Keion Moradi asked:


Lasik surgery cost ranges anywhere from $499 to $2,500. The cost of Lasik is based on your surgeon’s experience and the type of Lasik surgery performed. There are options when it comes to which Lasik procedure you can choose. Your decision should rest on an appropriate surgical procedure for your eye condition, a trusted Lasik surgeon and a price you’re comfortable paying. Understand the different types of Lasik eye surgery and decide which types of Lasik surgery is best for you.

Lasik Background

Lasik is among the most popular forms of laser eye surgery. Lasik eye surgery involves a procedure to permanently reshape the cornea and elicit vision correction. A microkeratome blade is used to create a flap in the thin outer layer of the cornea, called the epithelium. An excimer laser reshapes the cornea, and the flap is replaced. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and the recovery time is fairly fast. Most patients can return to normal activities the next day.

PRK as an Alternative to Lasik Surgery

PRK removes the epithelium with a metal surgical tool. The earliest form of laser eye surgery, PRK typically involves a longer recovery time, allowing for the epithelium to grow back. It can cause more discomfort than Lasik eye surgery. Results often take longer for PRK.

Though PRK involves a longer recovery process, it has been the preferred method for patients with thin corneas and large pupils. However, there are a number of newer variations to the original Lasik eye surgery. Many of these different types of Lasik surgery minimize the risk of original Lasik, and can be performed on patients with thin corneas and other eye conditions.

Lasek Surgery

Lasek is a refractive procedure that uses alcohol to separate the outer layer if the cornea, rather than a surgical blade. A laser reshapes the cornea and the epithelium is replaced. By eliminating the risk of a microkeratome blade, Lasek is an option for people with thin corneas.

Through its swift recovery process, Lasek may be a better alternative to PRK. However, Lasek is not without potential complication. The use of alcohol can cause eye irritation and inflammation.

Epi-Lasik

Epi-Lasik is similar to Lasik and Lasek, but employs a fine surgical blade, reducing the risk of a wide corneal flap. Instead of alcohol, a plastic cutting tool separates the epithelium from the eye. Epi-Lasek thereby eliminates possible irritation to the eye.

IntraLasik

IntraLasik, All-Laser Lasik, or Blade-Free Lasik very simply conducts the procedure through lasers, without the use of a microkeratome. IntraLasik is praised for precision through eliminating mistakes that can occur with a surgical blade.

While IntraLasik significantly lowers the risk associated with other refractive surgery, there are some possible complications to consider. The excimer laser is still subject to possible visual errors. A small percentage of patients have also reported issues with light sensitivity. The cost of IntraLasik can be substantially higher than other forms of Lasik surgery.

Wavefront Lasik

Wavefront Lasik is the most precise form of Lasik eye surgery. Much like IntraLasik, lasers replace blades during Wavefront Lasik. But where IntraLasik employs a freehand excimer laser, wavefront technology guides the excimer laser in Wavefront Lasik. The procedure also reduces the risk of night glare, a common complication associated with Lasik surgery. Though the most accurate, Wavefront Lasik is also the most costly among the different forms of Lasik.



Leo

Patricia Woloch asked:


In the 1990s, in the rush to offer this miraculous new vision correction to the public, some ophthalmologists failed to screen potential patients well enough. LASIK is not safe for everybody. This was quickly realized, and screening became more careful and strict.

If a LASIK surgeon has said you are not a good candidate for LASIK, there could be various reasons for that – related to your eye health, general health, prescription stability, or expectations. But there are also various ways of doing LASIK that have been developed to correct vision for people who are not good candidates for traditional LASIK.

If you have corneas which are too thin or too steep in curvature for LASIK, you can consider Intralase, LASEK, or epi-LASIK, all of which have modified ways of creating the corneal flap. That flap is done to expose the next layer down in the cornea, the stroma, where your LASIK surgeon will direct the laser. Intralase, LASEK and epi-LASIK cut the flap more thinly so as not to weaken the cornea.

