Lasik eye surgery essentially means that an ophthalmic surgeon will reshape your cornea in order to correct or enhance eye sight. Gone are the days of having to wear glasses or contact lenses for the rest of your life - this simple surgical procedure is transforming the way that people view the world. Lasik eye surgery can be effective in treating patients with myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism - all are very common eye problems and now there is a simple procedure to correct them.
You may, however, have heard of other surgeries like PRK or Lasek that can be used for the treatment of sight disorders but healing times for patients that undergo Lasik eye surgery are significantly shorter. This surgery will have you back living life to the fullest in two to three days! Simply astounding!
Lasik Eye Surgery: The Procedure
Before the surgery you will need to have a consult with your ophthalmologist who will do some tests as well as take the necessary measurements in order to ensure that the precise amount of Lasik eye surgery correction you need has been calculated.
During your surgery an instrument called the microkeratome will be used to create a tiny corneal flap of corneal tissue from the surface of the eye. An excimer laser will then used to sculpt the bed of the cornea to match to the precise dimensions determined during your consult.
Once this has been completed, the flap will be replaced and nature allowed to take its course. Within a few hours of your surgery the flap will be sealed back into position and the eyes will be completely healed within a week.
Many people are afraid of eye surgery, but they shouldn't be as these short procedures are conducted by the top trained professionals and can eliminate the need to wear glasses or contact lenses completely. It is well worth it!
London Vision Clinic, founded by internationally renowned laser eye surgeon Professor Dan Reinstein, is a leader in the field of Lasik eye surgery in the UK. Determine your suitability as a candidate for Lasik eye surgery by visiting the site today.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Lasik Eye Surgery - The Basics
Realistic Expectations Of LASIK Eye Surgery
LASIK surgery is correcting people's vision every day with very little complications. The common myth behind LASIK is the effects of the surgery. Many believe that after LASIK they will be free of glasses forever. This is just not the case unfortunately. Having the correct expectations of LASIK will help you not only decide if you want the operation done but also prevent any disappointments in the future.
The first thing to expect if you want this operation is going through the pre-screening process. You can even take the pre-screening questionnaire online to see if there is any chance that you would not qualify. This will prevent someone who is not a good candidate from undergoing the surgery and potentially having more serious complications than normal. Not everyone qualifies for LASIK, however, there still could be an alternative solution.
If you do qualify, understand how LASIK can benefit you before having the operation. LASIK does not 'cure' your vision for the rest of your life; it will however decrease your dependency on corrective lenses. How long the effects last is different for everyone. Many go on without glasses for many decades and other start wearing them again after ten or fifteen years. Since LASIK has only been around for that long, most people today are not wearing glasses but in ten more years, they could be.
Some expect immediate results after the operation. After surgery, many will not have clear vision for at least several hours. Normal recovery is several days before you head back to work or start driving again. While your eyes are healing, expect to go back and forth between clear and blurry vision for several weeks. Everyone's recovery is different, some go back to work the next day and others wait much longer depending on any complications. Do not expect fast results, you could have to return to get a slight adjustment.
Repeat treatment may be necessary, depending on how your eyes heal and the results after surgery. Some need to have an adjustment or re-treatment. Since LASIK costs a few thousand dollars, check to see if the office where you are having the surgery done offers free re-treatments. Most places offer it for a certain amount of time, somewhere between six months and five years. This could save you a lot of money depending on where you go.
Vision results differ between patients as well. The legal driving vision is 20/40 and 95% of all LASIK procedures produce better than 20/40 results. Most people experience between 20/30 and 20/10 vision. If you have less than seven diopters of myopia, you will have close to a 99% chance of better than legal driving vision. Of course, everyone's eye deteriorates over time and you can expect these numbers to get worse but if your eyesight before LASIK was 20/1500, there is an obvious difference.
LASIK is not for everyone and it could take several months before you can 'see' the difference clearly. Technology is getting better and major complications are rare but remember that LASIK is not a permanent solution, but in the short term, you can throw those glasses away and begin to leave free of corrective lenses.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Lasik
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
What to Expect After Lasik
Knowing what to expect after Lasik laser vision correction plays an important role in making the decision on whether or not to have the surgery performed. For many, the after care may seem daunting enough to keep them from going through the surgery. Understanding what it really involves can help address some fears that may be associated with the Lasik procedure.
The first thing to expect after Lasik is blurred vision. After the surgery is done, the eyes will be blurry, or as many describe it to be, smoky. This sensation often begins to resolve itself within the first 24 hours after surgery.
After the Lasik laser eye surgery, expect to be instructed to go home and sleep. This is the best way to encourage healing of the flap that's been cut into the front of the eye. By sleeping, repetitive blinking is eliminated giving the flap a chance to heal.
