Are there any risks in having laser corrective surgery for astigmatism and myopia?

Yes, there are. Your decision about whether to have laser vision correction should include a realistic assessment of that risk as well as the expected benefits.

The most common side effect is decreased tear production ("dry eye"). This is due to the unavoidable cutting of many of the sensory nerves in the cornea during the re-shaping procedure. It is the stimulation of these nerves that tells the lacrimal glands to release tears, so those glands will not getting the full "signal" from the cornea as they were before surgery. Fortunately, this is usually temporary. The corneal nerves do re-grow, but it may take as long as a year.

Under- or over-correction are also possible which may require a follow-up treatment to fully correct your vision. Infection is extraordinarily rare fortunately. Even slight irregularities in the cornea can create optical distortions (called aberrations) that could conceivably leave you unhappy even with 20/20 vision. Once again, these can usually be corrected later if they do occur, but not always.

Overall, laser vision correction of myopia and astigmatism is extremely successful and easy for most all patients. But it would be a mistake to assume that means there are zero risks.

_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic