What happens if a LASIK flap moves?
It is uncommon, and it is treated as urgent: the flap is repositioned by the surgeon, usually with a good result if it is dealt with quickly. This is the complication that does not exist after SMILE or PRK, because neither leaves a flap.
- Subject
- Risks & safety
- Topic
- Complications
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The practical advice attached to it is about the first weeks: avoid rubbing the eye, use the shield at night, and contact the clinic immediately if you feel the flap move or your vision suddenly becomes hazy.
What this answer depends on
- How soon after surgery it happens
- Whether the flap can be lifted and repositioned cleanly
- How quickly you contact the clinic
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Risks, safety & side effects in Complications . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure LASIK
- Procedure Femto LASIK
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Place LASIK in Dubai
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026