Leisure activities : How will laser eye surgery affect them?

(Posted: Dec 2004)

Introduction: Why it is so important to consider your leisure activities before having laser eye surgery
Obviously if you have a serious complication, all bets are off, and you, as a savvy consumer, will seek out an excellent surgeon and facility to minimise the likelihood of a complication and maximise your likelihood of full recovery if there is one. However, it is easy to overlook the potential impact of common side effects from laser eye surgery on one's activities. Reduced contrast sensitivity, starbursts and halos, and dry eye are the most often reported side effects which bother patients. The savvy consumer will take stock of their leisure activities to see how they might feel about side effects which may affect those activities, and then seek out more information on how to lower their risks of getting those side effects.

1. Are you an avid reader? YES / NO
Dry eye is the side effect most likely to interfere with your reading pleasure after eye surgery (particularly LASIK). In severe cases patients have reported to us having to give up reading for pleasure altogether, particularly if they have a job which requires reading (and therefore they have to conserve reading time). In mild cases, you may require eyedrops to keep your eyes comfortable. This will be true for many patients in the short term and some in the long term. Other considerations for readers, particularly the over-40 crowd who may be presbyopic (or approaching presbyopia) include their strategy for distance vs near vision management, whether they will consider monovision or will wear glasses for reading.

2. Do you use a computer frequently? YES / NO
Computer use dramatically reduces your blink rate - the essential mechanism to keep your eye surface properly lubricated - and therefore even without laser eye surgery can cause dry eye symptoms. In the first weeks and months after surgery (particularly after LASIK which severs many more nerves than surface procedures, and even more so with high prescriptions) heavy computer users may experience more dry eye symptoms than other people and excessive dry eye (particularly if not treated properly) may even have a detrimental effect on the healing process. Frequent computer users who already have dry eye symptoms or contact lens intolerance need to be aware that they may be at higher risk of severe chronic dry eye following surgery.

3. Do you do many open-air activities which expose you to wind? YES / NO
Examples: Cycling, driving a convertible, water sports. Dry eye may be a consideration for you - particularly if you have any predisposition to dry eye. In the post-operative healing period you will need to carefully protect your eyes with glasses or goggles. Patients who are unfortunate enough to have long-term dry eye may find that becomes permanent.

4. Do you engage in any activities for which you need excellent distance vision? YES / NO
Examples: Golf, tennis, etc. It is very important - and often very difficult - for prospective patients to understand that even if they achieve 20/20 or 20/15 vision, they may not feel that they see CLEARLY at a distance, because the 20/X chart measures only visual acuity and not vision quality. There is even a report in the medical literature of an ophthalmologist who achieved 20/15 in both eyes but had poor vision quality and apparently was not pleased with the results. Savvy prospective patients who have high expectations of vision quality need to do the upfront work to learn about vision quality and how best to preserve it or place it at as little risk as possible.

5. Do you have any hobbies performed primarily at night? YES / NO
Example: Astronomy (or even simple star-gazing). If you have an activity that you do only or mostly at night, you need to pay careful attention to everything on this website about night vision disturbances, high prescriptions, large dark-adapted pupils, and laser treatment zones. You may also want to think very carefully about whether, if the activity is important to you, you are really willing to take the risk of compromising it permanently. Be aware that there are no reliable fixes for impaired night vision after laser eye surgery, unless the impairment is caused solely by under or overcorrection.

6. Do you go out at night a lot? YES / NO
Risk levels for night vision disturbance may be an important consideration for you. Starbursts/haloes can interfere with your comfort level with night driving. Reduced contrast sensitivity can make you uncomfortable in restaurants or bars where you may not be able to see people (or the menu) as clearly as before. Concert halls and theatres may be more difficult to enjoy because of reduced vision quality.