Will LASIK surgery cause any long term damage to my eyes?

For the most part, the most common risks of LASIK occur right around the time of surgery (infection, dry eye, wrinkled flap, over and under-correction).

Although it is quite rare, there can be long term issues if proper patient selection was not exercised prior to surgery during what should be an extensive evaluation. Having a normal, healthy cornea is of paramount importance since it will be permanently thinned and re-shaped by the procedure. High degrees of correction can thin the cornea so much that it loses its proper strength and begins to "bulge" or assume an irregular shape (ectasia). This can be difficult to manage and should definitely NOT to be treated with further LASIK.

Reputable LASIK surgeons will carefully evaluate the cornea using special testing the results of which they should share with you. They will furthermore not attempt to correct nearsightedness (myopia) over about -7-8 Diopters so as not to have the patient run this long-term risk.