LASIK, PRK, and SMILE are probably the safest major surgeries performed on the human body. But any surgery, even with our advanced laser technology and competent surgeon and staff, carries risk. The risks of LASIK for causing severe visual problems are extremely low, and when complications of LASIK ensue, they are generally amenable to improvement.
Upon arrival for your free laser vision correction consultation, all LASIK eye surgery risks and benefits are clearly disclosed to each patient in a detailed video presentation. Following the presentation a consent form will be provided to the patients re-capping (or summarizing) the information provided in the video. Any additional questions or information a patient may require can be discussed directly with the physician during the consultation or prior to surgery.
If you are interested in learning more about LASIK eye surgery risks, potential complications of LASIK, or if you’re interested in scheduling an appointment in North Canton, Canfield or Alliance OH, contact Roholt Vision Institute today.
DRY EYE (1-3%)
Dry eye can be aggravated or induced by LASIK or PRK. Since dry eye is more common in perimenopausal women, incidence after LASIK/PRK is highest in this group. Other factors contributing to dry eye include medications (birth control pills, antihypertensives, and antidepressants), and diseases such as thyroid, diabetes, and arthritis. A recent study by Steve Schallhorn, MD on thousands of LASIK patients showed that the incidence of dry eye was more related to the aging process than to LASIK.
The method of performing the LASIK flap can contribute to dryness. Recent evidence indicates that a thinner flap, as performed with a femtosecond laser, such as the Visumax as used at Roholt Vision Institute causes less interference with the corneal nerves involved in tear formation. The incidence of dry eye is believed to be lower with SMILE because the laser pocket opening is smaller than LASIK. Also PRK may cause less dryness than LASIK.
Slower recovery after LASIK can be expected in dry eye patients, sometimes with a slight reversal of effect (regression). Liberal treatment with eye lubricants, mucin-enhancing vitamins, or plugging of the tear drain ducts can be helpful while the tear production recovers after surgery. Pre- or post-treatment with the Envision RF/IPL can also enhance the tear film.
If you feel you may have a problem with dryness, contact us so we can evaluate your tear quality prior to LASIK.
MICROSTRIAE (Mild: 0.05 – 0.10%, Moderate-Severe: 0.05%)
These are subtle lines in the top layer of the flap as it drapes over the area treated by the laser. Mild striae usually cause little effect on vision.
Moderate/severe striae, or “macrostriae,” are caused by squeezing, rubbing, or trauma in the early postoperative period. They can be treated and smoothed out by an experienced surgeon.
The SMILE procedure has no flap, only a small laser incision, so microstriae are unlikely. PRK has no flap and thus no microstriae are possible.
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Staff was very polite, experienced, thorough and timely. Have been going here for approximately 15 years.
The staff was courteous and helpful. The doctor was thorough and friendly. Highly recommended Roholt vision.
Absolutely incredible!
This place is amazing…the doctors and staff and everyone else involved, thank you very much, 😃
I am very pleased with the service I received. The staff are friendly and efficient. Dr. Kubis was very thorough. Thank you all.
Everyone was polite, helpful, professional, and intelligently done. No complaints.
ALWAYS a good experience. My dad, my wife and I are all cared for by Dr. Celmer. The staff is OUTSTANDING especially dear Gwen. Thank you for caring for my family. I would recommend to anyone looking for eye care.
All of the employees were friendly and professional. The treated me with respect and took care of me quickly. They made me feel appreciated. I would recommend this practice to anyone.
Dr Celmer has been amazing.
The staff is wonderful. They run on time.
Dr. Celmer is AMAZING as well as the rest of the staff. Everyone is always polite, helpful, and quick. I never wait long, I always get an appt when I need, my refills are done with no problem each time, and I feel like they truly care about me. I love Roholt Vision Institute!
There was no waiting and everyone was very friendly and helpful, plus a good exam.
Fantastic staff & Doctors .
Very prompt and polite service. Dr. Mathie was very professional and answered all of my questions.
I've had excellent doctors at Roholt, especially Dr. Celmer and Dr. Wohl and the staff are wonderful, too. Ty
Professional. Thorough. Attentive. Responsive. Understanding. And on top of that - kind! Result better than I hoped. And I am a physician. P. Dunster, MD
Fast friendly service. Great experience start to finish
Excellent service! I would highly recommend them for cataract surgery or any eye problems. In and out, but not rushed. Dr Wohl is very thorourgh with his diagnosis and surgeries.