Complications vs Side Effects

Keep in mind that complications are different from side effects. A side effect is temporary and minor, although it may be annoying or uncomfortable at the time. LASIK side effects are such things as dry eyes, itching, or a scratchy feeling, which last only a few days, if you have them at all. If you tend to have dry eyes before LASIK is done, that is a disqualifying condition.

Complications are more major conditions which may require a second surgery, or more long-term treatment, and some can even give permanent trouble, but this is very rare.

Wavefront-Guided LASIK

In the early days of LASIK, before wavefront technology was developed, there was a higher rate of complications after LASIK. Wavefront technology is an extremely precise way of diagnosing the eye’s refractive error. It gathers detailed information from which it creates a 3-D map of each eye. Your LASIK doctor then bases your treatment on this information. Most LASIK surgeons now offer LASIK in this form.

Use of wavefront-guided technology gives a more precisely customized treatment for each eye – in fact each treatment is one-of-a-kind. Nobody ever has or ever will receive the same treatment that your right eye will receive. Not even your left eye. By being so exact, it prevents some of the vision distortions that used to be side effects or complications from traditional LASIK. They are things like:

• Poor night vision

• Double vision (also called ghosting)

• Halos

• Starbursts

• Glare around light sources

Potential LASIK Complications

No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, or how many LASIK techniques are developed to expand the pool of safe candidates, LASIK is still a surgery. All surgery brings a certain amount of risk. It is one of the requirements of good candidacy that you accept that fact, and are willing to take a very small risk to obtain a very large and amazing improvement in your vision.

LASIK complications are very rare, less than one percent.

• Infection beneath the corneal flap – usually prevented by antibiotic eyedrops, but sometimes a person doesn’t use them according to the LASIK surgeon’s directions

• Faulty flap healing – can often be corrected by subsequent surgery

• Corneal ectasia – can be an ongoing problem, treated as keratoconus

• Irregularities resulting from faulty flap creation – these can give you those vision distortions listed above

The best way to minimize any chance of LASIK complications is to choose a highly-trained and experienced LASIK surgeon. Choose one who screens patients very thoroughly, answers your questions clearly, has invested in a wavefront-guided LASIK system, and does not pass you off to an assistant.



Ann

Miodrag Trajkovic asked:


Lasik eye surgery is increasingly gaining popularity as the most preferred method for improving vision surgically. Lasik vision correction surgery can completely eliminate or at the very least significantly reduce an individual’s dependence on contact lenses or eyeglasses in order to have 20/20 vision.

Before performing a Lasik procedure the eye surgeon has to assess the patient’s compatibility and risk factor with regards to Lasik surgery. The first thing the doctor does is to get the individual’s complete health history, after which a thorough eye examination is carried out. Only after the individual has been deemed compatible for Lasik eye surgery does the doctor then discuss the various options available. Of the various techniques of Lasik vision correction surgery, using an excimer laser is the most common. This technique has been in use for vision correction surgery since 1987. The excimer laser profiles the cornea, enabling the surgeon to get the best results possible for surgery.

Lasik vision correction surgery is the best option for individuals with moderate to low vision problems. Nearsightedness as well as farsightedness can both be improved by performing Lasik surgery, which is a painless procedure and results in almost immediate vision improvement.

The outcome of Lasik eye surgery is drastically improved by the ability of profiling the cornea using the excimer laser. There are no guarantees for any surgery and Lasik surgery is no exception. While there is no guarantee that you will have perfect vision after undergoing the surgery, there is an estimated 90% success rate. A hundred percent successful Lasik eye surgery does away with the need for any other kind of corrective lenses. But this is not always the case with everybody. Some patients would still require corrective lenses even after undergoing Lasik surgery.

