Why Are So Many People Afraid of Laser Eye Surgery?
Most people, if you were to ask them, would jump at the chance to have their vision corrected and their need for glasses and contact lenses eliminated. But if you were to ask those same people if they would consider Laser Eye Surgery, you would likely have fewer people biting your hand off.
Why? Well, the resounding answer to this is usually: fear. In fact, many people dismiss Laser Eye Surgery before they have properly considered it.
Being a Laser Eye Surgery clinic, we have seen our fair share of fearful patients, from those who are a little nervous to those who consider cancelling the whole treatment (which you can do, by the way). But why are so many people so afraid of Laser Eye Surgery?
A Rational Fear?
Of course, we understand why someone would be scared of Laser Eye Surgery. After all, the word “laser” hardly has the best connotations – especially when put in conjunction with “eye” and “surgery”.
We could look at this fear from a strictly biological perspective. After all, we are hardwired to protect ourselves from potential harm. This includes steering ourselves away from situations that could potentially cause pain, fear, or anxiety.
But there’s a big difference between just surviving and getting out there and living. To make measured decisions that increase our quality of life; we need to switch from gut reactions to conscious thought.
The real reason for all the fear around this often life-changing procedure usually comes down to a lack of information – or worse, misinformation. But we’ve found that knowledge is the best way to dispel fear.
That’s why we are dedicated to providing helpful resources, available to anyone considering Laser Eye Surgery. Just take a look at our extensive blog!
The Common Misconceptions About Laser Eye Surgery
Whether this is your first time researching Laser Eye Surgery or you’re still looking for the knowledge to put you more at ease before taking the next step, we aim to shed some light on the surgery and arm you with the cold hard facts.
Let’s take a look at a few common misconceptions about Laser Eye Surgery and take them apart one by one.
Laser Eye Surgery complications are common and serious
Don’t get us wrong – like any surgical procedure, Laser Eye Surgery is not without its risks. However, the risk of complications associated with the treatment is much lower than many people think. In fact, when in the hands of an expert surgeon using the latest technology, the chance of even a small complication arising that could not be fully corrected by the surgeon is around 1 in 30,000.
Moreover, while it is normal to experience some side effects following your treatment, these are usually mild and easily managed. For example, the most common side effect of Laser Eye Surgery is I could go blind from Laser Eye Surgery
Now, this is a big one. While there is technically an exceedingly small risk of blindness following Laser Eye Surgery, this is not down to the surgery itself. Essentially, many complications would have to arise consecutively for this to occur – and the bottom line? There are no recorded cases of blindness as a result of Laser Eye Surgery!
I could end up with worse vision than before having Laser Eye Surgery
The primary aim of Laser Eye Surgery is to improve the quality of your uncorrected vision – that is, your vision without the help of glasses and contact lenses. For a majority of patients, the procedure allows them to get rid of their glasses and contact lenses altogether! In fact, 96% of our Laser Eye Surgery patients achieve 20/20 vision and over half achieve an even better standard!
However, there is a small chance that your best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) could be slightly reduced following surgery.
As you can see, when you get into the facts about Laser Eye Surgery, it doesn’t seem that scary after all. Of course, our friendly clinic coordinators are always on hand to answer any concerns you may have! If you’d like to Book a Consultation to start your journey, get in touch today!