Eye Healthy Care Information

LASIK is a recent laser eye surgery technique which FDA approved for use in 1998. As of now, there are no long term studies about its effects. For this reason and because making decisions regarding one’s eye sight is very important, you must do comprehensive research to be able to judge if the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are manageable risks for your treatment. If you do the research, you’ll be able to select a skilled and experienced eye surgeon. Many experts acknowledge the fact that the success LASIK heavily depends on the surgeon and not on the machine. You’ll also willingly participate in undergoing the tests because you know these are crucial tests to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

What are the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery? The best benefit is easy to enough to identify. Your eye sight will immediately improve. So if you suffer from any of the following conditions, moderate to high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness), low to moderate degrees of hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism associated with myopia, and have thick corneas, you’ll qualify for the operation.

Two other significant benefits you should consider in weighing the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are its fast recovery time and immediate results of improved eye sight. LASIK patients normally get better eye acuity of 75% to 85% within 24 hours. This compares favorably against the two older surgical techniques, radial keratotomy (RK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), where healing & improved vision takes weeks or months to occur. Also, LASIK operations generally take under a minute to perform on one eye, you walk out of the clinic within hours.

Now that the pros have been highlighted, what are the cons found in the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery?

If the patients’ eye condition is incorrectly diagnosed, the patient might develop permanent debilitating visual symptoms such as glare, halos, or double vision after the operation.

If you don’t have dry eye syndrome, you may develop one. You’d be uncomfortable, and permanent. Left untreated, it will be unhealthy for your corneas.

If you are farsighted, as you age, the benefits of LASIK will diminish with age, you’ll need glasses or contacts in the later years.
Many patients experience significant improvement with their vision after LASEK. But remember to have realistic expectations; your age, eye condition and health are serious considerations. You may still need to wear eyeglasses or contacts after the operation.
Educate yourself. If you do, you’ll competently manage the pros and cons of LASIK surgery. You’ll enjoy keener eye sight afterwards.

Tim Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Vision-Doctor.com an online website that offers discounts on contact lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses and free information on LASIK eye surgery procedures that you can view in the privacy of your own home.

Tags: correction, corrective, eye, improve, improvement, laser, lasik, repair, surgery, visioncorrection, corrective, eye, improve, improvement, laser, lasik, repair, surgery, vision

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In most cases laser eye surgery is safe. But, like any other surgical procedure there are certain risks that need to be addressed. A large number of patients have been able to stop wearing glasses after surgery and have achieved 20/40 vision, or better, that have been cases where patients have a decreased vision after surgery. There are some things that need to be taken into account before choosing a “safe” laser eye surgery.

Corneal Haze

This is a common side effect of laser eye surgery, but usually fades with time, although not always. It can’t be corrected with contact lenses or glasses, but only a further surgery procedure to treat scarring, such as CustomVue WaveFront.

Decreased 20/20 Vision

Many types of laser eye surgery can leave scarred tissue, resulting in a 20/20 vision lower than the one the patient used to experience before treatment. Over corrected or under corrected vision is also a common side effect of laser eye surgery. In such cases, glasses or contact lenses may still be needed or the patient may be recommended a second surgery for more effectiveness.

Vision Loss

Laser surgery procedures which use a microkeratome blade to cut a flap involve the risk of cutting it off instead of leaving it hinged. If the flap is damaged, the patient may suffer vision loss. Successful procedures that use a blade can still leave small imperfections that can result in blurred vision.

Post Operative Infections

Choosing a skilled and experienced surgeon is certainly helpful to make laser eye surgery safe, but there’s always the risk of post operative infection. This risk is higher in PRK and LASEK than LASIK. In most cases, these infections can be treated with medication and usually don’t turn into long-term problems. However, more sever complications ca result into temporary vision loss or even worse. The healing process is longer for PRK and LASEK than LASIK.

It is important to not have extremely high expectations about laser eye surgery, This treatment may not be suitable for some people. There are some things to consider, such as “Is laser eye surgery safe?”, “are your expectations reasonable?”, and “Is laser eye surgery safe for you?” In order to answer these questions you have to learn more about what to expect from each type of laser eye surgery. You should know the positives and negatives of them all, and talk to your doctor about what is best for you.

