Abstinence_Education asked:


You can Google for websites of people who share their experience, many of them are negative. Lasik doesn’t give vision as good as glasses but costs $4000+ and is high risk. Why get lasik now and not wait for better technology?

Ella

Amy (edwardcullenfan) asked:


I am 15 yrs. Im turning 16 this september and i want lasik eye surgery.But i don’t know if theres a age for it.

Mildred

Nishanth Reddy asked:


LASIK eye surgery can advantage many people who experience low to moderate vision problems. LASIK eye surgery is a quick and painless procedure, but there are some risks and complications involved with the surgery.

It is important to understand what happens before, after and during LASIK eye surgery, if you are thinking about having the surgery. It is also advantageous to have realistic expectations of the LASIK eye surgery before the procedure begins.

Most good LASIK surgeons will talk to you and fully explain the before and after procedure. Like most patients, you will probably have many questions about the LASIK eye surgery. The following are a list of frequently asked questions about the LASIK eye surgery.

Am I a good candidate for LASIK?

It depends on many factors for a person to be a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery. When you make an initial appointment for LASIK eye surgery, your eye care professional will ask many questions and take a thorough health history.

Additionally, you eyes and the history of your vision problems will also be a major factor in whether or not you can have the LASIK eye surgery procedure. For people with certain health problems such as autoimmune diseases and diabetes, LASIK is generally not recommended.

A person cannot have LASIK eye surgery if he is under the age of 18. Certain degenerative eye diseases might also disqualify you from having LASIK eye surgery. Your LASIK surgeon will make a decision based on all of these factors. Those who are not good candidates for the LASIK surgery can have poor outcomes.

Are there any LASIK complications?

Yes. As with any surgery or medical procedure there are LASIK complications and risks. Most people who have the surgery do not have problems, however some people do.

Reduced low light vision is the most commonly reported side effect of the LASIK eye surgery. This can cause glowing or halos around lit objects at night. After some time the side effects of the LASIK eye surgery will disappear over a period of time.

There are some long-term LASIK complications that have been report, though they are rare. Some people could experience worse eyesight than they had before LASIK eye surgery.

Will LASIK vision correction eliminate the need for corrective lenses?

The short answer to that is maybe. Most people who have the LASIK eye surgery may still need to wear some form of glasses or contacts. This does not mean that the surgery had a poor outcome. This is normal and should be expected.

LASIK is not a means to totally correct vision problems. It is designed to enhance vision. Those who go into LASIK expecting perfect vision with an unlikely expectation should not undergo treatment.

How much is the Cost of LASIK eye surgery?

The cost of LASIK eye surgery will depend on where you live, the condition of the eyes and what kind of method is used. Those with more severe vision problems will cost a bit more. Generally, you can plan on spending at least $2000 for the LASIK procedure.

Does insurance cover the cost of LASIK eye surgery?

Because LASIK eye surgery is considered elective, most of the time, insurance plans do not cover it. Some insurance plans have extended eye care plans that help defray the costs of LASIK eye surgery.

If you insurance plan does not cover the cost of LASIK eye surgery, check with your employer. Some employers offer their employees special rates for going to a certain clinic for LASIK. Sometimes LASIK can be paid for by using a cafeteria plan.

Will I need to take time off of work after the procedure?

Yes, most patients do need to take some time off of work following the procedure. This can vary though according to the work. Most of the time patients can start back to work in two to three days, particularly for jobs that are sedentary.

It will be essential to rest the eyes after surgery, so a lot of computer work may bother the eyes after surgery. You will need to talk to your LASIK surgeon about when you can start back to work.

Does the LASIK eye surgery hurt?

The LASIK eye surgery is quick and painless for most patients. Each eye only takes a minute or two. The eye is numbed using drops and patients will stay awake the entire time.

For those who feel uncomfortable about the LASIK eye surgery, a mild sedative can be given. Most patients are able to walk out of the surgery center after the procedure is complete.



Darrell

Patricia Woloch asked:


 

It seems no matter where you go ads for LASIK vision correction surgery are everywhere. How safe is LASIK? Can it really help you throw away your glasses forever? Here are 10 important facts you should know about LASIK before scheduling your initial eye examination:

1. You must have a thorough eye exam first.

LASIK is a profit center for some eye surgeons. It is possible to have LASIK surgery without so much as a basic eye exam. It’s crucial to have a comprehensive eye exam with a board certified ophthalmologist before allowing anyone to perform any type of LASIK procedure on your eyes.

