What happens if laser eye surgery does not work?
Until recent years laser eye treatment was rarely discussed in everyday conversation, and often came with immediate apprehension – that one naturally associates with anything akin to a concentrated source of light (that we commonly think of as used to cut metal in industrial or scientific settings).
Laser eye surgery (such as LASIK or PRK) has become a more accepted form of treating eye problems for some, but even with its greater social and medical acceptance, laser surgery still carries a certain amount of risk. As with many medical procedures, there is always the possibility that laser eye surgery does not work; causing unexpected outcomes that can be very extreme in some cases.
Laser eye surgery: what’s the worst that can happen?
Let’s start with one of the less severe results of laser eye surgery not working; if the surgery does not work as desired, one could possibly find his or herself still needing lenses that they sought to get rid of by having the surgery. In some instances, the laser surgery may not work to repair all of the patient’s defective vision – leaving either short or long range vision still lacking clarity.
Another unwanted possible result that can happen if laser eye surgery does not work is that it may not “stick” as it should; meaning that the patient finds themselves in the same condition as they began with. If the laser surgery does not bring permanent improvement, the patient may be forced to make a choice between returning to their old glasses or actually having to consider a second “enhancement” to their eyes. Obviously, the average person would not find this an attractive option – not wanting to multiply the risks that they’ve already unsuccessfully taken.
Another, much more serious result of LASIK or PRK surgery not working can be not only the failure to grant long-term improvement for the patient, but the rare case of the surgery even causing a loss of the level of vision that the patient had prior to the surgery. With a catastrophic failure of this nature, not even glasses or contacts can improve the quality of the patient’s vision, and what’s worse is that the option to attempt to improve the situation with a secondary surgery is likely non-existent. Given the possibility of any of these occurrences, you should definitely weigh up all available options with a professional before deciding to have laser eye surgery.