Can the corneal flap become detached following laser eye surgery?
When the corneal flap is created during the first stage of laser eye surgery, the surgeon always leaves a hinge. As long as this hinge remains intact, the flap cannot be lost. We advise our patients to avoid rubbing their eyes after LASIK surgery – this can displace the flap; however, flaps that have shifted following laser eye surgery can always be put back into the correct position with a secondary procedure. Note: following LASIK surgery at CLEARLY LASIK eye centers, our laser eye surgery staff will provide each patient with protective eye shields that can be worn for the first day following LASIK surgery. This shield will help prevent LASIK patients from rubbing their eyes and displacing the flap. *In rare situations (<1 in 6,000 cases), the flap can become completely detached during laser eye surgery. This is not necessarily a problem. In fact, LASIK was originally performed using a "free-flap" method. Our LASIK surgeons can simply replace the flap in the correct position. Though
