If you are considering having laser eye surgery to improve your vision, it’s important that you meticulously research the procedure first.

As with any surgery, laser eye surgery is an invasive procedure and will require a highly-skilled professional to perform it - especially when it’s something as important to your daily functioning as your vision.

Whether you’re ready to book in your procedure, or are in the early stages of finding out more, this guide will help you to understand everything from the importance of sourcing a reliable surgeon, to understanding the recovery process.

Who is laser eye surgery available for?

Laser eye surgery is available to most people with vision problems over the age of 18. Often, it’s required that your eye prescription has remained the same for around two years. It’s recommended that you wait until your vision is causing daily hassle, you have a high prescription for your glasses or lenses, or you are later in life.

How dangerous is laser eye surgery?

As long as laser eye surgery is performed correctly by an expert surgeon who has had training in this field, the chance of developing complications later down the line is lower.

However, when the surgery is performed incorrectly, it can result in the following complications:

• Partial loss of vision - whether for a long period of time or permanently
• Visual impairment in low light conditions
• Ptosis - a condition that causes the upper eyelid to droop from the pressure that is applied to the eye during the procedure
• Eye infections
• Corneal haze - a cloudy appearance in your vision
• Astigmatism - caused by an irregular shape of the cornea
• Eye dryness, causing itchiness and redness
• Bleeding on the eye
• Corneal Ectasia - this can lead to blindness if left untreated
• Blindness

How to choose the right surgeon for your laser eye surgery

If you’re planning to go ahead with your laser eye surgery, it’s vital that you seek out a reliable and fully qualified surgeon to perform this for you. A reputable surgeon should have all of the relevant qualifications necessary to perform your procedure and should be willing to discuss these with you if you ask. They should also be able to explain the procedure to you from start to finish and answer any questions you might have beforehand.

When choosing a surgeon, it’s important to make your expectations clear and tell them exactly what you want out of the procedure. However, remember to be realistic - your surgeon should be able to give you an indication of what’s achievable and what’s not. They shouldn’t promise you anything that sounds too hard to believe, use your common sense and question something that you might think doesn’t sound quite right.

For more information on how to find the right cosmetic surgeon for you, check out our informative step-by-step guide.

What to do before your surgery

If you wear contact lenses, it’s advised that you stop using these before you have your evaluation. Instead, switch back to wearing your glasses as contact lenses can alter the shape of your cornea- this will help your eyes to settle and return to their natural shape ahead of your surgery.

Not allowing your eye to return to its natural shape before your procedure can cause adverse effects, such as giving your surgeon an inaccurate measurement and result in poor planning for the surgery.

These measurements are used to determine how much tissue is removed from the cornea during surgery, and they might need to be repeated at least a week before your surgery to ensure that they haven’t changed.

You should stop wearing your contact lenses:

• For two weeks before your evaluation, if they are soft lenses
• At least three weeks before your evaluation if they are toric soft/rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses
• At least four weeks before your evaluation if they are hard lenses

What are the side effects of laser eye surgery?

Most complications after the surgery are minimal and will clear up within a few months and will not typically cause damage to your sight. The most common side effects of eye surgery are:

• Mild discomfort and ‘gritty’ feeling in the eye - this usually only lasts for three to six months and can be improved with the help of artificial tears
• Visual disturbance, such as glare from lighting if you are driving at night
• Redness on and around the whites of your eyes - this often disappears within a month

What should I do if I have post-laser eye surgery problems?

If you have had laser eye surgery and have received issues as a result, it’s important that you seek medical help immediately in order to save and potentially restore your vision in more serious cases.

If you have suffered from trauma, an injury, or unnecessary emotional distress as a result of your surgery, you should contact an expert cosmetic surgery solicitor to discuss your situation and help you make a compensation claim, should you wish to.

Get in touch with us

If your quality of life has been negatively altered due to botched laser eye surgery, contact us today and we will assist you with making your claim. Call us on 0808 273 2705, or fill in our online contact form and one of our team will call you back at a time that’s convenient for you.