I had an issue where my eye became swollen over the weekend and by Monday, I knew it needed to be looked at and was amazed at how quick I was able to get an appt! The staff was wonderful during my visit - and I was lucky to find out it was an allergic reaction which they prescribed meds - highly recommend using this facility for your eye care!!
Very easy surgery. Dr Roholt is an amazing doctor and he has a very calming voice. He walks you through the surgery and makes you feel very comfortable. All the assistants were so nice. Definitely recommend this surgery for anyone it can help. First 4 hours after surgery my eyes were sore. After that they were just a tad foggy. Next day everything was crystal clear except reading up close, it was still foggy. By Sunday morning I can see everything far away like I’m wearing my contacts. Still fuzzy with close up but I was told it will clear up soon. Definitely worth the 4700$
Love Roholt Vision! Very professional, friendly and kind.
💯 satisfied. Everyone went above and beyond in finding what I was explaining. If you have any concerns what's so ever that something just isn't right this is the right place to be. Dr. Mathie,carefully explained,what they found,explained my options,and set up the next appointment. You won't be disappointed. The receptionist,were also kind and professional as well !
Office runs very efficiently. Staff is very helpful. Procedure went well.
Everyone has always been very helpful and friendly. I highly recommend them to everyone.
Professional friendly staff, happy with my treatment and results.
Great experience with everyone.
The young lady who did the eye chart exam was friendly and relaxed. Took time and didn't make me feel rushed to decide which view was best. Dr Wohl also took time doing the exam and took time to answer questions.
Great staff at roholt very nice Dr Cel Mer great overall experience excellent
Everyone is very friendly and informative. They all took all the time you wanted to answer every question
We initially went to another specialist in canton and were not happy. We are very pleased with Roholt. The staff is very friendly and personable. The drs are also personable, well educated and do everything to make you feel at ease. Would highly recommend
Dr. Roholt was wonderful! The whole process was great. The staff at Roholt Vision and Surgery Alliance were fantastic. They put me at ease, explained everything to me and did a fantastic job. Thank you!
I didn't wait long that's always a plus. The assistant was friendly and courteous. Made me feel welcomed. I got a thorough eye exam from the Doctor . He explained in detail all the questions I asked. I'm sticking with Roholt.
This is by far the best experience I have encountered dealing with specialists in eye care. Everyone was so kind and helpful and was willing to answer any questions I may have had. Susan at the front desk even asked me how things were at my last appointment as I was checking out. She really seemed to care even though she did not any hands on assignments with my care. I was real impressed with all in this office. I will tell everyone about the Roholt Vision institute. I have 20/20 vision in my one eye and 20/25 sin my other..Amazing since I cannot remember when I had those numbers before. I started wearing glasses in 8th grade.
They are always pleasant and help you understand what is happening.
Absolutely #1 I hope everyone can experience this
Dr Megan Celmer was amazing and my eyes are so much better. The whole team at Roholt were fantastic.
Very thorough and excellent service from everyone! Highly recommended!
Wonderful staff especially gal at front reception. Dr M very attentive and personable. Excellent timing in and out quickly ! Thank you Judy
The staff was friendly and very professional. They took their time to analyze my situation.
My experience was great! The staff was very informative., explaing everything and making me comfortable. The Dr was very thorough and took the time to exlpain everything. He wasn't in a hurry, making me feel that I was important. THANK YOU EVERYONE.
Quality of service is consistently professional and 5-stars. Overall, excellent. Appointments made later in the day tend to have longer waits, in my observation.
Everything is great, 5 stars ,
I had Photo-Refractive Keratectomy done yesterday. I was nervous about this procedure, but felt prepared through conversation they had with me and paperwork they gave me prior to the procedure. Everyone was very nice. The procedure itself caused very little discomfort. I followed their post-op instructions and had minimal discomfort after the surgery. Slept good and have virtually no discomfort this morning. I would highly recommend Roholt to anyone who needs this procedure.
Great service by all! Everything spelled out what to do, quick on time service, all questions answered.
They were thorough and gave me options. When I'm ready I will definitely use this office.
I really am so impressed with the care I received from Dr. Kubis. He listened to me about my eye health issues and found a solution. He also explained what was happening and what steps he and I would be taking for the long term health of my eyes. I am so glad I found this Optomologist.
My family had a lovely experience with Dr. Mathie today, getting eye exams! The ladies at the front desk(Kisha and Susan) made them feel really welcomed. The technician made them feel like family. We will definitely return.
Always very professional and friendly!
Staff friendly and informative. Visit occurred at scheduled time. Dr. Mathie provided excellent care and offered options for my grandson, Joe.
