Late postoperative complications

Friday, January 1, 2010

Laser Eye Surgery - Late postoperative complications

* The incidence of epithelial ingrowth has been estimated at 0.1%.

* Glare is another commonly reported complication of those who have had LASIK.

* Halos or starbursts around bright lights at night are caused by the irregularity between the lasered part and the untouched part. It is not practical to perform the surgery so that it covers the width of the pupil at full dilation at night, and the pupil may expand so that light passes through the edge of the flap into the pupil. In daytime, the pupil is smaller than the edge. Modern equipment is better suited to treat those with large pupils, and responsible physicians will check for them during examination.

* Late traumatic flap dislocations have been reported 1–7 years post-LASIK.

* Dry eye or in severe cases Chronic Dry eye. Due to nerves that are severed during the Lasik operation (around 70% of corneal nerves are severed), the lubrication system of the eye is affected and nerves may never recover to pre-operative condition. This may leave the patient with potential permanent dry eyes.

Source: Laser Eye Surgery - Late postoperative complications at wikipedia.org
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Early postoperative complications

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Lasik Eye Surgery - Early postoperative complications

* The incidence of dry eye varies widely from research studies. A study by Hovanesian et al. reported that 50% of patients experienced dry eye symptoms at 6 months period post surgery.

* The incidence of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK), also known as the Sands of Sahara syndrome, has been estimated at 2.3%. DLK is an inflammatory process that involves an accumulation of white blood cells at the interface between the LASIK flap and the underlying corneal stroma. It is most commonly treated with steroid eye drops, and sometimes it is necessary for the eye surgeon to lift the flap and manually remove the accumulated cells.

* The incidence of infection responsive to treatment has been estimated at 0.4%. Infection under the corneal flap is possible. It is also possible that a patient has the genetic condition keratoconus that causes the cornea to thin after surgery. Although this condition is screened in the preoperative exam, it is possible in rare cases (about 1 in 5,000)[citation needed] for the condition to remain dormant until later in life (the mid-40s). If this occurs, the patient may need rigid gas permeable contact lenses, Intrastromal Corneal Ring Segments (Intacs), Corneal Collagen Crosslinking with Riboflavin or a corneal transplant.

* The incidence of persistent dry eye has been estimated to be as high as 28% in Asian eyes and 5% in Caucasian eyes. Nerve fibers in the cornea are important for stimulating tear production. A year after LASIK, subbasal nerve fiber bundles remain reduced by more than half. Some patients experience reactive tearing, in part to compensate for chronic decreased basal wetting tear production.

* The incidence of subconjunctival hemorrhage has been estimated at 10.5% (according to a study undertaken in China; thus results may not be generally applicable due to racial and geographic factors).

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery - Early postoperative complications at wikipedia.org

Intraoperative complications

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Lasik Eye Surgery - Intraoperative complications

* The incidence of flap complications has been estimated to be 0.244%. Flap complications (such as displaced flaps or folds in the flaps that necessitate repositioning, diffuse lamellar keratitis, and epithelial ingrowth) are common in lamellar corneal surgeries but rarely lead to permanent visual acuity loss; the incidence of these microkeratome-related complications decreases with increased physician experience. According to proponents of such techniques, this risk is further reduced by the use of IntraLasik and other non-microkeratome related approaches, although this is not proven and carries its own set of risks of complications from the IntraLasik procedure.

* A slipped flap (a corneal flap that detaches from the rest of the cornea) is one of the most common complications. The chances of this are greatest immediately after surgery, so patients typically are advised to go home and sleep to let the flap heal. Patients are usually given sleep goggles or eye shields to wear for several nights to prevent them from dislodging the flap in their sleep. A faster operation may decrease the chance of this complication, as there is less time for the flap to dry.

* Flap interface particles are another finding whose clinical significance is undetermined.[53] A Finnish study found that particles of various sizes and reflectivity were clinically visible in 38.7% of eyes examined via slit lamp biomicroscopy, but apparent in 100% of eyes using confocal microscopy.

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery - Intraoperative complications at wikipedia.org

Potential complications

Friday, December 25, 2009

Lasik Eye Surgery - Potential complications

A subconjunctival hemorrhage is a common and minor post-LASIK complication.

The most common complication from refractive surgery is the incidence of "dry eyes." According to an American Journal of Ophthalmology study of March 2006, the incidence rate of dry eyes from LASIK after the six month post operative healing period was 36.36%. The FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) website states that "dry eyes" may be permanent.

The high incidence of dry eyes necessitates a proper preoperative and post operative evaluation and treatment for dry eyes. There are a number of successful treatments for dry eyes including artificial tears, prescription tears and punctal occlusion. Punctal occlusion is accomplished by placing a collagen plug in the natural drain of the eye. Dry eyes, if left untreated can compromise the visual outcome and result in regression of the effect of LASIK or PRK, or in severe cases result in "chronic dry eye" where permanent chronic pain and visual impairment is a possible outcome. It also must be noted that some incidences of dry eye cannot be successfully mitigated using the above mentioned techniques, so a potential lasik patient must consider that dry eye can be permanent outcome and untreatable.

