10. If you have dry eyes before LASIK, your chance of developing post-LASIK dry eye (which is not necessarily the same thing as pre-LASIK dry eye) will be increased and your ability to treat that post-LASIK dry eye may very well be a long-term journey with the possibility of no end in sight . . . new eye drops, old eye drops, daytime eye drops, nighttime eye drops, eye masks, eyes taped shut at night, eye infections, eye pain, eye allergies, vision fluctuations . . . and more.
9. Night vision problems after LASIK (starbursts, halos, sparkle bursts, glare, arcs, blurriness) do not necessarily clear up after a �few months.� They can be permanent and may prevent or limit your ability to drive at night (or enjoy night activities like sports events or concerts).
8. If you are over 40 and your surgeon tells you that you �might need reading glasses� after LASIK, that may mean that you need reading glasses to see ANYTHING up to 8 feet away. You could have your myopia corrected and end up �overcorrected� into hyperopia. If you have never been hyperopic in your life, this is a very difficult adjustment to make.
7. If you have problems with eye allergies prior to LASIK (including contact lens induced GPC), your chances of having eye allergies after LASIK are increased. Seasonal allergies prior to LASIK turn into allergic conjunctivitis 365 days a year, 24/7, requiring prescription allergy drops twice daily . . . 365 days a year.
6. If you are female, you will eventually reach menopause and this can have an affect on your post-LASIK eyes. Dry eyes, regression in correction, fluctuations in correction, fluctuating visual quality, all can occur as a result of your hormonal changes. Many forms of oral hormone replacement therapy can cause your eyes to become even drier and your vision to fluctuate even more.
5. If you have any binocular vision problems, LASIK will accentuate these problems. If your family has a history of binocular vision problems (amblyopia, strabismus), if your glasses prescription has ever had prisms added . . . you (may) have binocular vision problems that will only get worse after LASIK. Monovision correction is not a good choice for you. Headaches, ghosted vision, blurry night and dim light vision, difficulty focusing, poor quality vision can result. And if you end up with a refractive imbalance between the two eyes, headaches and ciliary muscle spasms can result.
4. If you are happy with your vision after LASIK, there is no guarantee that your correction will remain stable. Further regressions in correction and fluctuations in correction can occur months and years after your original surgery. Even with enhancements, your correction can regress over time and/or fluctuate regularly, requiring glasses and/or contacts again. And the prescription for those glasses and/or contacts may change on a regular basis as your correction changes, regresses or fluctuates.
3. If you are hypothyroid and your hypothyroidism is caused by autoimmune thyroiditis, YOU ARE NOT A GOOD CANDIDATE for LASIK, even if your surgeon declares you to be. Hypothyroidism (caused by autoimmune thyroiditis, the most common cause of hypothyroidism) is an autoimmune disease and most autoimmune diseases are contraindications for LASIK because of the unpredictability of wound healing.
Further, if you have had one autoimmune disease, your chances of contracting another autoimmune disease in your lifetime are increased. The most common autoimmune diseases that co-exist with thyroid disease are Sjogren�s Syndrome and Lupus, both of which are contraindications for LASIK. Hypothyroidism can cause fluctuating vision, dry eyes, bulging of the eyes (preventing the eyelids from completely closing while sleeping), and unpredictable wound healing.
2. LASIK can cause PAIN ranging from annoying to excruciating and debilitating. PAIN can be as a result of the surgery itself. The microkeratome blade may not slice a nice neat flap. It might tear or take a �nick� out of the epithelium, causing PAIN.
A post-surgical bacterial infection can cause PAIN.
Debris under the flap can cause PAIN.
Severe dry eye can cause PAIN.
Ciliary muscle spasms can cause PAIN and headaches that last for days, weeks, months . . . years.
1. And the number one thing I wish I had known before having LASIK surgery:
It�s easy to find a skilled surgeon to perform your surgery. But it�s next to impossible to find a doctor to help you when you have serious complications. The doctors involved in performing your surgery have a personal stake in your �success� and the doctors who have no stake in the success or failure of your surgery . . . don�t have enough knowledge or training in post-LASIK eyes/vision to adequately help rehabilitate your eyes/vision.
http://surgicaleyes.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=4686011394&f=4586055494&m=8496066494