Lasik Surgery - Thinking about it? Valuable Information on making a decision on getting surgery

What is LASIK? This article is for people who are planning to have lasik surgery, or who would like information about it. This information as well as a various other information on Lasik surgery can be found at  http://www.lasik--surgery.com . New articles and information is added each and every day. LASIK stands for "laser assisted in situ keratomileusis", which is a surgical procedure used to treat nearsightedness, medically known as myopia, farsightedness known as hyperopia and astigmatism. LASIK , is performed by medical doctors called ophthalmologists who are specially trained in surgery of the eye. The doctor uses a laser and a microsurgical instrument to change the shape of the cornea. The cornea is the clear covering which the eye uses to focus light on the receptors in the back of the eye. By reshaping the cornea, the doctor is able adjust the focus point in the eye which can allow for clearer vision. While in many cases, LASIK surgery may decrease or even eliminate your need for corrective eyewear, for distant vision, you will very possibly still need reading glasses sometime in you mid-40s. As with most things in life, there are trade-offs. It is important to consider this in determining if LASIK is right for you.   Is LASIK for Me? LASIK has helped a lot of people to significantly reduce their dependence on glasses or contacts. However, it is not for everyone. Your ophthalmologist is the best source of information pertinent to your needs and the conditions that may prevent you from being a good candidate for LASIK . Generally, you should have healthy eyes, not be pregnant or nursing and be over 18 years old. Your vision should be stable with no change in your eyewear prescription in the last 12 months. Your vision error should also be with in acceptable ranges of correction for LASIK . Finally, you must understand the potential risks, complications and side effects (some of which are listed below) associated with LASIK and be willing to subject yourself to those risks. You should discuss these issues with your surgeon, carefully weighing the risks and rewards before making you final decision. How Is LASIK Done With the patient comfortably seated in a reclining chair, LASIK is performed in an outpatient surgical suite. The eye is first numbed with a few anesthetic drops. An eyelid holder is placed between the eyelids to prevent you blinking. A suction ring is placed on the eye which lifts and flattens the cornea and helps keep your eye from moving. You may feel pressure from the eyelid holder and suction ring, similar to a finger pressed firmly on your eyelid. From the time the suction ring is put on the eye until it is removed, vision appears dim or goes black. Once the eye is stabilized and prepared for LASIK , a microsurgical instrument is attached to the suction ring. The blade moves across the cornea, stopping at a point, far enough from the edge of the cornea to create a hinged flap of thin corneal tissue. The instrument and the ring are removed from your eye, allowing the flap to be lifted and folded back. Now the laser is moved into place, Following preprogrammed settings, specific to your eye, the laser begins reshaping the cornea. In most cases, a pupil tracker will be used to keep the laser centered on your pupil during surgery. After the reshaping of the cornea is complete, the surgeon places the flap back into position and smoothes the edges. The flap adheres on its own within minutes. Explanation of Different Types of Lasik Procedures PRK , or photorefractive keratectomy, is one of the first corrective eye procedures that was developed. During this procedure the upper layer of cells which cover the cornea, the epithelial layer, are carefully removed. Once this layer of cells is removed the surgeon uses an excimer laser to shape the cornea. How much tissue on the cornea is removed for this reshaping process depends on how bad the person’s eye sight was. PRK is different from the LASIK procedure in that a corneal flap is not created, and so less of the cornea is altered during PRK surgery. This surgery is often used on people who cannot get LASIK because they have very thin corneas.   Custom Wavefront LASIK utilizes some of the latest technology to improve surgical corrective eye procedures. This type of procedure uses Wavefront technology to customize a person’s LASIK correction procedure. The advantage of this technology is that a patient is able to have their cornea mapped down to the smallest detail. The surgeon can then achieve a finer level of correction when the cornea is reshaped. The results of Wavefront LASIK are reportedly an increased quality of vision, reduction in night vision difficulties, and a reduction in halos and glare. The procedure used to correct the cornea is the same as the original LASIK surgery.   Epi-LASIK is an advanced LASIK procedure that was developed in order to address some problems that arose from LASIK procedures. Original LASIK corrects the cornea by cutting a flap within the cornea itself; this procedure can sometimes lead to visual disturbances such as halos, and people with thin corneas who are unable to undergo a regular LASIK procedure. Epi-LASIK is a procedure that corrects vision by lifting up the upper epithelium layer from the top corneal tissues, and then the cornea is sculpted. No flap in the cornea is produced, and the epithelium layer grows back in 3-5 days. Epi-LASIK procedures can be performed on patients with thin corneas and patients with high degrees of myopia.   