Although the incidence of complications as a result of refractive surgery is very low, the following is a summary of problems that can occur. The incidence of complications depends upon the experience of the surgeon, the equipment used, and individual and anatomic characteristics of the patient and his/her course of healing.

Residual Refraction – This is not really a complication, but an expected occurrence (5-10% of patients). It is possible that the procedure could result in some degree of residual nearsightedness or farsightedness and that you may need to wear corrective lenses. The residual refraction can generally be retreated to improve the uncorrected vision. In some cases, you may not be able to tolerate contact lenses.

Decrease in Best Corrected Visual Acuity (Usually less than 1%) – A decrease in your best corrected visual acuity (vision with your spectacles or contact lenses) may occur.

Glare (~3%) – Glare especially from bright lights at night may be experienced, particularly in the early months after the procedure, glare usually disappears over a period of weeks or months.

Halo (~3%)– Halos or hazy rings surrounding bright lights may be experienced, particularly at night after the procedure.

Foreign Body Sensations – The patient may experience the feeling that something is in the eye. Over a period of a few weeks these foreign body sensations are usually diminished. Sunglasses may be worn during this period of time to improve patient comfort.

Corneal Scarring (~0.1%) – A haze or scar dense enough to affect vision may occur after the procedure. Further surgery such as a lamellar or full thickness corneal transplant may be needed to correct corneal scarring or intractable flap irregularity from LASIK.

Irregular Astigmatism (~0.2%)– Irregular astigmatism is a lack of corneal surface smoothness needed for clear vision.

The following rare (<0.01%) complications have been reported with corneal surgery in general and could possibly result in conjunction with a laser refractive procedure.

Corneal Ulcer or Perforation – An ucler or perforation of the cornea.

Intraocular Infection – An eye infection may result as with any type of eye surgery.

Corneal Decompensation – Corneal decompensation is a persistent disorder of the hydration of the cornea which can lead to corneal swelling with decreased vision.

Persistent Corneal Edema – During the healing process, it is normal for a certain amount of swelling to occur. Persistent corneal edema is prolonged swelling of the corneal tissues beyond the normal healing period.

Hyphema – A hemorrhage in the anterior (or front) chamber of the eye is known as a hyphema.

Endophthalmitis – Another possible complication is a serious infection inside of the eye which can often lead to serious loss of vision and inflammation.

Microbial Keratitis – Microbial keratitis is inflammation of the cornea due to an infection.

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