to light: For the first day to two days after surgery, patients may experience a slight twinge of pain when exposed to light.
Dry eye: This is one of the most common side effects experienced by patients after undergoing LASIK surgery. Dry eye can cause fluctuating vision, itchiness of the eyes, and blurry vision.