Debunking Top Misconceptions About LASIK Eye Surgery

Are you considering LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) for vision improvement? 

It’s a fairly common procedure now for issues like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. However, there still seem to be many misconceptions around it. 

This article addresses many of the misunderstandings about LASIK, from whether or not it’s painful to its alleged potential to cause blindness.

Myth 1: LASIK Is Painful

Before anything else, it’s useful to address this common misconception. Is LASIK painful? In general, no.

LASIK is largely a painless procedure because your surgeon will apply local anaesthesia before it begins. In most cases, numbing eye drops are used to reduce sensation in your eye. 

This means you may still feel mild pressure during the treatment, but most patients report no actual pain.

Your doctor can brief you on the specific anaesthetic to be used in your procedure. They will also likely provide you with several rules for preparation and recovery to make the surgery smoother, like the ones below.

Myth 2: LASIK Causes Permanent Blindness 

This is perhaps the most alarming of the myths about the procedure. It’s decidedly a myth, as there are no confirmed medical reports of LASIK causing total and permanent blindness.

LASIK is largely considered a procedure with a good safety profile, which is to say that serious complications typically occur in less than 1% of cases performed by qualified doctors.

Myth 3: The Results Wear Off Over Time

This isn’t true, although some people may take a different phenomenon as proof of this myth.

LASIK permanently reshapes the cornea, otherwise known as the clear outer layer of your eye. That means any correction it performs through that mechanism is permanent too.

Some people only think that LASIK results wear off because they notice that their eyesight worsens again years after the procedure. The truth is that the worsening isn’t from the effects of LASIK wearing off – it’s from their eyes ageing naturally.

As we get older, we’re also likely to develop more eye diseases. They may be entirely new ones compared to before, e.g. cataracts or glaucoma.

This simply means that the person needs vision correction of some type again. It’s not related to the LASIK at all. 

Myth 4: Everyone Can Get LASIK

Not everyone is a suitable candidate for LASIK. There are actually many cases where individuals are advised not to get it.

People with very thin or irregularly shaped corneas aren’t candidates for LASIK, for example. It would be considered too dangerous for them in the sense that it can weaken the structural stability of that part of the eye.

When this happens, your doctor will generally offer alternative procedures. PRK is an example.

Myth 5: LASIK Increases the Risk of Long-Term Glare

Some patients report temporary side effects like glare around bright lights after getting LASIK surgery. Somehow, this has turned into a myth where getting LASIK always results in suffering from glare afterwards.

In truth, the glare after LASIK is often short-lived. Most patients say it vanishes within months once the eye stabilises.

Myth 6: The LASER Burns Your Eyes

The lasers used in LASIK are actually cold “cold lasers” that emit cool beams. They don’t emit heat that can burn your eye tissue. 

The unusual scent some patients report during LASIK surgery isn’t actually from their eye tissue burning. Instead, it is just the corneal cells’ molecular bonds being disrupted by the beams. 

Myth 7: Recovery Takes Weeks 

LASIK is actually celebrated for the speed of recovery from it. 

While you certainly should avoid strenuous exercise and things like swimming for a few weeks, you may go back to normal, everyday activities within 24 to 48 hours.