that comes along, there are some unfavorable circumstances that follow; however, there are not too many complications or side effects in LASIK (Shovlin, 113). Complications are very rare, but they will be more common in patients with high nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism because they require more laser treatment. Also no patient has ever become blind after a LASIK procedure; however, there are a list of possible complications that can result in decreased vision after the surgery. One complication results from the anterior cornea (flap) being placed unevenly after the laser treatment, which usually results in a corneal haze. Another possible complication is that of an infection, which only occurs in .5 percent of the time. However, by far, the most common complication is under or over correction, which are due to the laser removing either too much tissue or too little tissue respectively. Under correction results from lack of corneal tissue being removed and is usually fixed with a procedure called touch up (another mini LASIK procedure but without any further cuts). If too much corneal tissue is removed, the problem is a lot more serious because surgeons must perform a Keratophakia, in which they have to add corneal tissue. Under correction and over correction are the main reasons that all patients do not receive 20/20 vision, and that is why no patient can ever be guaranteed perfect vision. Last January, a review in LASIK of 1,062 eyes found that complications occur in about 5 percent of the cases. Tests before the procedure are now being taken more seriously than before, because those tests determine how much laser treatment is needed. While the recovery period of LASIK is remarkably short, forty-percent of people who had the procedure see halos or starbursts around bright lights for several months (Buratto, 5). Ophthalmologists believe this effect seems to be caused by the edge created between the treated...