They have always been informative and courteous
UNDER/OVERRESPONSE (2-6%)
These are not actually complications of LASIK but can require retreatment. Variation in the individual response of human tissue to the laser treatment, along with individual healing factors, is the cause. Hyperopic LASIK over/underresponse is more common than occurs in myopic lasik. Underresponse or regression of effect is more common in patients with dry eye. Retreatment is usually done after 2-3 months.
The TENEO™ is probably the most accurate and including the Zeiss MEL-80™ precision these excimer lasers have lowered the retreatment rate by 60% compared to the early generation, broad beam lasers.
DIFFUSE LAMELLAR KERATITIS (Mild: 1-3%)
Inflammation can occur under the flap. Rarely, this can be due to bacteria (infectious), but usually the cause is unknown, and may be an allergic reaction. DLK is generally mild, has little effect on vision, and resolves within 1-2 weeks when appropriately treated.
In rare cases (<0.05%) DLK can progress to central toxic keratopathy (CTK) which can result in a corneal scar, blurred vision and refractive changes.
Some of the high volume, discount laser centers have had epidemics of DLK. DLK is also more common with the use of femtosecond lasers or “bladeless, all-laser LASIK.” This is due to separation of microscopic “tissue bridges” resulting in inflammation, occasionally requiring increased steroid treatment At Roholt Vision Institute, with the solid-state Visumax laser and strict adherence to sterile technique, DLK has only been mild and sporadic, with no serious sight threatening complications.
NIGHT GLARE/HALOS (Mild: 4%, Moderate: 2%)
Some patients, especially with higher degrees of myopia have night glare/halos from car or streetlights with spectacles or contact lenses. This glare can continue after LASIK, is usually worse for 1 -2 months, then gradually resolves. A study showed that few patients had serious glare and halos after LASIK, SMILE, or ICL.* Many patients having LASIK at Roholt Vision Institute report that night driving is better than before the procedure.
Some of the serious problems with glare/halos are a result of treatment by inexperienced surgeons, where the treatment zone is off-center.
The TENEO™ 317 and Zeiss MEL-80™ laser were chosen because their use in LASIK result in a very low incidence of adverse visual symptoms.
*Quality of vision after myopic refractive surgeries: SMILE, FS-LASIK, and ICL – PubMed (nih.gov)
VISUAL DISTORTION (0.05%)
Blurred vision and double images is one of the rare complications of LASIK. This can be due to irregular healing. It was more frequent in the past in relation to broad beam lasers which created “central islands.” Sometimes retreatment can help, but generally visual distortion improves slowly, and can take 1 to 2 years or more to resolve.
LASIK with the TENEO™ 317 or Zeiss MEL-80™ laser rarely causes visual distortion because of their rapid, computer controlled scan, smooth surface treatments, and unique accurate eyetrackers. Contact us for more information on LASIK eye surgery risks and advantages of these lasers.
PRESBYOPIA (100% If > Age 45)
Presbyopia is the age-related decrease in near reading ability. We include this as one of the “complications of LASIK” because often patients don’t understand why they develop a problem with reading vision after LASIK. For a myope, the effect of presbyopia is less when wearing eyeglasses than it is with contact lenses or LASIK.
Presbyopia is treated by wearing reading glasses, or by creating monovision: one eye is left nearsighted or treated with LASIK or Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) to do the reading, and the other eye receives LASIK to see the distance. Most people are then able to adjust, or “fuse” the images to one.
CORNEAL SCAR, THIN/TORN FLAP (0.03%)
Serious scarring or flap problems causing poor vision less than 20/40 are one of the LASIK eye surgery risks, but are extremely rare at Roholt Vision Institute. Torn flaps due to tissue adhesions are rare with the Zeiss Visumax laser. Buttonhole flaps used to occur more frequently with the Microkeratome, no longer used, and are also very rare with the Visumax (0.03%). The eye may then be allowed to heal before the procedure is repeated.
The newer advances such as the Zeiss Visumax flaps, SMILE, and All-Laser LASIK as used at Roholt Vision Institute make serious complications of LASIK extremely rare, and no patients using CustomCorrection™ treatment has attained a corrected vision of less than 20/30 without a pre-existing condition.
FREE CAP (0.5%)
If the hinge of the LASIK flap goes too far, especially with flat corneas, the flap becomes a “cap.” This is not serious, as the cap can be repositioned exactly like the flap. The natural hydrostatic pressure then causes the cap to adhere immediately, same as the flap. At Roholt Vision Institute we recommend “Bladeless, All-Laser LASIK” with the Visumax™ making this complication extremely unlikely.