Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

LASIK surgery can cause double vision
Jewish World Review ^ | March 11, 2003 | Steve Mitchell

Posted on 03/11/2003 2:38:24 PM PST by Nachum

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | (UPI) Vision-correcting LASIK surgery can cause double vision, but this problem can be minimized if ophthalmologists exclude people with certain eye conditions from undergoing the procedure, two eye experts said in a study released Monday.

"People who have a history (of particular eye disorders) are at higher risk, and they should call that to the attention of their doctor," Dr. Burton Kushner, an ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and lead author on the study, told United Press International.

The patients also should ask if they are likely to have double vision after the surgery, Kushner said. "That should raise the red flag for the doctor to do appropriate testing to determine if they are at risk for it," he said.

The conditions that put people at higher risk of double vision include a history of lazy eye or having worn a patch or done eye exercises for a lazy eye. Other risky conditions include a history of double vision, eye muscle problems or having a prism in glasses, Kushner said.

Having these conditions would not necessarily mean a person would develop post-LASIK double vision, Kushner said, but it does put them at higher risk. Additional testing done by an ophthalmologist can determine their level of risk, he said.

The additional screening should include taking a general history of the patient, doing a basic eye exam and perhaps more advanced eye tests if necessary.

LASIK surgery -- which is short for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis -- is used to correct vision disorders such as myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (far-sightedness) and astigmatism (an irregular-shaped lens). About 1.5 million LASIK procedures are performed worldwide annually, and complications can include infection, scarring and cataract formation.

Although it does not directly cause double vision, "by changing the optics of the eye, (LASIK) can interplay with how someone was controlling an eye muscle problem" and ultimately result in double vision, Kushner explained.

It is uncertain how commonly double vision occurs but Kushner and co-author Dr. Lionel Kowal of the University of Melbourne in Australia have noticed more patients coming to them in recent years who developed this problem after undergoing LASIK surgery.

Dr. Ernest Kornmehl, an ophthalmologist in Boston and spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, told UPI that double vision is avoidable if the patient is thoroughly evaluated by the surgeon before the procedure.

"It's elective surgery, there's no rush and the patient should be thoroughly evaluated before the procedure to avoid any problems," Kornmehl said. He added that he turns down four out of every 10 patients who come to see him for LASIK because they have conditions that put them at risk for complications.

Patients considering the procedure should seek out "a board-certified ophthalmologist who is going to be doing the evaluation him or herself and not rely on a technician or optometrist," Kornmehl said.

In the study, which appears in the March issue of The Archives of Ophthalmology, Kushner and Kowal reviewed cases of 28 patients who developed double vision after undergoing the procedure.

The researchers found double vision was more common in those who developed scarring, needed prisms in their glasses prior to the operation or had other vision disorders, including aniseikonia (in which each eye perceives the same object as different in size), surgically induced monovision or improperly controlled crossed-eyes


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: eyesurgery; lasik

1 posted on 03/11/2003 2:38:24 PM PST by Nachum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Nachum
LASIK surgery can cause double vision....

Does that mean you can see twice as good?

2 posted on 03/11/2003 2:40:11 PM PST by San Jacinto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: San Jacinto
3 years and counting...from nearsighted to better than 20/20...no probs
3 posted on 03/11/2003 2:43:21 PM PST by Stopislamnow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Nachum

4 posted on 03/11/2003 2:44:19 PM PST by isthisnickcool
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Stopislamnow
3 years and counting...from nearsighted to better than 20/20...no probs

Yes, but I'm 57 and can read and use the computer without glasses. Nearsightedness has advantages when you get old.

5 posted on 03/11/2003 2:46:46 PM PST by js1138
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Nachum
I've been seeing more and more horror stories about bad LASIX outcomes lately. I was going to have it done but have changed my mind.

There IS no "minor" surgery, especially on something as precious as my eyesight. My lousy vision is correctable to 20-20 with eyeglasses, and eyeglasses I will continue to wear.

6 posted on 03/11/2003 2:47:03 PM PST by strela ("Stop singing and finish your homework!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nachum
I had LASIK 3 months ago, and I see at 20/15. I love it!
7 posted on 03/11/2003 2:53:22 PM PST by Britton J Wingfield
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nachum
Take it for what it's worth:

I worked for the company that developed both the LASIK procedure and the laser system used in the surgery. The company's principal specialist in the physiology and optics of the eye, the LASIK procedure and who was responsible for designing the UV laser, itself, wore eyeglasses.

--Boot Hill

8 posted on 03/11/2003 4:13:57 PM PST by Boot Hill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boot Hill
A familiar story. My daughter was treated for an eye issue by one of the worlds top eye specialists in a teaching hospital. This doctor trained LASIK specialists world wide. He wears glasses too. When we asked him why, his answer was that "my glasses work just fine"...
9 posted on 03/11/2003 4:21:51 PM PST by Nachum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Boot Hill
Thanks for the insight. I've been very myoptic all of my life. It would seem a miracle to go without glasses yet, even if there is only a one percent chance of something going wrong then it's not worth the risk for me. Your story serves to further convince me that glasses suites me just fine.
10 posted on 03/12/2003 3:36:40 AM PST by EZ Victory
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson