Does High Altitude Affect LASIK Safety?

Is having LASIK surgery in Colorado less safe than, for example, having LASIK in California?

Many eye related complications can arise due to high altitudes. For example, people that live in high altitude areas have a difficult time wearing extended wear contact lenses. Although there are now contact lenses that you can leave on overnight, high altitude can cause problems that don't occur at regular elevation.

This and many other such issues related to the elevation are largely caused by the swelling of the cornea. This swelling is known as corneal edema. As there are more cases of corneal edema in high altitude areas, many people question whether undergoing LASIK surgery is safe in those places.

Of course, this is a valid concern as our eyes are our life and you should address this query and discuss it with your LASIK surgeon. But, most experts do agree on the fact that there are no more risks at high elevation than you have at regular altitude. This essentially means that you can have a safe and sound LASIK surgery in Colorado and other high altitude places. In fact, according to some experts, having LASIK done in high altitude areas may even be more beneficial to your eyes, as corrective lenses are the source of most eye problems and difficulties in high elevations.

But why do people hold the belief that LASIK is not safe in high altitude areas? Good question. This belief stems up from the experience of Dr. Weathers. Dr. Weathers had undergone and older-style vision correction surgery and he ran into problems when he was climbing Mt. Everest. His vision reduced so much during the climb that he was forced to turn around and it nearly resulted in his death. But let's get to the facts first: Dr. Weathers had neither undergone LASIK nor PRK. Instead, he had an older-style eye surgery called RK (Radial Keractometry). RK also resulted in similar problems for two other climbers attempting to ascend Mt. Everest and Mt. McKinley. However, various studies have showed that these people wouldn't have had encountered any problems if they had undergone laser vision correction surgeries such as LASIK or PRK.

So, yes, having LASIK in Colorado or any other high altitude area is safe. Nevertheless, it is always more assuring to ask your LASIK surgeon about this issue and we recommend that you ask your ophthalmologist (or surgeon).

Check out our Colorado Lasik Laser Eye Surgery Guide for more information about Colorado lasik vision correction.