The risk for a patient of suffering from disturbing visual side effects such as halos, double vision (ghosting), loss of contrast sensitivity (foggy vision) and glare after LASIK depends on the degree of ametropia before the laser eye surgery and other risk factors. For this reason, it is important to take into account the individual risk potential of a patient and not just the average probability for all patients. The following are some of the more frequently reported complications of LASIK:

* Surgery induced dry eyes
* Overcorrection or undercorrection
* Very Low level vitamin D - Sun sensitivity
* Visual acuity fluctuation
* Halos or starbursts around light sources at night
* Light sensitivity
* Ghost images or double vision
* Wrinkles in flap (striae)
* Decentered ablation
* Debris or growth under flap
* Thin or buttonhole flap
* Induced astigmatism
* Corneal Ectasia
* Floaters
* Epithelium erosion
* Posterior vitreous detachment
* Macular hole

Complications due to LASIK have been classified as those that occur due to preoperative, intraoperative, early postoperative, or late postoperative sources:

Source: Lasik Eye Surgery - Potential complications at wikipedia.org

Risks and the Complications of Lasik Eye Surgery: to Alert the Patient

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Risks and the Complications of Lasik Eye Surgery: to Alert the Patient Author: Alan James

LASIK Eye Surgery is also a kind of surgery which is related with the eyes. This surgery is used to liberate the people from their eyeglasses and contact lenses. LASIK Eye Surgery is able to do this because through it improves the capacity of eyesight of operated patient. Almost every patient who is treated by LASIK Eye Surgery achieves perfect vision through LASIK Eye Surgery. It is the best way for both the shortsightedness and longsightedness to get freedom from wearing glasses and lenses. But unlike any other usual surgery it also includes some hazards and it is naturally because at the time, when the body of any person are opened up and any kind of tools are used to operated them, some microbes can entered in their body to transmit any infection. So it is essential for each patient that they should be aware from all the perils prior the surgery. Usually the patients have only 5 to 10 percent of chances of infection that depends on the type of eye treatment that is used. .

For the purpose of making the patient alert with all the perils of LASIK Eye Surgery, he/she can get some tips in this piece of writing that is titled as Risks and the Complications of LASIK Eye Surgery. Initially, the patients have to select a well qualified and experienced surgeon to get surgical treatment of LASIK Eye Surgery. The most common risk that Denver Lasik Laser Eye Surgery includes is the problem with the flap that is formed by the surgeon over the cornea of the patient. For this process the surgeon cut the tissues by a metal tool that may be caused any side effect. To protect him/her self, the patient can also go for bladeless surgery because during this process the metal blade is no longer used but is accomplished by the laser therapy which eliminates this risk. ‘Halo’ that is a sensitivity of light is also associated with LASIK Eye Surgery, which can prove dangerous for the patient at the time of driving after dark. There is one more factor that can cause the same trouble because if you are not operated well by the mean of LASIK Eye Surgery, it can damage the night vision of the patient. Including with this the progress of healing with LASIK Eye Surgery will also become worse.

Dry eyes also have side effect of LASIK Eye Surgery that the patients have to face after LASIK Eye Surgery. So to get cure from this the patient have to use the eye drops for six to eight months, prescribed by the surgeon. So for the minimum chances of risks the patient should consider the surgeon for all risks before they make up their mind for

About the Author:

Alan-James is the researcher and writes articles for lap band surgery z com. He is writing about lap band surgery. He has been working about this topic for three years. He has completed his post graduation from Boston University. For more information about lap band surgery and any kind of lap band topic visit at http://www.lapbandsurgeryz.com

Article Source: Risks of Lasik Eye Surgery at ArticlesBase.com - Risks and the Complications of Lasik Eye Surgery: to Alert the Patient

Complications with LASIK

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

LASIK Eye Surgery : Complications with LASIK by Jay Stockman

LASIK, surgery to reduce or eliminate the need for eye glasses, has become very popular over the past 5-10 years. While most cases proceed quite well, the potential for Lasik complications does exist, and is often not discussed prior to surgery. It should be noted that all but one of the complications is NOT due to surgeon error. Most potential problems are simply physiological, and have nothing to do with how well the surgeon performed the procedure.

The first is infection. While topical antibiotics are employed prior to, and after the surgery, there is always the possibility of infection if the individual is exposed to an infectious agent. The cure is simple; proper follow up and more antibiotics. There is minimal risk of further issues.

