'Halo' Effect Common After Lasik Eye Surgery

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2016 (HealthDay Information) -- 9 out of 10 Lasik laser eye surgical procedure sufferers report satisfaction afterwards. However a large share expertise new visible disturbances -- like seeing halos round lights -- as much as six months after the process, a brand new examine finds.

"Whereas Lasik has lengthy since been confirmed protected and efficient over many years of use, a small however important subset of sufferers report post-operative results together with glare, halos and different imaginative and prescient signs, in addition to dry eyes," stated Dr. Christopher Starr. He is an affiliate professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medication/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York Metropolis.

"These results sometimes resolve over time, both in the course of the therapeutic course of, which may take as much as 12 months, or with further therapies if wanted," stated Starr, who wasn't concerned within the new examine.

Of tons of of sufferers surveyed, fewer than 1 p.c stated any single drawback disrupted their day-to-day lives. Nonetheless, these considerations could also be extra frequent than beforehand thought, the researchers found.

Lasik laser eye procedures deal with poor close to and much imaginative and prescient and astigmatism, a situation that distorts pictures. Thousands and thousands of People hoping to shed eyeglasses or contact lenses have undergone Lasik surgical procedure since its improvement greater than 20 years in the past.

To be taught extra about its after-effects, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration performed two surveys between 2011 and 2014.

"A few of the issues reported included debilitating imaginative and prescient signs (seeing starbursts, glare, ghosting or halos) and extreme dry eye," stated Dr. Malvina Eydelman, an FDA division director and co-author of the 2 new experiences. For some, on a regular basis actions and nighttime driving turn out to be troublesome, she famous.

Nevertheless, Eydelman and Starr each stated that the findings do not problem assumptions about Lasik's security and effectiveness, for the reason that surveys weren't designed to discover these points.

In a single survey, researchers reviewed responses from 240 active-duty Navy personnel one and three months after Lasik surgical procedure. Half had been younger adults.

The opposite examine analyzed responses from 271 civilians, common age 32, as much as six months after that they had Lasik surgical procedure at one in every of 5 facilities in the USA.