The most well known laser eye surgery is the procedure called "Laser In Situ Keratomileusis," popularly known as LASIK. This technique is advertised on the Internet, newspapers and magazines, and it is very important that people know everything about the risks and benefits of this form of laser eye surgery, called LASIK.
The procedure consists in permanently changing the shape of the cornea, which reduces the refractive error, and is performed for the treatment of varying degrees of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
Doctor O'Brien, director of refractive surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, warns that people who want to undergo this form of laser eye surgery need to be concerned of ads that make exaggerate promises. "Price should not be the first factor" when a person decides to have such a delicate laser eye surgery, he says. He also added that it's very important to have an experienced, capable surgeon.
Doctors promise you that this form of laser eye surgery, LASIK, will give you a rapid visual recovery, with littlest pain, and little or no post-operative discomfort.
Most of the people who have LASIK are happy with the results of their surgery, but, as with any medical procedure, there are risks involved. The risks of this form of laser eye surgery include: over- or under- treatment; permanent loss of vision; the incapacity of wearing contact lenses; reduction in the quality of vision; trouble with night-driving; and diminished vision in dim light conditions. Furthermore, this form of laser eye surgery is not reversible.
LASIK is not the only form of laser eye surgery used today. Another option is photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, which is chosen by less then 5% of people. Even though, there are certain cases when this type of laser eye surgery is more appropriate then LASIK. PRK delicately changes the shape of the cornea by taking microscopic amounts of tissue from the outer surface with a cool, computer-controlled ultraviolet beam of light. This form of laser eye surgery takes just a few minutes, and the patients recover in a week maximum.
Another type of laser eye surgery, appropriate for temporarliy reducing hyperopia at people over 40, is Laser Thermal Keratoplasty, or LTK. This procedure involves zapping 16 spots on the outer part of the cornea to shrink the tissue. If the patient chooses this form of laser eye surgery, there will be a minimal chance of infection or loss of vision. The disadvantage is that the procedure is temporary.
Experts say that laser eye surgery is benefic for people who have mild to moderate levels of refractive errors. But people must be aware of the risks involved by this procedure.
Lasik also known as laser in situ keratomileusis which means "to shape the cornea within using a laser" is a procedure in which a laser is used to reshape the cornea to correct refractive error related to cornea and retina. The procedure is used to correct vision problems that are normally corrected by eyewear.
Before this technology an ophthalmologist was limited to standard vision correction with prescriptions. Now patients can have this advanced technology treatment to correct Myopia or nearsightedness, Hyperopia or farsightedness and Astigmatism by reshaping the cornea.
This corrects the refractive light error on the retina that causes the vision problem. The lens inside the eye focuses on incoming light rays on the retina. When the cornea and lens are not perfectly matched the images are out of focus - this is refractive error.
The types of refractive error are Myopia, Hyperopia or Astigmatism. Patients may not be candidates for laser eye surgery with Presbyopia or vision needing reading glasses or bifocals to facilitate work. Lasik laser surgery cannot correct this problem other than with "blended vision" or "monovision" correction.
The procedure has little discomfort during and after surgery. It is not done with general anesthesia. The ophthalmologist will put numbing drops into the eye before the treatment. The surgery takes approximately 30 minutes for the entire procedure.
Any pain experienced after surgery will be taken care of with an over the counter pain medication. Most of the time both eyes are done the same day. After the surgery patients must not drive, therefore transportation by another persona is needed.
After treatment it is recommended that the patient sleep or rest. The patient must be sure not to rub or injure the eye since a corneal flap has been carefully put back in its original position. Contact your ophthalmologist if you have any excessive pain or develop any complications that were discussed with you about your surgery.
With successful surgery vision will improve over time. There will no reason for any additional procedure for the rest of your life to improve vision if the Lasik laser surgery was successful and there were not complication.
A number of laser procedures are available. Lasik is a specific excimer laser surgery. Other laser ablations or cornea reshaping procedures can be done with conventional laser treatments, wave front optimized treatments and wave front guided treatments. Another type of laser is femtosecond laser can be used to create the corneal flap.
Call your ophthalmologist or Houston Lasik surgeon for more information. Qualified Lasik laser surgery is available across America and in Texas in cities as Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Both David C Skul & Charles Moore are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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