Special eye goggles will be provided to wear while sleeping. These are required to prevent the patient from inadvertently rubbing or scratching the eye during the night. This could have serious effects on the flap as it has not had the chance to heal in place. The goggles should also be worn if there is a chance of the eyes getting bumped, poked, or hit.
Another thing to expect after Lasik laser vision correction is irritated eyes. Many patients relate this to the feeling of having a grain of sand in the eye. The normal reflex is to rub or scratch the eye but must be avoided to allow the flap to heal.
A varying number of prescribed eye drops will be given to the patient to use for several days following the Lasik procedure. Drops are provided to prevent dryness and relieve pain. These should be used according to the doctor's instructions. Most are required for use several times daily. If pain is experience, oral pain relievers may be prescribed as well.
An important service to expect after Lasik is repeat follow up visits with the eye doctor. These are important to be sure the eyes are healing according to schedule. The rate of vision improvement will be charted as well.
After Lasik laser vision correction, expect a sudden vision improvement to a certain degree. Only over time will the vision continue to improve. It can take up to six months for clear vision to reach its full potential. Some fluctuations in vision may be experienced during this time as well.
Other things to expect after Lasik laser vision correction include some minor dryness of the eyes or halos and glaring during nighttime. While these often are eliminated as the eyes heal, for some it is a lasting effect.
Be sure to fully understand what to expect after Lasik laser vision corrective surgery prior to having the procedure done. All after care instructions will be discussed at the time of surgery as well. Knowing what to expect can help the individual make a well educated decision regarding Lasik vision correction.
As a nurse Heather Gurzell understands the importance of researching the entire process of Lasik Sacramento. After doing her homework Heather highly recommends one of the Pacific Laser Eye Center's Northern California locations, such as their Oakland Lasik clinic.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
How Much Does Lasik Cost?
It's everybody's dream to get rid of the glasses or those irritating contact lenses. Don't you think that it's nice to have a free life in which you don't worry about your eyeglasses from falling off? The dream of better eyesight can be realized. Long-sighted and shortsighted eyesight can be cured with Lasik eye surgery.
One of the important aspects of lasik surgery is the price. The price of a product decreases when the product is widely available but lasik surgery has always been an exception. The price of lasik surgery has not come down due to the fact that the lasik surgery has changed and grown to include various new procedures.
Ask the doctor about the final cost. Taking into consideration the consultations before the surgery, the cost of equipments, service of doctors and medical staff, type of laser used, visits after the surgery. Make an exact estimate and then move forward.
Keep in mind that the procedure not only involves the services of doctors but also the costly machines such as lasers and microkeratome equipments.
Lasik surgery is high on demand. More and more people are undergoing the procedure. It is getting very popular. In the United States, a lot of people are enjoying the benefits of this procedure. The cost of most Lasik eye surgeries is about two thousand dollars an eye. There are different procedures in this context and they have different costs.
Some people may fool you and dip the cost of the surgery under five hundred dollars an eye, please consult a different Lasik surgery center or doctor. For some people the cost of Lasik surgery can be very low but generally a price range between two thousand to three thousand dollars can be expected per eye.
Ricky runs a lasik eye surgery information site. Visit his site to learn pressing questions you may have about lasik surgery such as how much does lasik cost and more.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
New York Custom Lasik
Custom lasik is an extremely precise, individualized type of lasik eye surgery to correct visual defects that result from an imperfectly shaped cornea. First, three-dimensional measurements of how your eye processes and focuses light images are made. These measurements are then used to guide the laser during surgery. The technology used to guide custom lasik procedures is called wavefront technology.
Custom lasik offers certain advantages over conventional lasik surgery. Greatly improved precision means there is less of a chance that your specific visual defect will be under-corrected or over-corrected. Some recent studies indicate that people who undergo custom lasik may be more likely to have 20/20 vision or better after surgery. Custom lasik can be used to treat both so-called lower order refractive errors, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, and higher-order errors. Higher-order errors include night vision disturbances, glare, halos and shadows. A downside of custom lasik is that people with thin corneas are often unable to have this procedure.
One way to find a good custom lasik surgeon in New York State is through academic and research centers such as teaching hospitals. The American Academy of Ophthalmology website also provides useful links. Keep in mind that custom lasik is more expensive than conventional lasik, in part because a fee is paid to the device manufacturer for each procedure. The average cost per eye is slightly under $2,000. However, cost may vary depending on the type of visual defect you have and the amount of surgery that may be required to correct it. Surgeons who use a newer and potentially safer technology called IntraLase may also have higher fees. IntraLase is laser that replaces the microkeratome or cutting device used in conventional lasik surgery. To learn more about custom lasik equipment approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), visit the FDA website.
New York Lasik provides detailed information on Lasik Albany New York, Lasik Rochester New York, Lasik Surgery Upstate New York, Lasik Utica New York and more. New York Lasik is affiliated with Vision Correction.