Laser Eye Surgery - Fact or Fiction?

Published on 14th November 2018

When it comes to laser eye surgery, not everything you hear is always 100% true and it can often be difficult to differentiate fact from fiction.

 Working out whether you’re suitable for laser eye surgery is a big decision to make and one that should be based solely on facts.

In this blog, we’ll dispel some of the most common laser eye surgery myths and provide you with some facts.

Fiction

1. Laser eye surgery is painful

Fact: This is one of the most common myths surrounding laser eye surgery. In most cases, you won’t feel a thing as you’re given anaesthetic eye drops to numb your eye before the surgery. Whilst you might feel some discomfort after the surgery, this will pass as your eyes heal. Our surgeon Mr Manoj Mathai confirms this here: https://youtu.be/iNSpxJWb0B8

2. Laser eye surgery might make me blind

Fact: As with every surgical procedure, there’s a slight element of risk, but laser eye surgery is incredibly safe. It’s highly unlikely that it will lead to blindness, with stats showing the chance of this happening are 1 in 5 million.

3. I’ll need a long time to recover post surgery

Fact: It won’t take you long to recover after having laser eye surgery. Most patients are able to return to work within a day.

Realistically, you’ll be able to return to normal activity when you feel comfortable enough with your vision.

4. Laser eye surgery can only treat short-sightedness

Fact: As well as short-sightedness, laser eye surgery can also treat and correct long-sightedness and astigmatism. For short-sightedness we can treat up to -10.00D and for long-sightedness, we can treat up to +6.00D.

5. Once I’ve had laser eye surgery, I won’t ever need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses ever again

Fact: Even if you’ve had laser eye surgery, your vision can still change with time and age. From around the age of 45 and onwards it’s likely that you will develop the need for wearing reading glasses due to the natural ageing of your eyes and will happen regardless of whether you have undergone laser eye surgery or not.

Looking to take your first steps towards clearer vision? Then why not contact Visualase, Bolton to book your consultation and assessment today or alternatively, click here to find out more about laser eye surgery.

All eye surgical procedures carry a level of risk including not obtaining the desired outcome, through to varying levels of visual loss. Your eye surgeon will discuss the risks and benefits, including ones specific to your circumstances, at the time of your pre-operative consultation.