Night Vision - Eye Surgery

Is There Still A Flap About Lasik: From Waterskiing To Night Vision

Lasik is the surgery miracle that has allowed millions of Americans to see better than before. Still it is necessary to be cautious about certain water sports according to some reports. There are reports of a danger of a dislodged cornea flap. The one sport pointed out as most dangerous was water skiing. You know, at those fancy lakes where you strap on skis and get pulled around by a motor boat.

Well, the recommendation by doctors is to wear eye goggles all the time when doing this. The flap in the cornea is something that all lasik patients have to deal with, whether it was made with a microkeratome blade, or it was done by all-laser bladeless lasik. It heals but it still could be vulnerable under some circumstances.

Other problems that persist at least for some time, are problems with night vision after lasik surgery. These night vision problems could affect ones ability to distinguish objects at night. Though these problems are typically transient and wear off in a few days, in some patients, the symptoms might persist long after the eye heals. The source of the problem is that under low light conditions the pupil naturally dilates to be able to receive more light. The larger pupil can then absorb light from around the region of the cornea that had been shaped by the lasik, also known as the flap, which doesnt happen during the daytime, since the pupil is smaller, it is not dilated. This is what causes the rather common phenomenon of glare, starbursts and halos around objects seen at night. It can be a serious problem while driving at night. Fortunately, this problem tends to dissipate over several months to a years time. Night vision problems are known to be caused by the differences between the untouched portion of the cornea, and the part of the cornea that has been altered by lasik surgery. This can be even more severe if for other reasons a patient undergoes a second lasik procedure, with the cornea becoming flatter after each procedure. These problems are reportedly dropping on the one hand as doctors gain more experience with lasik and pre-operation screening of patients with large pupils under dilation, and altering their treatment accordingly. Custom lasik, with its included use of wave-front maps of the eye can treat a larger area of the eye, which then can map onto a larger pupil, with better results for night vision.