Does LASIK Have Potential Retinal Complications?
(From JF Arevalo, MD et al. Incidence of vitreoretinal pathologic conditions within 24 months of laser in situ keratomileusis. Ophthalmology 2000;107:258-262.) LASIK is becoming an increasingly common surgical technique to correct primarily nearsightedness, but also astigmatism and farsightedness. While complications are possible with any type of surgery, those related to the LASIK procedure have been rare, and mostly related to the cornea itself (flap or laser related complications). Prospective patients may wonder if there are potentially more serious complications possible, such as retinal complications. The study referenced above looked at the rate of retinal complications within a 24 month period following a LASIK procedure to answer this question. In this study, 29,916 LASIK procedures performed by 5 surgeons at 5 institutions were evaluated for the development of retinal complications within 2 years of the procedure. The range of treatment was -0.75 to -29.00 diopters of nearsig
