LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) surgery permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A flap in the cornea is cut using an special knife called microkeratome. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. This is just one of the techniques of Lasik.
Lasik Eye Surgery: Is this the right time? Examine your eyes with your eye doctor to start with. You must be in good general health and should be over 18 years of age. You should not have any eye diseases of concern like cataracts or glaucoma. Laser vision correction can treat a very broad range of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Does the Lasik eye surgery hurt? Is it painful? The surgery may be a bit uncomfortable for a few patients. One good way to learn more about how it might feel is to talk to someone who has had the procedure, such as a friend or relative, or a staff member at the doctor's office. Most of the times, its just the fear of the unknown. Anesthetic drops are used to numb the eye just before surgery begins and you may be given a mild sedative. After your procedure, your eye may feel a foreign body sensation or irritation for a few hours, but most patients are quite comfortable after taking a short nap. You will be given drops for your eyes to counteract the potential dryness you may experience for several days following the surgery.
Recovery period after Lasik Most Lasik patients usually see quite well the day following their procedure and may be able to resume most of their normal daily activities, but patients with higher prescriptions may recover more slowly. Although the speed of visual recovery depends on personal healing patterns, most patients notice dramatic visual results within the first few days following their procedure.
What are the risks from Lasik surgery? There are very few risks with the laser vision correction procedure. However, the chances of having a vision reducing complication have been documented in a number of clinical studies to be minimal. Do not forget that millions of people have had excellent results from laser vision correction.
You also probably head of the Lasik eye surgery. Lasik is actually a group of surgical procedures that are aiming to correct near- and far-sightedness in vision. Many patients undergo a LASIK surgery as an alternative to wearing corrective glasses or contact lenses. But you should know that while procedures such as LASIK have the ability to provide acute vision there is no way to quantify the quality of vision the patient will see after the surgery.
The operation itself involves peeling thin layers from the patient's cornea, using a precise laser technology. The pealing of this layer corrects the imperfection in the patent's cornea thus giving them a correction in vision that is usually provided by their glasses or contact lenses.
In preparation to the surgery, a patient who wears soft contact lenses will be asked to stop wearing them 10 days before the surgery. Users of hard contacts are instructed to stop using them six weeks before the surgery. Before the surgery, the patient's cornea surface are scanned with a special computer and their pattern is recorded to provide precise information on how much tissue should be removed during the operation. The patients is also starting to take anti-biotic to reduce the risk of infection.
The surgery itself is performed under a mild sedative (such as Valium) and anesthetic eye drops. After the procedure, the patient is given a course of antibiotic and anti-inflamitory eye drops.
Patients are also given a darkened pair of goggles to protect their eyes from rubbing when asleep. It is advised to wear these from four to eight weeks depending on the nature of the surgery.
So, if a quick Lasik surgery can rid you of our glasses for good, why aren't all glasses wearing people go to a clinic and get it done?
Like all good things, Lasik surgery has some disadvantages and complications. First of all, a good Lasik surgery can cost quite a bit, and not all health insurances will cover the costs (some will cover only part of the costs). And second, there are complication that are associated with thisd procedure. About %3-%6 of patients tend to suffer from one or more of the following complications:
Dry eyes Overcorrection or undercorrection Visual acuity fluctuation Halos or starbursts around light sources at night Light sensitivity Ghosts or double vision Wrinkles in flap Decentered ablation Debris or growth under flap Thin or buttonhole flap Induced astigmatism Epithelium erosion Posterior vitreous detachment Macular holes
As you can see, this procedure is not problem free. Before undergoing such a procedure, ask yourself if the glasses you wear as so bad that you are willing to do this operation to get rid of them. If the answer is less than a resounding "yes", you better reconsider this operation.
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Kevin Pederson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Nutrition, Fibromyalgia and Yoga Practice. Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on