The risk of dry eye is because LASIK cuts a flap in the cornea, severing many of the nerves that sense irritation and dryness. Other procedures like epi-LASEK or PRK don’t involve cutting into the cornea, so their risk of dry eye is much lower. Unfortunately, those procedures are more painful and take months to heal. They involve scraping the epithelial cells off of your cornea, zapping your eye, and then letting them grow back. On the bright side, there is no flap that can be dislodged by a blow to the eye.
I got wavefront-guided epi-LASEK a few years ago. My vision went from 20⁄200 to 20⁄15. It can be pricey ($5k), but it’s definitely the best money I’ve ever spent.
My eyes have gotten noticeably drier since I got laser eye surgery, and I consider it minor—it’s significantly less annoying than glasses. I may not have as severe a version as some, though.
Persistent dry eyes is probably the most significant risk. Sounds minor, but isn’t.
The risk of dry eye is because LASIK cuts a flap in the cornea, severing many of the nerves that sense irritation and dryness. Other procedures like epi-LASEK or PRK don’t involve cutting into the cornea, so their risk of dry eye is much lower. Unfortunately, those procedures are more painful and take months to heal. They involve scraping the epithelial cells off of your cornea, zapping your eye, and then letting them grow back. On the bright side, there is no flap that can be dislodged by a blow to the eye.
I got wavefront-guided epi-LASEK a few years ago. My vision went from 20⁄200 to 20⁄15. It can be pricey ($5k), but it’s definitely the best money I’ve ever spent.
My eyes have gotten noticeably drier since I got laser eye surgery, and I consider it minor—it’s significantly less annoying than glasses. I may not have as severe a version as some, though.