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Lasik
can lead to complications: Expert
Times
News Network
New Delhi:
Lasik, a procedure used commonly for removal of spectacles,
needs to be used cautiously and only after a careful
patient selection, professor of ophthalmology R P Centre,
All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Rasik B
Vajpayee, said on Thursday evening.
Five
out of every 100 people could suffer complications arising
out of the surgery.
Delivering
the Institute Day public lecture, Vajpayee, who is also
head of cornea and refractive surgery at R P Centre,
dispelled myths associated with the surgery.
He
said the procedure was not a simple one and could lead
to complications in one to five per cent of cases. People,
therefore, need to be educated on the risks and benefits
of the surgery, he said.
A patient for lasik should be more than 18 years in
age; should not have a thin cornea; should not have
any corneal disease and should have had a stable power
for one year, Vajpayee said.
Several
myths surrounded the surgery. The facts, said Vajpayee,
are as follows:
- A
person may need glasses even after lasik to obtain
clear vision. This is particularly true for those
who use high power glasses.
- Lasik
does not cure the disease process of myopia. It is
only a cosmetic surgery. It does not stop increase
in spectacle number.
- Lasik
works best for low to moderate myopia. Results for
high refractive errors are poor.
- The
images seen through eyes treated by lasik are not
as crisp as seen through glasses. This condition is
referred to as "loss of contrast sensitivity".
- Those
involved in boxing and contact sports should not undergo
lasik.
- Re-lasik
is best avoided as it may cause more problems.
- Lasik
surgery changes the curvature of the cornea completely
and patients require life-long regular eye checkup.
Listing
the complications of the surgery, Vajpayee said the
most serious one was "infectious keratitis", a condition
which could lead to the melting of the corneal flap,
followed by loss of vision.
Corneal
bulging is the most feared irreversible complication
which can occur after lasik, Vajpayee said. This is
more likely to occur if the residual corneal thickness
is less than 300 microns. Some of the other complications
include a dislodged corneal flap, incomplete flap, corneal
perforation, and buttonholes.
Among
some of the less serious complications, patients may
experience glare and halos, particularly at night. Some
may even find the spectacle number coming back partially
due to regression in the effect of the surgery.
Source: The Times of India
Dated: 27th September, 2002
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