Laser Eye Surgery: Safe or Not ?

Is it safe for eyes to do a Laser Surgery and being freed from Contact lenses and Spectacles ?

[Salem]

How many people do you know who's eyesight remains constant throughout their lives?

AFAIK, it's a one-shot deal, and if/when your prescription changes you'll be back to needing corrective lenses again.

[jwenting]

With still a 5-10% failure rate (in which I describe failure as your vision after the procedure being worse than it was before) I call it definitely NOT safe.

[jbennet]

All surgery has a risk

You shouldnt get it unless you really need it (e.g you have cataracts and will go blind otherwise)

[hbk619]

>How many people do you know who's eyesight remains constant throughout their lives?

So far mine has, noone told me it wasn't right to be blurry in the distance and since i started having eye tests at 13 it's stayed the same. Unusual for a teenager apparently :)

I know a teacher who had it done on one eye. The result wasn't satisfactory enough for him to cough up the money for the other eye. Then again my aunt had it done years ago (about 6?) and her eyes are still fine.

[GrimJack]

Here is where an interesting outcome for the Law of Unintended Consequences comes in.
1)most pilot wannabes flunk out because of the requirement that their eyesight must be 20/20 or better uncorrected.
2) USNavy surgeons started doing laser eye surgery and now almost no one washes out of flight school due to eye sight problems.
3) The navy is running out of Submarine captains.

All those pilot wannabes who washed out for eye sight usually chose the submarine corps next. Now Navy surgeons are doing 1000s of the laser surgeries each year. If you want the laser surgery done right - find a retired Navy surgeon to do your eyes cuz they are the most practiced and accomplished available.

[jwenting]

and here you are automatically failed for your flight physical even for PPL if you have any eye surgery done (including LASIC).

Sounds its unsafe...nice posts friends.

[ZZucker]

With still a 5-10% failure rate (in which I describe failure as your vision after the procedure being worse than it was before) I call it definitely NOT safe.

If something goes wrong, sue them for big bucks!

[Lardmeister]

No way, I won't trust my eyes to some quack with a laser beam.

[Ezzaral]

So far, the two people I know who have had it are happy with the results. Obviously that is purely anecdotal and subject to statistics.

I think I would be a bit nervous as well with even a single digit chance of causing damage.

[GrimJack]

Is it safe for eyes to do a Laser Surgery and being freed from Contact lenses and Spectacles ?

I have altered my opinion somewhat - apparently there is a long list of risks for which you must sign a release for. Get your hands on that list long before you are invested in the decision to get lasered. With a 2% failure rate, read that list with care, picture your self with each of the outcomes, and only then decide if you want LASIK.

Depending on what your condition is there is also this Intacs - reversible corrective surgery. I saw a PBS special on this about 10 years ago and think this is probably the only way I would go for corrective eye surgery. Do your own research, if you are interested.

The company that produces the rings is privately held and I have no connection with them or their product

[jwenting]

If something goes wrong, sue them for big bucks!

1) that won't work here. Convictions in medical malpractice suits are extremely rare (the medical courts are made up of doctors...), and even if you get a conviction the payout is minimal (government set amounts, socialised healthcare, there's a value to everything including a human life and it's low).
2) any amount of money won't bring your eyes back.

Side effect of point 1 is that there is also a limit to the procedures that doctors are allowed to perform. If some bureaucrat decides that the cost of the procedure is higher than the value of the patient (boldly put) you're not going to get treated.
Socialised healthcare at its finest.

[iching808]

Don't trust it. Long term effects will show up in time I'm talking 20 - 50 years. There is a risk involved that you could severely damage your sight. Personally i think it's barbaric use of technology, very unsophisticated... I think proper application of human ingenuity not just a bottom dollar approach to that industry could indeed help to improve peoples vision via a variety of advanced technologies, but slicing the eye is not one of them.

I saw a doco on this the other night, man, they slice your eye open, it's not just like "looking into the light!" it's a serious operational procedure on a highly sensitive delicate priceless and irreplaceable piece of hardware!

[jbennet]

If something goes wrong, sue them for big bucks!

when you sign the contract you probably waive your right to sue.