How Safe is Lasik in the Long Term?

As with any operation, most people will often ask “How safe is the operation?” Luckily, from a long term perspective, Lasik is significantly less prone to result in eye infections than people who wear contact lenses. In fact, the WebMD website actually conducted a study that highlighted the fact that for those who wear contact lenses, there is a 1 in 100 chance of developing a serious eye infection over a thirty year period. Additionally, they have a 1 in 2000 chance of losing a portion of their vision. Compared with Lasik, the study estimated the chance of losing vision to be one in ten thousand. As you can see, over the long term, Lasik can be considered extremely safe.

What is Lasik?

Lasik is a medical procedure which is used to correct vision problems in people who have to wear either glasses or contact lenses. Specifically, Lasik stands for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. During this procedure, an eye surgeon uses an excimer laser to cut a very small flap into the interior of the cornea. This flap is then folded back and the interior portion of the cornea, which is called the stoma, is vaporized by a laser. Once enough of the stoma has been vaporized, the flap in the cornea is folded back into place, resulting in improved eye sight.