LASIK Surgery

8. Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis (DLK)
DLK is also popular with the name of Sands of Sahara. It is a general inflammation caused by the appearance of dead cells underneath the LASIK flap. It can be prevented by maintaining a clean interface between corneal flap and the underlying corneal stroma. If DLK does occur, steroid eye drops are used to suppress inflammation. However in severe DLK cases, an eye surgery is needed to lift the corneal flap and remove the inflammatory cells. DLK potentially leads to permanent vision loss if not treated promptly.

9. Central Lamellar Keratitis (CLK)
CLK is a different form of lamellar keratitis that appears within the first 24 to 48 hours. Its treatment is similar to DLK, but additional enhancements are needed after recovery.

10. Loss of Best Corrected Vision
Only a small number of patients may experience a slight loss of visual sharpness following LASIK. It means that even with glasses, you are no longer to be able to read the 20/20 line on the eye chart, but can still read the 20/30 or 20/40 line without glasses or contact lenses. Losing more than two lines of vision is a very rare condition - less than 1% in statistical result.

11. Central Islands
Central Islands is a result of a small raised area in the treatment zone that receives less laser beams or does not obtain full ablation compared to surrounding tissue. Central islands may decrease and disappear after several months following LASIK surgery, but in some cases, enhancement surgery is needed as a treatment to this problem, by lifting LASIK flap and targeting a small amount of laser beams onto the small raised area. However, as technology has developed rapidly, this kind of complication has been eliminated by proper screening and tracking and also smoother laser application.

12. Irregular Corneal Flap
This is a condition when the corneal flap shifts slightly and folds or wrinkles (striae) and may distort visions. Enhancement surgery is also needed to treat striae by lifting the corneal flap and ironing the flap using a special device.

13. Keratectasia or Ectasia
An excessive removal of corneal tissue during LASIK eye surgery may lead to eye bulging. This condition is called Keratectasia or Ectasia. However, current LASIK practice using more precise LASIK blades (microceratomes) or Custom LASIK have significantly decrease this complication.

14. Infection and Severe Inflammation
Infection and severe inflammation are very rare LASIK complications. To help avoiding these complications, follow the instructions of doctor to not applying creams, eye makeup and not using hot tub, whirlpool or swimming for a certain period of time (several weeks). Antibiotic eye drops prescribed by your doctor as post-operative medication may also help to prevent infection, pain and redness on eye.

15. Unattached corneal flaps or free caps and buttonholes or partial flaps
Both vision-threatening complications are caused by abnormal cutting of corneal flap using microkeratome blade.

LASIK Complications and Risks page: << 1 2 3