Some Common Statements About LASIK Surgery Are Actually Myths

Health & Medical Blog

Tell someone you're thinking of having LASIK surgery, and they will often respond by sharing what they know or have heard about the procedure. Hopefully, the information they offer you is truthful and helpful. However, there are cases in which it is not. Some of the statements that are often made about LASIK surgery are just myths—like the following.

Myth: LASIK is only for young people.

LASIK is not recommended for younger patients who are still growing. The reason for this is that your eyes change shape as you grow, and the surgery may not remain effective as you continue to grow. However, there's no upper age limit for LASIK. Even people in their 60s and 70s can have it. Older patients who have LASIK often do still need to wear reading glasses afterward, which may make LASIK more appealing for some older people. But if you're an older person who is interested in LASIK, your eye doctor won't tell you "no" based solely on your age.

Myth: LASIK is painful to recover from.

There are some other laser-based eye surgeries, like PRK, which can be a bit painful to recover from. But recovering from LASIK surgery tends to be nearly painless. You might have some itching and discomfort for a few hours after the surgery, but there should not be actual pain. Using regular eye drops in the weeks after surgery will prevent dryness and irritation. Rarely do patients even have to take pain relievers after LASIK, so pain is absolutely not a reason to refuse the procedure.

Myth: LASIK might leave you blind.

While it is technically possible that a surgeon could completely botch a LASIK procedure and leave their patient blind, the chance of this happening is incredibly small. In fact, it has never happened before. That's right—nobody has ever gone legally blind from LASIK surgery. Some people do experience unwanted side effects afterward, like dry eyes and trouble seeing at night, but these side effects generally diminish in time after surgery. It's rare for them to linger, and even if dry eye does linger, it can be managed with eye drops and perhaps punctal plugs.

The next time someone other than an eye doctor or eye surgeon tells you something about eye surgery, make sure you take it with a grain of salt. There is a lot of information about LASIK surgery, so it's important to depend on experts for the facts.

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1 September 2021