Starbursts


Starbursts are the name given to the symptom of light rays radiating out of a light source, such as lights, televisions or computer screens. They are rare complications of LASIK eye surgery that can also naturally occur due to old age.

Many people undergo LASIK corrective eye surgery every year. It involves removal of part of the cornea or front of the eye, which is responsible for the majority of the image focussing. By changing the thickness of the cornea ophthalmologists can correct many common vision problems. There are many problems associated with the use of corrective eye surgery such as LASIK. The majority of these problems occur either at night or in dark environments.

LASIK surgery involves the removal of part of the cornea after creating a flap in the front part of the eye. After this a laser is used to finely trim areas of the cornea to help correct vision problems. When too little of the peripheral part of the cornea is removed, this leads to the blurring of light sources in dark rooms. This only occurs around the edge of the object, as the central aspect of the cornea is usually adequately corrected. During the day, or in places where there is a lot of light, this problem doesn’t occur due to the iris constricting. This prevents light passing through the peripheral cornea which isn’t corrected enough, thereby preventing any blurring.

Thankfully the incidence of these problems is decreasing due to better operative techniques. Many people who suffer from starbursts find that that they spontaneously resolve, however if they persist they can usually be easily corrected with further corrective surgery.

Visit the Laser Eye Surgery Guide to find more information.


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