What are the risks of LASIK?
The risks of LASIK fall into three groups: symptoms such as dry eye, glare and halos; imperfect correction, meaning some prescription remains or too much tissue is removed; and rare complications involving the flap or infection.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- LASIK
- Kind of question
- What is…
- Procedures
- LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Dryness and night vision symptoms are the most commonly reported, and they are also the ones most likely to settle as the surface of the eye heals. Flap-related problems are uncommon but are specific to flap procedures, which is part of why surface treatments remain in use.
Your own risk is not the average risk. Prescription, corneal thickness, tear film and healing all move it, which is what the preoperative assessment is for.
Related guides
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in LASIK . 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
- Post-LASIK dry eye disease: A comprehensive review of the current literature
A review of dry eye after LASIK, including the mechanisms involved and how other procedures compare in the published literature.
Used for Balanced comparison of dry-eye risk between procedures.
Link checked 22 September 2026