Impressive Surgery Results

Written by John Taylor

Laser-assisted refractive eye surgery is one of the most common elective surgeries in the country, as millions of Americans are turning to LASIK, LASEK and other forms of laser eye surgery to enhance their vision. The success rate of these surgeries is very high, but like any surgery, there is some risk that your surgery may not be successful.

When making any surgery decision, especially an elective surgery decision, you should weigh benefits vs. the potential downside. If your eyes are gradually weakening, requiring stronger contact or eyeglasses prescriptions, or if you're in a profession where having to wear glasses or contacts may be a liability, laser-assisted refractive eye surgery is probably a good choice for you.

There are three basic types of laser-assisted refractive eye surgery, LASIK, LASEK and PRK. While other surgeries exist, they're mostly just enhancements or modifications on these three. All laser-assisted refractive surgeries do one thing, improve refraction of light within the eye by reshaping the cornea, thus improving the patient's ability to see.

LASIK is basically a surgery in which the doctor uses a blade to cut a flap into the outer layer of your cornea, then uses an excimer laser to correct the curvature of the corneal tissue beneath before resealing the flap. Folks like this type of surgery because the results are almost immediate.

More than 90 percent of LASIK patients enjoy improved vision as a result of the operation. According to the American Association of Professional Eyecare Specialists, more than half of all LASIK patients enjoyed perfect 20/20 vision after undergoing the procedure. About 88 percent of LASIK patients ended up with vision of 20/40 or better. The degree of success appears to depend on the type of laser used and how severe the patient's vision problem was prior to the procedure.

According to the FDA, the laser with the best success rate was the Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 Scanning spot laser. More than 99 percent of patients who underwent surgery with this laser ended up with at least 20/40 vision. More than 87 percent of patients whose surgery was performed with the Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 Scanning spot laser reported 20/20 vision following the procedure.

In LASEK surgery, the surgeon uses a chemical to weaken the outer cornea and then lifts it from the eye. This is good for folks who don't have enough corneal tissue for the flap created by LASIK surgery. Once this is done the surgeon uses the excimer laser to reshape the cornea. Results are usually a little slower to manifest in LASEK than LASIK.

LASEK's success rates are comparable to that of LASIK, but after surgery complaints of pain are more common among LASEK patients than LASIK patients.

In PRK surgery, the outer layer of the cornea is removed altogether and the excimer laser is used directly on the cornea. Success rates for PRK surgery are lower than those for LASIK or LASEK, but about 75 percent of all patients report 20/40 vision. Drivers need at least 20/40 vision to be able to drive without wearing glasses or contacts. PRK remains the preferred surgery for people with thin corneas or corneal scars or erosion.

As with LASIK and LASEK, success rates can vary based on how severe the patients myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism are. Procedures to treat multiple problems (i.e. myopia and astigmatism) don't achieve the same level of success as single problem procedures.

Age may also be a factor in the success of your surgery, as myopic patients in their late 30s and 40s will often still require glasses following a laser-assisted refractive surgery.

When considering laser-assisted refractive surgery, you should also take into account the long term success rates of the operation you are considering. While nearly all laser-assisted refractive eye surgery experience fairly rapid improvements in their vision, in time these gains could diminish over time. If this happens, you could have to undergo further procedures to correct your vision, or go back to wearing contact lenses or glasses.

Laser-assisted refractive surgery has an excellent long term success rate overall. LASIK has an excellent long term success record. According to a study by Miguel Hernandez University Medical School in Spain, less than 20 percent of LASIK patients needed retreatment over a 10-year period. According to results announced at a 2005 symposium on laser eye surgery, 92 percent of patients who had PRK had 20/40 vision or better after a year.

Overall, laser-assisted refractive surgery has an excellent success rate, both short and long term. Potential patients should consider all the pros and cons of the procedure and also research how these procedures might impact their night vision before committing to the procedure.