The risks involved with laser eye surgery can be very low. It is impossible to say that there is absolutely no chance of an infection occurring or that there is no risk at all. No doctor or surgeon can ever say that about any type of surgery. There are minimal with laser eye surgery however and very few cases when anything has ever gone wrong. If you or someone in your family are going to be having laser eye surgery then of course you are going to be a little nervous or apprehensive beforehand. This is natural. You can rest assured however that the procedure is quick and is being carried out by experienced professionals who know what they are doing.
When you go for laser eye surgery you can't actually feel any pain. The procedure doesn't hurt and usually takes just a few minutes on each eye. After the surgery is over you may well be given eye drops that are designed to prevent an infection. You may also be given a pair of glasses or goggles to wear for a few days post surgery. An infection occurring in the eye is the most likely problem that can occur, but if you follow the instructions that the doctor gives you and use the eye drops as prescribed then the chances of developing an infection are greatly reduced. After surgery you will required to visit the eye doctor a couple more times so that they can check everything is working as it should be and there are no problems with the eyes. If there is something wrong then it will be detected early which means a solution can be found and the problem rectified immediately.
There are a number of conditions that can be treated with laser eye surgery. From relatively minor conditions such as dry eye syndrome (when you have a problem with the tear duct) and blepharospasm (which is the involuntary twitching of the eye) to serious problems such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. If some eye conditions are left untreated then the end result can be partial or complete blindness. It is always better to consider laser eye surgery to correct the problems. When it comes to eyesight, it is simply not worth the risk and leaving a serious condition untreated is very risky, much more so than having the surgery.
You can talk to a doctor and discuss the options available and take time finding a hospital that you like the look of. You can take your time discussing the treatments and even carry out your own background research - anything to put your mind at rest. Although it may sound like a very serious surgery, laser eye surgery just takes a few minutes. You can be in and out of the hospital in under an hour. Some anesthetic will be used in the procedure and after the surgery is completed you may be required to rest at the hospital for thirty minutes or so so it can wear off. The surgery is carried out on an outpatient basis however so you can then go home. Some patients are back at work the following day. There may be a few days when you need to rest your eyes and avoid straining them, but otherwise life can pretty much carry on as normal.
As with any type of surgery, it is impossible to say there are no risks. There are risks involved with laser eye surgery, but only very small risks. Being able to correct conditions such as cataracts or wet AMD far outweigh any risks involved in the procedure. Whether you want treatment for blepharospasm or need to repair lost sight from cataracts, you shouldn't worry about possible laser eye surgery risks and instead just go for it.