LASIK and Your Retina

Some patients think that because they are having LASIK, issues with their retina will also be corrected.  This is a misconception.  The work we do in LASIK is on the cornea, outside and at the front of the eye, and not on the retina, which is inside and at the back of the eye.

Light is reflected off objects and is refracted by the cornea of your eye.  When the cornea is perfectly shaped, this light will focus directly onto your retina. If the cornea is misshapen, the light will not focus perfectly onto your retina.  This imperfect focus is called refractive error - nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism - and causes doubled vision, blurry vision, or fuzzy images.

LASIK works by reshaping the cornea so that the light will be more perfectly focused onto your retina.  An advanced laser guided by a skillful surgeon removes corneal tissue and changes the cornea’s shape to improve its focus.  The laser affects only the cornea and not the retina; therefore, LASIK does not correct any retinal issues you may be experiencing.  If you have a problem with the retina that affects the quality of your vision, LASIK is almost certainly not the correct option to help that problem.

A board-certified surgeon should carefully analyze your eyes prior to approving you for LASIK surgery. Most of the risks associated with LASIK have been markedly reduced by advances in technology.   The risk of negative effects, such as doubled vision, blurry vision, halos or starbursts, may be increased by operating on less than excellent candidates, but negative effects will occur occasionally despite the best patients, surgeons, equipment, and intentions.  Everyone will experience a degree of dry eye, which resolves in most people without significant difficulty through careful screening and by thoughtful and cooperative management of the postoperative process. EyeClinic of Austin has recently become an accredited Dry Eye Center by using tear osmolarity as the most advanced way to diagnose and manage dry eye symptoms.  We use tear osmolarity to screen for unsuspected dry eye preoperatively and to help us resolve postoperative dry eye more successfully.

To learn more about LASIK and how to find out if you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction, please visit our website.