Potential Long Term Dangers of LASIK Surgery

Research out of Otago and Oxford Universities in New Zealand indicates that having LASIK surgery can lead to permanent problems with vision over the long term.

More specifically, it appears that having laser surgery for near-sightedness (myopia) may lead to excessive glare, haze, and blurred vision as people enter their 7th and 8th decades of life.

What follows is a simplified explanation of why researchers have come to this conclusion:

During LASIK surgery for near-sightedness, the tissues of the eye are cut and vaporized to flatten the central region of the cornea.

The potential problem with flattening the cornea is abnormal movement of the cells of the cornea.

Normally, the cells of the cornea move in a way that results in the formation of a pigmented line (called the Hudson-Stahli line) that forms somewhere below the pupil. This pigmented line tends to thicken with age, and can eventually begin scattering incoming light, which can lead to glare, haze, and blurred vision. But because this line is usually formed below the pupil, it doesn't tend to cause significant problems with vision, even when the line thickens as a part of the normal, degenerative changes that occur over many years.

After LASIK surgery, the movement of the cells of the cornea are affected in a way that increases the chance of the Hudson-Stahli line forming in front of the pupil. In such cases, as this line begins to thicken with age, glare, haze, and blurred vision become inevitable.

At this point, it is impossible to predict how many recipients of LASIK surgery are going to experience this problem as they get older.

Given the lack of data on potential long term dangers of having LASIK surgery, I think it's wise to avoid it, at least for now.

You can improve your vision without surgery by taking good care of your overall health. When I underwent a two-week water fast back in 1999, I noticed significant improvement in my vision - not enough for me to throw away my glasses, but enough for me to realize that emotional stress, lack of physical rest, and sub-optimal food choices can all contribute to poor vision.

There are several expensive "natural restoration of vision" programs on the market today. As far as I can tell, most of these programs are variations of the Bates method, a simple program that outlines specific eye exercises and offers dietary and lifestyle suggestions that are aimed at optimally supporting all of the organs associated with vision.

You can learn about the Bates method for free by doing a Google search on it. A quick search on Amazon.com will turn up several inexpensive books that offer excellent guidance on how to exercise and take good overall care of your eyes and vision.

Two books on this topic that I have read and can recommend are:

The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses

and

Relearning to See: Improve Your Eyesight - Naturally!

For a look at some eye exercises that you can begin right away to promote better vision naturally, please feel free to view the following articles:

How to Reduce Eyestrain and Promote Optimal Vision

Why Frequent Blinking is Essential for Healthy Eyes and Optimal Vision

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