Debunking Laser Eye Surgery Myths With Your Macon Eye Doctor

Laser eye surgery is safer, more effective, and more versatile than many people believe. Despite common myths, procedures like PRK have a strong safety record, can treat both mild and severe vision issues, and involve minimal discomfort. Recovery is typically quick—often just a few days—and the results are long-lasting, though natural aging may eventually require future vision correction.

As we discussed last month, laser surgical techniques have enabled an increasing number of people to live without the hassle of eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is the oldest and one of the most well-known laser eye surgeries. For more than thirty years now, ophthalmologists have used the PRK procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and other refractive errors and return people to clear vision without the need for corrective lenses.

Unfortunately, not everyone who is a candidate for PRK or other laser eye surgeries pursues the option because a number of myths persist around these procedures and how they work. This month, your Macon eye doctor is setting the record straight and debunking some of these common myths so that you can be better informed about your eye care options.

Myth #1: Laser Eye Surgery Isn’t Safe

Truth: Laser eye surgeries have been performed in thousands of places for more than thirty years and have proven to be remarkably safe.

This myth probably comes from the fact that nearly all consumer electronics that contain a laser of any kind have a warning label somewhere that says “DANGER! SEVERE EYE DAMAGE!” People see that and associate lasers with danger.

The label on your laser pointer or the barcode scanner at your supermarket checkout is there because the lasers in those devices can cause retinal damage if they’re pointed directly into your pupil. The intense light, focused even more tightly by your eye’s lens, can cause blindness and other negative effects.

The laser used in a PRK or other laser eye surgery, on the other hand, is closely and tightly controlled. It is only ever focused on your cornea, and the likelihood of any kind of complication at all is 1% or less. The possibility of serious complications is considerably lower.

Myth #2: Laser Eye Surgery Only Corrects a Few Problems

Truth: Laser eye surgeries of various types can correct a huge array of refractive errors and other problems, including both mild and severe vision problems.

There’s a persistent belief that laser eye surgery is only an option for people with mild vision problems. Scan any internet forum about eye care, and you’ll see dozens of “experts” claiming that their vision problem was “too severe for PRK.” That’s usually not the whole story.

Yes, there are limitations to laser eye surgery’s usefulness, and many conditions aren’t treatable via a laser procedure. In other cases, other aspects of a patient’s health or lifestyle make them a poor candidate for laser surgery. But PRK and other laser procedures have been used to treat refractive errors ranging from mild nearsightedness or farsightedness to significant errors that would ordinarily require thick, heavy glasses to correct.

Myth #3: Laser Eye Surgery Hurts

Truth: Most laser eye surgeries are completely or very nearly painless.

Some folks will tell you that laser eye surgery is painful. These people usually haven’t ever had laser eye surgery.

In fact, laser eye surgery is considerably less painful than more invasive procedures that use traditional surgical tools like scalpels. Many patients report experiencing no pain whatsoever before or after the surgery. Those who do experience pain typically report that it’s mild and easily controlled with over-the-counter pain remedies like acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

Instead of pain, most patients report experiencing two different mild discomforts during surgery and recovery – a slight sensation of pressure on the eye during the procedure itself, and irritation and scratchiness in the affected eye for a day or two following the procedure.

Myth #4: Laser Eye Surgery Takes Too Long to Recover From

Truth: The recovery period for most surgeries is only a week or two, and many patients can return to work or school within just a few days.

Traditional eye surgeries can require long recoveries. Whenever someone uses a sharp instrument to cut away tissue or open a pathway for a medical procedure, your body will take some time to reclose the wound and refresh the tissue that was damaged during the operation.

With laser eye surgery, the ophthalmologist takes advantage of the minute size of a laser beam to very carefully and intentionally ablate only the smallest amount of tissue required to bring your eyes back into focus. As a result, there’s typically no bleeding and no wound, and your eyes can begin to recover almost as soon as the laser is switched off.

For most laser eye surgeries, the patient can get back to their daily routine—with a few cautions—within just a few days. Recovery back to full activity usually only takes a couple of weeks, and the healing process is usually complete within a month.

Myth #5: Laser Eye Surgery Doesn’t Fix Things Permanently

Truth: While a patient’s eyes may change as they age, the effects of laser eye surgery never “wear off.”

This myth originates from people who underwent laser eye correction in their younger days and now find themselves once again needing glasses or contacts to see clearly. The story usually begins with something like, “I paid for this surgery, and now I need glasses again!”

What they’re not telling you is how long ago the surgery was. Laser surgery does a great job of correcting vision problems. Unfortunately, it can’t do anything about the fact that our bodies – including our eyes – change as we get older.

Yes, it is very common for people to need to return to corrective lenses ten, twenty, or thirty years after laser eye surgery. But that’s not because the surgery wasn’t effective, or because it “wore off” over time. These patients have to resume wearing corrective lenses because their eyes have continued to age since their procedure.

Looking at it from the other side, if they hadn’t gotten laser correction, the glasses they’re buying today would be much heavier, and their uncorrected vision would be indescribably worse than it is now.

Ready to See Clearly Again? Visit Eyesight Associates to Learn More About How Laser Eye Surgery Can Restore Your Vision!

With eight locations around Middle Georgia and the Golden Isles, we’re always close at hand to help you maintain clear vision! Call 478-923-5872 to learn more or make an appointment.