All too often, problems with a patient's night vision have resulted following laser eye surgery - problems such as night glare, haloes and rings.

But these problems can be minimized, or even eliminated, by proper patient screening, skilled surgical manipulation and the proper, most up-to-date excimer laser technology.

Each prospective Lasik subject needs to be evaluated in terms of the severity of his or her nearsightedness and astigmatism, and the largeness of the pupils. People who are highly myopic or astigmatic, or who have large pupils, have been found to be at greatest risk of experiencing difficulties with their night vision in the period after undergoing Lasik surgery.

Once an eye surgeon conducts his evaluation, he's in a position to either adjust the Lasik procedure to fit the patient's situation, or to reject the patient as one on whom the procedure will likely fail.

With today's modern technology, eye surgeons can create what they call a "blend zone" around the laser treatment area. The physicians create and manipulate this blend zone in such a way as to reduce or prevent night-vision problems altogether. In fact, such surgery has actually done away with night-vision issues for many patients who have been bothered by them before their Lasik procedure.

Of course, since Lasik is a form of surgery, it produces trauma (however small) and swelling, which means that some night glare, haloes, or rings are to be expected during the first few weeks of recovery. But these conditions usually fade as the corneal flap heals and the swelling goes down.

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