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What are some side-effects of surgery? |
Immediately after LASIK, the patient will experience discomfort for 2 to 3 hours. The eye will be slightly tender to the touch and the patient may experience a ‘sandy’ feeling in the eye. This is due to the very fine C-shaped linear cut made on the cornea which is similar to a paper cut on the finger.
For the vast majority of cases, if the eye is kept gently closed after surgery, discomfort will diminish rapidly. If the patient takes a 2 to 3 hour nap, the discomfort will disappear almost completely. Most patients require only mild painkillers (e.g. 2 tablets of paracetamol) after surgery. The patient will usually feel very comfortable six to eight hours after surgery and by then vision should have improved significantly.
Most patients treated for myopia will be slightly hypermaetropic1 after LASIK. Patients over 40 years of age will initially have difficulty reading close up. After 2 to 3 weeks they will find their near vision return to normal. Patients over 45 years of age who have their eyes fully corrected for myopia and astigmatism require a set of reading glasses after surgery.
On the third day after LASIK patients will experience ‘Vaseline’ vision, a slight cloudiness similar to a soft-focus filter being placed over their eyes. Patients should not worry as this is a normal occurrence. This is a result of corneal swelling. The cloudiness will be more severe in patients who have undergone correction for very high refractive errors.
Glare will also increase in all patients, especially those with 6.00 diopetres (600 degrees) and above of myopia before LASIK. Glare usually disappears after one to three months. If it does not disappear after 6 months, it will most probably be permanent.
In many cases night glare continues to improve even after 6 months. With newer lasers like the Wavelight Eye-Q laser, the problem of night glare post-LASIK has almost been eliminated completely. Many patients treated with this laser feel that their night vision is better after LASIK.
Night glare now rarely occurs even in patients who have large pupils and have been treated for very high refractive errors. Despite this, they should still be warned of this side effect prior to surgery. Patients who have decentered laser treatments will also be prone to night glare.
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