What percentage of people have complications from LASIK?

But LASIK complication rate statistics are extremely low. Less than one percent of LASIK patients experience these surgical complications. That’s one percent, as opposed to 30 percent that report transient side effects. In other words, LASIK complications are very rare events.

What percentage of people need LASIK enhancement?

“Even though the overall percentage of patients who need an enhancement after LASIK is 5 percent, the risk for these patients may be greater than this,” she observes. “Not only that, if they have a higher refractive error, they’re going to have to wait longer for an enhancement to achieve stability.”

What are the odds of going blind from LASIK?

MYTH #2: You will go blind. Actually, as of this writing, there are no reported cases of blindness due to LASIK surgery itself. In a recent study, it was discovered that patients actually have a 34 times higher risk of going blind from a contact lens infection than going blind from LASIK.

Can LASIK be Overcorrect?

The opposite problem can occur, as well. Overcorrection is when too much tissue is removed during LASIK. Normally this can be fixed with an enhancement, but in certain cases, it can cause Kerectasia, a thinning of the cornea that makes the cornea unstable and irregular with significant vision problems.

Can LASIK be enhanced?

A LASIK enhancement is a follow-up LASIK procedure that sometimes is performed if the outcome of your original vision correction surgery is unsatisfactory or if your vision changes significantly over time. In most cases, you can expect a good result following a LASIK procedure.

How many people have had LASIK eye surgery?

This makes it difficult to state a definitive number of all the people who have ever had the procedure, but as of this year, the estimates lie in the range of 30 million and counting. Why do so many people have LASIK? More than 30 million people.

Do I need a second LASIK procedure?

However, between 2\% and 5\% of patients may need a repeat procedure, usually because of an undesirable outcome of a first surgery or because of eyesight regression following the procedure. Surgeons can perform a second LASIK surgery, called enhancement, several years after the first surgery.

How many people had no visual symptoms before LASIK?

A very small group of participants – 75 out of 550 in the first study, and 68 out of 300 in the second study – said they had had no visual symptoms before having LASIK. At three months after surgery, 32 out of the 75 said they had at least one new symptom.

What are the side effects of LASIK eye surgery?

The main side effects with LASIK are mild — including dry eye, burning, and itching, which affect 20\% to 40\% of people who have the procedure. These symptoms usually peak around 3 months after the surgery and disappear within 6 to 12 months — but not always.