2. LASIK is not right for everyone.

A good outcome is important to you and your surgeon. But a number of conditions may make you an unsuitable candidate for LASIK, and the only way to determine this is with a thorough examination. Some conditions that may keep you from having LASIK surgery include:

· Thin corneas

· Large pupil diameter

· Pregnancy

· Under 18

· Autoimmune disorders and other diseases

· Certain medications

3. Not all vision problems can be treated with LASIK.

LASIK does treat a number of vision problems, but if your vision problem is not caused by irregularities in your cornea shape, LASIK cannot treat it. LASIK can treat:

· Astigmatism (blurred vision)

· Nearsightedness (myopia)

· Farsightedness (hyperopia)

4. Presbyopia is not treatable with LASIK.

Presbyopia is not the same as farsightedness. Presbyopia is age related, and occurs when the eye’s lens loses flexibility, beginning at around age 40. Presbyopia usually requires reading glasses at first, but can also affects distance vision as the lens continues to harden and the eye muscles weaken. However, presbyopia has nothing to do with the shape of the cornea, and is therefore not treatable with LASIK.

5. LASIK’s excimer laser uses cool ultraviolet light.

The cool beam of ultraviolet light used in LASIK surgery cannot damage your eyesight with heat. The excimer laser literally vaporizes small pieces of your corneal tissue at a microscopic depth. During this process, any heat given off by the laser dissipates. Eye surgeons call this process ‘photoablation’.

6. Wavefront guided LASIK is more accurate than traditional LASIK

The excimer laser is incredibly precise, using a beam of light no larger than 0.5% of a human hair. Wavefront guided LASIK is even more precise than LASIK. Wavefront guided LASIK sends a beam of light into the eyes, then reflects the light back to the Wavefront system. Detailed information about the irregularities of your corneas are captured and a 3-D map is created on the doctor’s computer monitor, translated into mathematical formulas used to guide the surgeon in using the laser to correct your problem.

7. LASIK is virtually painless.

Before your eye surgeon begins your LASIK procedure, he or she will use anesthetizing eye drops to numb your eyes. He may also suggest Valium to help you relax during the procedure. Some patients are squeamish about the notion of their eyes being touched, and some have concerns about the laser being shone into their eyes. Your eye surgeon can explain why these fears are unfounded.

However, the entire procedure lasts less than 20 minutes, and you should feel no pain afterwards, but may notice a scratchy sensation that can last up to three days.

8. You can return to normal activities with caution

For a week after your surgery, you can probably return to work, but may have restrictions, including:

· No heavy lifting

· No swimming (showering is fine)

· No eye makeup

· No contact sports

You’ll also be required to wear an eye shield when sleeping to prevent you from unconsciously rubbing your eyes or putting pressure on your eyes.

9. 20/20 vision is not guaranteed

One of the misconceptions about LASIK is that it is guaranteed to give you perfect 20/20 vision. Many do achieve this, but there is no guarantee. Additionally, age-related vision issues such as presbyopia cannot be treated or affected by LASIK, so reading glasses will probably be required at some point even for those who undergo LASIK.

10. Follow Your Doctor’s Instruction to the Letter

Be sure you fully understand your doctor’s outlined postoperative eye-drop routine. These medications are crucial to corneal healing, and the final results of your LASIK procedure rely heavily on using your eye drops as directed.You’re your surgeon about post-surgical limitations on your activity, to be sure you don’t participate in any activity that could harm your healing eyes.



Marjorie

Paul Moss asked:


Lasik surgery is a surgical technical aiming at correcting vision of people who are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism. There are divergent points of view on the matter. Patients needing LASIK surgery often think that they will never eye glass or contact one day. It is obvious that more than the majority of patients undergoing LASIK surgery do present an improvement of their vision after the surgery unfortunately other patients are not that happy. Therefore some patients may still need eyeglasses or contact after the surgery. Some patients even revealed a worse vision after undergoing the surgery than before. As a rule of thumb, you should always not have high expectations of LASIK.

It is believed that Lasik will be of great help to many patients. Indeed, patients undergoing Lasik encountered an improvement factor of a minimum of 20/40 in their vision. Unfortunately, this figure is not always true as there are some cases where patients should be wary of. Therefore, before deciding to undergo LASIK surgery, you should always do a lot of research background on the subject in order to make sure that you fully understand what you are heading to.

There are some positive statistics about Lasik surgery though. A survey revealed that up to 94 percent of all Lasik patients are happy with the results and present an improvement factor of at least 20/20 after the surgery. According to the same survey, nearly all patients were suggested to undergo Lasik by their friends. The same survey shows that 25 percent of patients with problems experience during the surgery could have been sorted out with a good warming-up before the surgery actually takes place. Lasik is also believed not to vision of farsighted or nearsighted patients if they are more than forty. Twenty five percent of patients were reported to have night vision problems after the surgery. These were sorted out within a few months.

