Various people undergo LASIK surgery, but not everyone has problems with Night Vision. Some people may have, and some may not have, night vision problems after LASIK surgery. Sometimes it can be difficult to predict whether a patient will have night vision problems after a LASIK surgery as their so many risk factors involved.
It is usual for a patient to have their night vision reduced for some nights after going through the LASIK surgery. Most of the time, people have temporary problems with their night vision after the surgery. These issues may sometimes last for days; sometimes, they may last for weeks or months. These effects on the eyes are temporary and completely normal. Most people’s eyesight gets better with time, and these issues get resolved over time.
After the surgery, some of the night vision problems a patient may develop are starbursts, glares, and halos. These issues can make driving at night quite tricky; most of the patients may even have to struggle with these issues after the LASIK surgery in the long term.
Causes of issues with the night vision
Having difficulty seeing in dim light, halos, glare, and starbursts are prevalent issues for a patient after having a LASIK surgery. They may develop due to the swelling in the cornea. Sometimes when these issues are still there after the completion of the recovery period, then there may be several reasons.
Corneal flap problems after LASIK surgery can be one of the reasons. When the corneal flap created during the surgery does not correctly adhere to the eye after its replacement, the patient can face issues with night vision. Even in some cases, it could be more perfectly centered with the look. This can result in the irregularity bending of the light at the point where the is the meeting point of the untreated and treated cornea. Thus causing problems with night vision.
Sometimes the patient can also have some residual refractive error. These remaining refractive errors included astigmatism, myopia, or hyperopia. These refractive errors can result from under or over-response of the patient’s cornea to the procedure. This can cause the eyes to either under or over-correct their refractive error.
Most of the time, it is also the case of Decentered ablations. These decentered ablations are caused when the laser treatment is not centered perfectly over the pupil. These decentered ablations are caused infrequently because the latest lasers have advanced eye-tracking systems. These decentered ablations may not produce any effect during the day, but they may occasionally cause night vision problems.
Risk factors that are involved with night vision problems
Most people develop night vision problems after LASIK surgery due to the specific characteristics of their eyes. Patients with large pupils and others with more significant refractive error tend to have more risk of night vision problems after the LASIK surgery. People thinking about having a LASIK surgery must discuss these issues with their surgeon to be informed about any complications with the surgery. These eye surgeons (ophthalmologists) can detect the risk of the surgery and communicate any difficulties.
Treatment for these night visions
Patients also do not need to worry about the issues of night vision problems after the LASIK surgery, as there are very few chances of them having these issues. Even if they have problems, various treatments are available to deal with matters after the LASIK procedure. If the patient is still bothered by their refractive errors, they can opt for prescription eyeglasses; patients can also go for a LASIK enhancement procedure if it is required to correct the problem.
It is sometimes possible that the patients still have to use corrective lenses and reading glasses for some activities, even after undergoing the LASIK procedure. If the reason behind the patient’s night vision problems is enlarged pupils, they can use some eye drops prescribed to them by their doctor. These eye drops help with the shrinking of the pupil. Specific contact lenses also help decrease the halos and glare by making the pupil smaller.