The second, is movement of the flap. This will occur if the individual rubs his/her eye before the flap has had proper time to reattach itself to the underlying tissue. The patient will experience pain, blurry vision and redness if this occurs. It is an emergency, and does require being brought back into surgery to move the flap back into position. Once this is done, the individual should heal normally without further complications. This flap movement tends to occur more frequently when Intralase (laser is used to lift the flap) is performed. While the incision is more precise, it results in a very thin flap which tends to move easier post surgically. Once the flap heals though, the incision area is barely noticeable.

The third Lasik complication is epithelial (outside) cell growth under the flap. This may occur days to months after surgery. These cells grow around the edge of the flap, and move inward causing haziness under the flap. When this occurs, the flap must me lifted up and these epithelial cells washed away. No further problems will occur after this procedure is done.

The fourth issue is striae, or wrinkles in or under the flap. This is corrected by lifting the flap and flattening it out. No long term issues after this point.

Issue five is extreme swelling often called " Sands of the Sahara", because it looks like a sand dune to the examining eye doctor. This may occur more frequently, but is dealt with higher doses of steroid eye drops to reduce the inflammation. As with the other complications, the results are most often successful.

The final and most serious of the potential Lasik complication is ectasia. This occurs when the inner most layer of the cornea, the endothelium, has irregularities in it. If this issue is not detected prior to surgery the final results after LASIK may be terrible. The patient may have poor, distorted and irregular vision that is NOT surgically correctable, nor corrected with glasses. Most often the individual will either have to wear hard contact lenses, and may even require a cornea transplant to improve his/her vision. This complication is the only one that could be surgeon related. A test called the Orbscan MUST be performed prior to surgery, and the potential for ectasia can be easily detected. NO INDIVIDUAL SHOULD EVER consider LASIK with out having an Orbscan done. Any office that does not have an Orbscan should not perform LASIK.

As with all surgical procedures, patients must be comfortable with the surgeon and the office they choose, and understand all the potential complications prior to surgery.
Jay B Stockman O.D. is a practicing doctor for New York Vision Associates and a prolific write.

Visit http://newyorkvisionassociates.com for more information.

About the Author
Jay B Stockman O.D. is a practicing doctor for New York Vision Associates and a prolific write. Visit http://newyorkvisionassociates.com for more information.

Source: LASIK eye surgery, Laser eye surgeon, Lasik vision correction, Lasik Complications at www.goarticles.com

The Truth About Complications From Lasik Eye Surgery

LASIK Eye Surgery : The Truth About Complications From Lasik Eye Surgery

Author: Dean Caporella

The risk of complications from lasik eye surgery definitely exist but in reality, they are only minimal.

Obviously, surgery is not suitable for everyone and if you are considering lasik, you are not automatically guaranteed going under the surgeon's laser. The pre-screening period is vital in assessing your suitability as a candidate for surgery.

If you are experiencing certain problems which will place you at risk or increase your risk of becoming impaired in some form or another, then don't be surprised if you are not approved.

Less than one per cent of patients have experienced serious complications arising from lasik eye surgery. This figure just proves that there is risk associated with any kind of operation and while it's only slight with this procedure it's there nevertheless and you you should be aware of it.

So what are some of the complications from lasik eye surgery you could be at risk from? Let's take a look at just a few.

Flap Complications

Issues with the flap can make up about 5% of lasik complications. Basically, problems can arise when the flap is not properly re-shaped and could either be too thin or too thick. Ill-fitting flaps may wrinkle soo after being placed on the eye's surface.

The good news is on most occasions, this can be corrected with follow up treatment. Can it affect your vision? Yes, but in the majority of cases, only temporarily.

Cornea Issues

Double vision can arise from issues such as bad laser correction which doesn't center on the eye. The cornea can also react to foreign debris which is caught under the flap. Inflammation usually occurs and permanent vision loss is a risk however, this is a slight risk provided follow up treatment is conducted in quick time.

Some of the other more common complications of lasik eye surgery include dry eye along with over and under correction. The issue of regression, meaning the eye returns back to it's former condition after a certain time, is also a possibility but this cannot really be predicted.

As with most of the complications mentioned, follow up treatment will in most cases rectify any issues and this treatment doesn't have to be more surgery. It could simply be medication prescribed by your doctor.

You will place yourself at great risk if you are initially rejected as a lasik candidate and then attempt to get the procedure performed elsewhere. Sure, get a second opinion but a quality and responsible eye surgery center will not want to perform treatment on your eyes if it means putting you at risk.

About the Author:

Want to know how to avoid unnecessary lasik eye surgery risk? Save yourself unnecessary stress! Plus, get the latest laser eye surgery tips and information.

Article Source: LASIK eye surgery, Laser eye surgeon, Lasik vision correction, Lasik eye surgery complications information at ArticlesBase.com - The Truth About Complications From Lasik Eye Surgery