As with any surgery, risks are involved in LASIK eye surgery. Some of these include over- or under-correction; dry eye syndrome; permanent blindness; reduction in quality of vision; impairment of night-vision; poor vision in dim lighting; and, if you still need corrective lenses, you may not be able to wear contacts.

There are no guarantees in LASIK eye surgery, because it is still such a new procedure. There is really no way of knowing the long-term effects of the surgery. If there is an error made in the surgery, LASIK is not reversible. Once the tissue from the stroma is cut out, it cannot be put back.

One of the drawbacks for people over 40 is that laser surgery won’t let them be free eyeglasses or contact lenses, unless they opt for monovision LASIK. Having monovision LASIK eye surgery means that one eye will see close up, while the other eye sees at a distance. Results may diminish with age, undoing all the work done on the eye. And the worse your vision is to start with, the less effective LASIK can be.

There are several possible complications involving the flap that is cut in the outer cornea. Some of these are buttonhole flap, flap wrinkles, free flap, and short flap. The flap could be too thin, to the point of having a hole in the center. The flap can be bumped after surgery causing wrinkles.

This could aggravate night vision problems. The flap could be cut completely off, but this can be repaired pretty easily. The flap might be cut too short for the procedure to continue. This would put a halt to the procedure, but LASIK eye surgery can be attempted again in a few months.

An over corrected eye could be changed from nearsighted to farsighted. Under treatment can also occur. These might be reversible with an enhancement surgery. It is also possible for the eye to regress one its own after the surgery. However, a second LASIK eye surgery may not be possible for this eye because of surgical complications or healing issues.

Bilateral Simultaneous Treatment, altering both eyes at once, is convenient, but risky. You cannot see how the first eye responds to surgery before attempting the second. Your vision in both eyes may be blurred for the healing time, limiting your mobility.

Infection is possible after any surgery. If not halted in time, this can cause blindness. Some patients lose lines of vision, clarity, and sharpness of vision after LASIK eye surgery. You could have problems with glare, halos, or double vision at night. Tear production after LASIK eye surgery may be impaired, causing dry-eye syndrome. This can cause blurred vision and severe discomfort.

There are many risks whenever any surgery is undergone. LASIK eye surgery is no different. You need to ask questions, investigate your options and talk to people who have had LASIK before you make your decision to go ahead with it. Make sure this is the best option for you.