LASIK Laser Eye Surgery and Retinal Detachment

| Jul 13, 2010 | Comments 3

Marie asked:

I had a detached retina 3 years ago, I have just had the go ahead from Optical Express to say i can have laser but I had been advised by the Dr who did the detachment at that time never to have it done and also by Specsavers after my annual eye test. What would you advise?

Marie, It’s a good question. Does LASIK increase the risk of retinal detachment? Or does retinal detachment, which is more commonly found in short-sighted patients who incidentally have LASIK, happen anyway ?

The suction applied by the keratome or femtosecond laser during flap creation can put tension on the vitreous gel and retina, and theoretically increase the risk of retinal problems. What evidence is there for this?

At the 2009 AAO meeting in San Francisco, Dr. J Fernando Arevalo reported no apparent causal relationship between LASIK and retinal detachment. Over 11,500 eyes were examined retrospectively and the incidence of retinal detachment was found to be lower than the general population. The study included patients that developed a retinal detachment as far out as 13 years after the procedure.

In a 10-year review presented by Dr Vincenzo Pucci MD at the 2003 ASCRS international eye conference, laser refractive surgery for high myopia did not appear to increase the risk of either retinal detachment or re-detachment. His series comprised 2,809 eyes of 1,477 patients who had undergone either LASIK or PRK for the correction of myopia or myopic astigmatism up to -13 dioptres.

Together these studies support the conclusion that the retinal detachment rate after excimer laser surgery for the treatment of high myopia is not increased, compared with the natural history of unoperated myopic eyes.

In my practice, for a comprehensive safety approach, I usually have the eyes examined by a retinal surgical specialist to get the all clear before any laser eye surgery procedure. Also, this specialist will review the retina afterwards to be certain no new holes or tears have appeared.

Filed Under: LASIK • Questions • Safety

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About the Author: Mr. Dave Allamby FRCS FRCOphth is a leading London-based laser eye surgeon. You may have seen him on the This Morning TV show with Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton or read one of several articles in the national press, recently for treating Denise Van Outen, rock giant Rick Wakeman and broadcaster Paul Ross. David is Medical Director at Focus Laser Vision, known as a world-leading clinic in the treatment of presbyopia, or age related loss of close vision. Focus Laser Vision is also London's only clinic to offer next-generation Z-LASIK laser eye treatment for short sight, long sight or astigmatism.

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  1. Stephen Hannan says:
    July 15, 2010 at 3:11 pm

    Hi Marie
    The Clinical Suitability Guidelines followed when patients are assessed for Laser Eye Surgery at Optical Express are set and approved by our Medical Advisory Board following review of many peer review literature articles and assessment of our clinical outcomes. I would be delighted to discuss your particular case in more detail with you on behalf of Optical Express at a time convenient to you. Please call me on 01236 795010. I look forward to hearing from you.

    Stephen Hannan
    Clinical Services Director
    Optical Express
    01236 795010

    Reply
    • Kathy says:
      November 30, 2010 at 3:52 pm

      I had Lasik in Dec of 2007. I how have a blind spot in my left eye. I went to the eye doctor and found out that I have a hole in my left eye and a tear in my right eye. I would like to know if the Lasik had anything to do with my problem now.

      Reply
      • Dave Allamby says:
        November 30, 2010 at 5:31 pm

        Hi Kathy
        The studies I quoted were the ones that looked at this issue, and they suggest that LASIK doesn’t increase the risk of detachment. Short-sighted people are more prone to detachments and also have LASIK, so it’s important to screen the retina fully before doing LASIK
        Regards
        Dave

        Reply

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