Many people experience different kinds of fears; some rational and others not. Irrational fears are referred to as “phobias” and are very common in medical and surgery procedures; mostly because many patients don’t know what to expect of either the procedure or the outcome.
When it comes to Lasik, the case is the same. Most people contemplating to have it don’t exactly know what to expect, and this further heightens their fear. For some, their fear is too much to even consider having it done on them. However, in the hands of qualified and experienced surgeons, Lasik is a very common and safe procedure today. All you need, to take away most Lasik fears, is understanding how the whole Lasik surgery works, what to expect during the simple operation, and also the high success rate of the procedure today.
the most common Lasik fears and why they should not worry you
- Fear of permanent eyesight loss
Most patients contemplating to have Lasik have reported that their greatest fear is losing their eyesight permanently after the surgery. However, according to the FDA, no cases of blindness resulting from a Lasik procedure have been brought forward. In fact, the risk of serious complications after Lasik is only 1 percent. With qualified and experienced surgeons, this 1 percent will not even exist. It’s also rare for your vision to worsen after the procedure, and any slight vision disturbances can always be corrected with post-surgery retreatment. - Fear of the eye being in contact with the laser
Let’s be real, who wouldn’t fear being exposed to a laser light? This is one of the major fears patients have, especially when they consider that it’s a very delicate body part, the eye, which is being exposed to a laser. However, you have no reason to fear as the laser only contacts your eye for a few seconds. Highly sophisticated equipment is used for the procedure and there is no reason to fear that something will go wrong if you move or blink your eye. A special eye retainer is used to keep the eye open throughout the procedure, so patients expressing concerns about blinking should rest easy, that won’t happen. - Fear of pain during the Lasik surgery
Lose this fear right away. During the Lasik procedure, you will hardly feel a thing. The surgery is done while you are awake and only takes less than 5 minutes. You will only be under mild sedation and some numbing drops will be used on the eyes to keep them relaxed. Some patients have reported feeling a little pressure, but no pain at all.