lasik surgery

Around 5% of Patients Feel the Side Effects of Lasik Surgery

Let us assume that one has had lasik procedure and thanks to the numbing drops used in the surgery, the lasik eye surgery was absolutely painless. The only problem that may occur is when the effect of the drops wears off and there is some amount of discomfort or dryness that lasts a few hours though possibly there would not be any severe pain.

Like others, every patient would be looking forward to a new life after lasik eye surgery and so may want to know more about side effects of lasik surgery. There are some side effects of lasik surgery that includes blurred vision, light sensitivity or some dryness in the eyes. These side effects of lasik surgery may not last long and may soon disappear and the eyes will start to heal once again.

Infections, Under and Over-Correction

Some amount of risk of complications as well as side effects following a laser vision correction is to be expected and these include infections, under-correction, over-correction, night glare, regression as well as corneal haze. There may also be other side effects of lasik surgery such as free flap with laslasikd epithelial in growth after lasik. The biggest risk after lasik surgery would surely be infection and this requires a post surgery activity schedule that needs to be followed. The chances of developing eye infection are very low though it may still occur and in case of eye infection, the healing process would often be very slow.

It is believed that as many as five percent of patients that have had lasik surgery would experience some form of side effects of lasik surgery. However, much more common is that the surgery has led to under-correction and this may require a touch up that may be performed within 90 days. Even after lasik surgery, a doctor may need to prescribe the patient to use corrective lenses to be able to see clearly once again. This may be due to either under-correction or over-connection. Flap loss with lasik implies that a flap of tissue is made above the cornea and this flap may come off due to the patient injuring him or her or through direct contact with the eye within 24 hours of surgery.

There are also side effects of lasik surgery that involve dry eyes and this condition causes the eye to be unable to produce tears that would enable the eye to stay clean as well as moist. The patient with a dry eye would feel a burning sensation or irregular blurring of the affected eye and this needs intensive drop therapy to treat it.

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For more information about side effects of lasik surgery go to http://www.lasik-basics.com/ or http://lasik-vision-correction.blogspot.com/

Can I deduct the cost of lasik surgery as a medical expense?

I had lasik surgery this year and I started wondering if I itemize can I deduct lasik as a medical expense or since it is a cosmetic or unnecessary procedure would it be disqualified as a deduction?

You can deduct it if it is to correct “defective vision”. LASIK is mentioned by name at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-03-57.pdf as being for the correction of bodily disfunction and therefore a legitimate medical expense that may be deducted. For tax purposes, “cosmetic” surgery is surgery that is to make you look better to others (facelifts, breast implants, etc.), not surgery to help you see normally.

a. “You can include in medical expenses the amount you pay for eye surgery tlaser eye surgery vision, such as laser eye surgery or radial keratotomy. ”
b. “…laser eye surgery is allowed under § 213(d)(9) because the surgery is a procedure that meaningfully promotes the proper function of the body. Vision correction with eyeglasses or contact lenses qualifies as medical care. See Rev. Rul. 74-429, 1974-2 C.B. 83. Eye surgery to correct defective vision, including laser procedures such as LASIK and radial keratotomy, corrects a dysfunction of the body. Accordingly, the cost of the laser eye surgery is an expense for medical care within the meaning of § 213(d) that B may deduct under § 213 (subject to the limitations of that section).”
c. You can deduct “Surgery to improve defective vision, such as laser eye surgery”.
d. “The cost of items such as false teeth, prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, crutches, wheelchairs, and guide dogs for the blind or deaf are deductible medical expenses.”

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