Laser eye surgery is not a good choice for everyone. Pregnant women, people who suffer from diabetes, patients who have problems with binocular visions, thin corneas, dry eyes or large pupils may not be good candidates for this type of treatment.

Learn more Eye Surgery Facts at http://eyesurgery.factsandnews.com

Tags: 20/20, eye, laser, lasik, optic, surgery, vision20/20, eye, laser, lasik, optic, surgery, vision

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Technology moves at alarmingly fast rates now, and where glasses or contact lenses have been required in the past to correct vision deficiencies there is now an alternative. Laser eye correction is a relatively affordable procedure that means you won’t need to wear your reading glasses anymore and can correct virtually any eye problem. It is suitable for any adult with an eye problem and may be the answer you are looking for.

What is Laser Eye Correction?

Laser Eye Correction, or refractive surgery as it is also known, is a quick procedure usually taking up to 15 minutes per eye. The actual laser treatment consists of less than 1 minute. During this process a laser scans your eyes pinpointing hundreds of unique points on your cornea. Once this is done, the software used can determine exactly where the fault lies and ascertain the minor adjustments needed to restore your sight back to a reasonable level. The laser then reshapes the cornea so that your eyesight becomes at least 20/40 vision, although in most cases it can be restored completely to 20/20 vision. Your surgeon will, of course, talk you through the exact procedure before surgery commences and if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask.

You will be administered with anaesthetic eye drops prior to any procedure and a subtle restraining device placed on your eyes so there is no danger of you blinking. The apparatus accounts for small eye movements, so even if you can’t quite manage to stare at the red light all the way through the procedure there shouldn’t be a problem.

Most patients suffer from little or no discomfort and the recovery time after the procedure is very little. It is advised that on completion of the correction you rest your eyes until next day, don’t stare at a television or a computer and don’t go anywhere where there is smoke or other pollutants. Next day you should be able to return to your normal daily life without the need for glasses or contact lenses.

Exactly how effective is the treatment?

Approximately 95% of patients have 20/20 vision or better following treatment and half have reported that their eyesight is better after treatment than when using glasses or contacts before. Ordinarily there is no need for further treatment because the sight you have after correction is the sight you will have for the rest of your life. In fact, many clinics offer the equivalent of a lifetime guarantee, so if you do need any enhancements you will receive them free of charge.

In patients over the age of forty it will probably be necessary to still wear reading glasses because they are required for problems other than cornea problems that can’t be treated by correctional treatment. As a general rule, though, if you have an eye problem that means you need to wear glasses to improve your sight and your sight has been at a steady level for 12 months or more the laser surgery should be successful.

The cost of Laser Eye Correction varies depending on the level of treatment you need and other determining factors but you can expect to pay between $800 and $1000 per eye. Usually, if you have both eyes done in the same visit (There are no known problems with choosing to do this) then you can expect to pay a little less.

The possible risks of Laser Eye Correction.

As with all surgery there are small risks associated with Laser Eye Correction.

There is a very low risk of infection, affecting only around 1 in 5000 patients. Most surgeons and clinics will provide you with a course of antibiotics and check ups to ensure that your eyes are reacting well to the surgery.

An enhancement may be required to correct your vision if surgery leads to over correction or under correction. Again, this is rare but still possible because everyone’s eyes are different. Some are softer than others and some harder. This can lead to under correction or over correction.

During a short period after treatment you may experience seeing halos around objects when viewed at night, but this should normally clear up after a week or so. If you continue to experience these problems then consult the surgeon who completed your correction treatment for further advice.

If you directly touch or injure your eye immediately after surgery or within 24 hours you should consult your surgeon as this can lead to a shifting of the flap that is created during treatment. A little care and attentiveness will prevent this from happening and almost any risk of shifting flaps is massively reduced after 24 hours.

Laser Eye Correction is now a mainstream treatment for the masses. Many people who wear glasses or contact lenses have considered Laser Eye Correction because it is a painless, easy procedure that will fix your eyesight and alleviate the need to wear glasses.

As with any surgery, there are risks associated with the treatment but they are minimal and consultation with your surgeon should allay any fears you may have.

©2005 Jenna Keys

Jenna Keys is editor and webmaster of http://www.vision-correction-resource.com, a website dedicated to providing information and resources on corrective eye procedures.

Tags: correction, eye, laser, lasik, surgery, visioncorrection, eye, laser, lasik, surgery, vision

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