As with any type of surgery, when considering Lasik eye surgery, there are a number of risks to bear in mind. Patients considering Lasik surgery should speak with one or more doctors and learn about each potential risk. Before deciding on the surgery, patients should weigh the risks and the benefits and find out if Lasik surgery is really worth it to them.

Risks
• Loss of vision. Some patients lose lines of vision on the vision chart that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or surgery as a result of treatment.
• Some patients develop debilitating visual symptoms. Some patients develop glare, halos, and/or double vision that can seriously affect nighttime vision.
• You may be under treated or over treated. Only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts. You may require additional treatment, but additional treatment may not be possible. You may still need glasses or contact lenses after surgery.
• Some patients may develop severe dry eye syndrome. As a result of surgery, your eye may not be able to produce enough tears to keep the eye moist and comfortable.
• Results are generally not as good in patients with very large refractive errors of any type. Patients must understand that they may still require glasses or contacts after the surgery.
• For some farsighted patients, results may diminish with age. If you are farsighted, the level of improved vision you experience after surgery may decrease with age.
• LASIK is a somewhat new technology. The first laser was approved for LASIK eye surgery in 1998. Therefore, the long-term safety and effectiveness of LASIK surgery is not known.

If you are scheduled to have Lasik eye surgery, there are a few simple things you can do that will greatly increase the success of your surgery. If you wear soft contact lenses, you ought to stop wearing them preferably 21 days before surgery. If you just started to wear hard contact lenses you should stop wearing them for a minimum of 6 weeks prior to you surgery. However, if you have been wearing hard contact lenses for several years, you should add an additional 6 weeks of not using them for every 3 years you have been wearing hard contacts. So for instance if you have been wearing hard contact lenses for 6 years then you need to stop wearing them 12 weeks before your surgery, if you have been wearing them for 9 years, you need to stop using them 18 weeks before your surgery. Also take the antibiotics prescribed to you prior to your surgery. The antibiotics will minimize the risk of you developing an infection in your eye after the procedure.

Is Your Doctor Qualified?
If you do decide to get Lasik surgery, it is important that you have a qualified doctor you feel confident in. Do not just look at the price of the surgery. Remember there are serious risks involved and one of the best ways of minimizing these risks is to have your eyes in professional care. I suggest you ask your regular eyecare practitioner, whether an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, for a referral for a reputable Lasik surgeon in your area. You can also visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology's website. Use the "Find and Eye MD" feature and make sure that you specify "refractive surgery" under "specialty." The Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance has also created a list of 50 tough questions to ask your doctor. 50 tough questions for your Lasik Doctor