LASEK , or Laser-Assisted Sub Epithelial Keratectomy, is a corrective eye procedure that has been performed since 1996. This procedure was developed from PRK and LASIK procedures, and was created in order to address complications and problems that arose from PRK and LASIK procedures. The LASEK procedure uses a fine trephine blade and a 20% alcohol solution to gently lift the upper epithelial layer off the surface of the eye and fold the layer back. The cornea is then reshaped with an excimer laser, and the epithelium layer is laid back down and left to heal. The PRK procedure does not preserve the epithelial layer, and the LASIK procedure uses a thicker blade to cut deeper into the cornea.   IntraLase "Bladeless" eye surgery is a corrective eye surgery that uses a laser, instead of a blade, to create a flap in the cornea. This is the only ‘bladeless’ corrective eye surgery technique available at this time. The IntraLase laser works by creating a tiny layer of bubbles just below the surface of the cornea; this layer of bubbles allows the surgeon to gently lift the flap back without using a blade, and then the cornea is reshaped. The flap is folded back down after the surgery is performed and left to heal. The bladeless IntraLase procedure reduces possible complications that can occur from cutting into the cornea.   Presby LASIK , also known as Multifocal LASIK, is a corrective eye procedure which is used to address the eye condition called presbyopia. Presbyopia is a condition which normally develops in many people between 40 to 50 years of age. This condition is characterized by the inability to focus at all distances; multifocal glasses are used in these cases to correct the vision. The Presby LASIK procedure uses a laser to reshape the eye into a design that works just like a multi-focal lens. Often a ‘peak’ is left on the cornea, and then the sides are gradually smoothed down. The end result is the ability to focus on near and far distances at the same time. This procedure has not yet been approved by the FDA; the only way to receive Presby LASIK in the United States is to join a clinical trial.   And after LASIK surgery? Immediately following LASIK surgery , it is common to have a burning or scratchy sensation. This will typically disappear in a few hours. It is best to plan on relaxing at home or even napping after your procedure. Your ophthalmologist may give you a clear shield to wear over your eye after surgery or at night to prevent accidental rubbing or scratching of you eyes. Dryness after surgery is common. You will usually be given eye drops to alleviate dryness and assist the healing process. Are there risks, complications, and side effects? Any surgical procedure has potential risks and complications. When considering LASIK surgery or any elective surgical procedure, those risks and complications should be carefully weighed against the potential benefits. LASIK can sometimes result in vision that is either under or over corrected. Most often, these problems can be improved with additional laser surgery, glasses, or contact lenses. While permanent vision loss is very rare, there is an extremely small chance that your vision will not be as good after the surgery as before, even with glasses or contacts. Most complications can be routinely be treated without any loss of vision. Most side effects experienced by LASIK patients are temporary in nature. In rare instances, they may be permanent. These side effects may include: scratchiness; dryness; glare; light sensitivity; discomfort or pain; hazy or blurry vision; halos or starbursts around lights. The most common side effects experienced by LASIK surgery patients are some dryness in the eyes and fluctuating vision during the day. Generally, these effects fade within the first month. Occasionally, these symptoms continue to for a longer period of time. As with any surgical procedure, infection is a small possibility with LASIK . If this occurs, antibiotics will generally clear up the infection. On rare occasion, complications will cause irregularities in the flap created during surgery which will require additional treatment. What results can I expect after LASIK surgery? The goal of LASIK surgery is to reduce or eliminate the dependence on corrective eyewear for most daily tasks. While LASIK has greatly enhanced the quality of life of thousands of people, it is important to know that correction is not always complete. Generally most people achieve vision in the 20/20 to 20/40 range. Occasionally, under correction can be enhanced by a second surgery.   LASIK surgery cannot eliminate the need for reading glasses due to age related near vision loss. By the time we reach 40 or 50, virtually everyone with excellent distant vision will need help reading. Conversely, many people with less than perfect distant vision, can read and do other close up activities with little or no vision correction. While LASIK offers potential elimination of corrective eyewear for distant vision, it could also cause the need for reading glasses in individuals over 40. It is a trade off that should be considered, particularly for individuals who's income depends on near vision! If you regularly engage in activities or a career that requires 20/20 vision, you must consider that there is a chance that LASIK eye surgery might fall short or a second surgery may be required. In addition, 20/40 might be the best that can be achieved and in rare instances worse things could happen. Finally, you might be trading daily corrective lenses for seeing distant for reading glasses for close up work or glasses for other tasks such as night driving. Summary Your local ophthalmologist is your best resource for evaluating the risks and rewards of LASIK surgery . LASIK is currently the most popular method of eliminating or reducing dependency on glasses or contacts. If it is right for you, join thousand who have benefited from the benefits of LASIK . Ultimately, only you with proper guidance from you doctor can determine if you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery http://www.lasik--surgery.com

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