Lasik eye surgery involves creating an extremely thin, circular flap in the outer layer of the cornea. This is done by an instrument called a microkreatome. The microkreatome performs the same functions as an excimer, but the excimer has been found to be more precise and has a higher rate of success. After cutting the flap, the cornea is then profiles. What this means is that the flap is folded out of the way and the surgeon proceeds to remove corneal tissue with the help of the excimer. The excimer laser removes tiny pieces of corneal tissue at a time using cool ultraviolet rays. How much tissue needs to be removed depends on the severity of the existing vision problem. Sometimes removing just a very tiny amount of tissue is necessary to correct the patient’s vision.

After removing the necessary amount of corneal tissue, the cornea needs to be re-shaped in order for it to focus better. After this is done the Lasik surgeon then places the flap back over the area. The entire Lasik corrective eye surgery takes about one to two minutes. If Lasik surgery is required in both eyes, the doctor waits a while after performing Lasik on the first eye before proceeding on to the second eye. Some patients may prefer not to have both eyes operated on at the same time. They may prefer to wait a few weeks for the first eye to heal before having Lasik on the second eye.

Using an excimer laser to profile the cornea has many advantages. It has an extremely high accuracy level and produces better surgical outcomes. The excimer laser is fitted with a control unit that controls the intensity and movement of the laser beam. Often there are uncontrollable eye movements that occur during surgery. The laser beam is trained to stay at the right side of the eye even if there is a slight eye movement. This gives the Lasik surgeon full control during surgery and can positively influence the outcome of the surgery.

The benefits of Lasik vision correction surgery and its high success rate far outweigh the low risks and discomfort associated with this surgery.



Joseph

David A Parton asked:


Many people are opting for lasik eye surgery as they find contact lenses increasingly uncomfortable and costly to maintain. Commonly taking around three to five minutes per eye, with LASIK vision you can have one eye done after the other in one session.

If you have an interest in overcoming the restrictions of hyperopia, myopia or astigmatism, do not have unrealistic expectations and understand the risks, you may be a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery. It’s possible that you may be ineligible, if you do not meet the following requirements.

**If your prescription has shown no significant changes in the last twelve months, you are a good candidate for LASIK vision.

**You cannot be breast-feeding or expecting a child.

**If your corneas are thinner than normal you might not be an ideal candidate for LASIK vision.

**The ideal candidate is 18 years old or older.

**LASIK vision isn’t a suitable option for you if you have blurry vision while reading as you will still need reading glasses after surgery.

How to regain 20/20 vision – starting from scratch with LASIK vision

In most cases LASIK vision is a very effective treatment where affected areas are removed from corneal tissue.

Creating a blueprint of your eye surface is the first step in determining for your eye doctor the best course of action for your LASIK vision.

Just before and during the procedure, a local anaesthetic is applied to the eyes with eye drops.

A knife, called a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap which has a hinge on one end, in the corneal tissue in the center of the eye.

Once the flap in the cornea has been created, the surgeon lifts back the hinged flap, and exposes the inner tissue of the cornea.

Only the very exact and precise sections of the cornea are removed to improve your vision. This was established by the mapping stage of the LASIK vision procedure. With great precision, the laser is used to sculpt the corneal tissue.

Once the surgeon has made all the necessary corrections, the hinged flap is restored to it’s former place on the cornea. Anaesthetic eye drops are applied to numb your eyes during the LASIK vision; The restored flap on the cornea will heal without the need for stitches.

People generally believe that surgery involves a considerable amount of pain and a long recovery-time. This is not the case with LASIK vision. It’s possible you may experience some mild discomfort. Your doctor will provide you with a prescription for an effective pain relief medication. The majority of patients can resume normal activities within 24 hours.However, it is recommended to rest a day or two before going back to work. Prior to LASIK vision a mild anaesthetic is used in the form of eye drops; antibiotics are prescribed, to be taken orally or in the form of eye drops. This is to reduce the chances of infection and inflammation during the healing process. If for some reason you are not suitable for LASIK vision, you can take advantage of other treatment options available.

After LASIK vision, patients often feel more outgoing as their faces are no longer concealed by glasses. You can easily eliminate your need for eyeglasses or contacts with a successful LASIK vision.



Sandra