There is no such thing as 0 risk in medicine.
However, with today's lasers and preoperative measuring devices, postoperative results can be predicted in over 99.5% of cases.<br The possibility of complications is present, but exceptional.
The risk of going blind is virtually zero.
Minor complications are estimated at less than 0.8% according to the SNOF (Syndicat National des ophtalmologues de France).
Laser surgery is some thirty years old, and has been around since the 1990s. Lasers have improved considerably, with micron-level precision, since the 2000s.
It should also be noted that, thanks to major technological advances in corneal topography, we are able to carry out ultra-precise pre-operative examinations, enabling us to pre-select eligible patients and obtain results that are close to 100% satisfactory.
Any operation inevitably involves risks of undesirable effects and potential complications.
- A sensation of dryness is common after laser treatment for the first few months. This is often well tolerated with the instillation of artificial tears.
- The risk of infection is exceptional, around 1 in 3,000 cases. Antibiotic eye drops are prescribed to prevent this.
- Light halos have been described by some patients, often already photophobic before the operation, with clear irises and large physiological pupils. In the vast majority of cases, this undesirable effect corrects itself spontaneously after 1 month.
- One absolute contraindication to laser treatment is a pathological cone-shaped cornea (keratoconus) due to its anatomical constitution and fragility.
For around 15 years now, preoperative measurement devices have been used to effectively detect these cases of exclusion.
Since their launch in 1987, these lasers have used Excimer gas.
Lasers are more powerful and faster, but the principle of sculpting the cornea remains the same.
Worldwide, around 1 million people a year undergo laser eye surgery to eliminate their dependence on glasses.
The risk of total loss of sight is so rare, if not non-existent, that there is currently no statistical data in the literature.