Could LASIK Lead to 'Permanent Vision Problems'?

Just plain creepy - shooting lasers in the eyes. Go with glasses, and if you like contacts, just WASH YOUR HANDS well and keep the cases clean!

Could LASIK Lead to 'Permanent Vision Problems'?

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Lasik and chronic pain

I'm scheduled to see a retinal specialist about a retinal hole my ophthalmologist spotted during my last exam, and while waiting for this appointment I've been reading up on the web about this, and this has invariably led me to a number of sites about Lasik (since the retinal hole will be fixed with a laser). And in regards to Lasik, I've been fascinated to find some sites listing out the under-reported side-effects of Lasik, side-effects that go largely unmentioned by pharma-propaganda sites like WebMd (that instead just post wonky and debatable stories about how Lasik is potentially safer in the long term than contact lens wearing.... yeah right - inserting a clean contact lens daily doesn't pose the same risk of potentially burning away an optic nerve with a laser beam!)

Anyhow, I remain skeptical of laser surgery so I'll keep reading prior to my retinal exam. As I once heard someone in an optometrist office comment, "there isn't a lot of room for 'whoops!' in a procedure like laser surgery..." I think I prefer my optic nerves unsinged.

Here's one site listing out a comprehensive amount of information about the potential dangers of lasik surgery, and definitely worth checking out. Lots of good information, including this video...

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FDA to study negative effects of Lasik eye surgery

There was an article in the health news today about the FDA to study the negative effects of Lasik. I'm curious to see what, if anything, will come from this.

I remember chatting with the optometrist about this procedure at my last eye exam. I've read a number of things about people getting chronic dry eye (and even worse, chronic pain) from having the surgery done, so I asked about some of this. As I understand it, the laser surgery can potentially damage the tiny optic nerves in the eye, that play a big part in telling the eye how and when to hydrate itself.

This isn't something I'll be getting anytime soon. The contacts I wear work fine (although they tend to get dry around 5 pm, so I transition to glasses around then.)

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