Although Lasik is one of the easiest surgeries in medicine, patients should be aware of its expectations before undergoing the surgery. For instance, it is common to see patients undergoing the surgery with no knowledge of the recovery time. The healing time, on the other hand, is quite fast, but you should not fasten your seat belt before two hours. Your doctor is very likely to advise you not to drive by a week after undergoing the surgery. Another recommendation is the inability to go to work by four days after the surgery. Although Lasik is generally a harmless surgery, some patients encounter a pain on their eye shortly after the surgery.

Furthermore, patients undergoing Lasik should look after themselves after the surgery. Meeting your doctor frequently in order to monitor the progress is an essential part of the process. Always make sure that you keep taking any drugs that were giving to you by the doctor in order to get the best result from the surgery. Your doctor should be able to give you specific advice about any drug that was recommended to you. You should also note that there may be a break in sport activities following the Lasik surgery.

Should you not fully understand risks of the Lasik surgery and have realistic expectations of it, please do not undergo the surgery. Before deciding to undergo the surgery make sure it is the right option available to you. Many patients showing poor results after the surgery were not prone to the Lasik surgery. You should discuss in depth the matter with your doctor. Do not hide any details about your eye condition over the past because these can be crucial.

Before deciding to undergo the surgery you should ask yourself this question: am I a good candidate for the Lasik procedure?

Qualifications of a good candidate for Lasik include the following:

- Women who are not pregnant due to the high number of hormone variations during pregnancy

- Significant health or eye problems. These include diabetes, hepatitis.

Briefly speaking, many patients can benefits from Lasik surgery provided they do not have high expectations beforehand. They should understand that it is not a miracle surgery and is therefore prone to some drawbacks. Lasik can help people with poor vision. Remember to double check with your doctor if you are a good candidate for Lasik before heading to the operation room.



Bertha

David Riewe asked:


If you take the time to read any of the message boards or chat rooms on the Internet about Lasik surgery, you will wonder how anyone could get the courage to schedule a Lasik procedure, and why on earth they would want it. The various Lasik clinics sound anywhere from impersonal to something similar to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, and the Lasik procedure itself sounds, well, surreal. It seems like the only people that would get Lasik are those with such bad vision that they cannot get out of bed without their glasses on.

Well, let me give you my story of how I chose Lasik. First of all, my vision is not good, but not terrible either. I can actually go to movies and see well enough to enjoy the film without glasses, but I need glasses to drive in order to read the street signs far enough away to act on the information. So for me, Lasik was not necessary, but I figured would simplify my life. I am outdoors very frequently, backpacking, climbing hills, and mountain biking. Glasses do not last long with me, and I am frequently grinding into the dirt which is not the best situation for contact lenses. For these reasons, Lasik looked very appealing.

The paragraph above might make you think I am a “manly guy” (hope so, think so!), so why on earth would I be afraid of a little Lasik scalpel? OK, technically Lasik does NOT use a scalpel but rather a “microkeratome blade”, but it is still a sharp object approaching my eye as part of the Lasik procedure. Nowadays Lasik physicians can get a laser to cut the flap in the eye, which is more than a little better than a sharp blade. But anyway, I had too many spills in my life to think any sharp object nearing my eye was a good idea, even under the skilled hands of a Lasik physician.

After talking with three (yes, three!) independent Lasik physicians, they each assured me that a 28 year old guy in nearly perfect health (OK, I exaggerate a bit) with moderate nearsightedness was one of the very best candidates for a successful Lasik procedure. I decided to schedule my Lasik procedure with the one that had the best track record, and coincidentally took the most time to explain everything about Lasik to me.

The Lasik surgery was not painful, though I accepted nearly everything they offered to give me comfort, including a sedative and a teddy bear. (I even went back to take a picture of me and the Lasik comforting teddy bear.) The only strange thing I remember about the Lasik procedure itself was a smell, something vaguely like hair burning. I suppose that was my eye. I am kind of glad they didn’t tell me to expect that before the Lasik procedure, I am not sure I would have gone in.

After a few years, I guess I was a nearly perfect Lasik client, as my eyes now have 20/20 vision and have remained stable long after the Lasik operation. I say that if you are a good candidate for a Lasik vision correction procedure, grab that teddy bear and go on in.



Cindy

Silver asked:


Does everybody know the down time for lasik surgery? Alot of people say they have their eyes perfectly good after 24hrs but my friend had it and it has been 5 days and she is still seeing blurry. She cant see far away and cant see closebye either. Does anybody know?

Dennis