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Laser Eye Surgery

The Best Options

How’s your vision? As you get older, you know it isn't getting any better.

Do you dislike wearing glasses or contact lenses? Do you think you would look more attractive or feel freer without glasses?

More importantly, are you willing to let a physician operate on your eyes for mainly cosmetic reasons? If the answer is yes, you should consider corrective laser eye surgery.

Also known as refractive eye surgery, corrective laser eye surgery is an elective procedure designed to correct common eye disorders such as nearsightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism - which causes distorted vision.

Excimer lasers are the most common tool now used for this type surgery.

The two most common laser eye surgery procedures are Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

In the PRK procedure, the surface of the cornea is reshaped using the laser. Since PRK does not involve creation of a corneal flap, the protective superficial layers of the cornea must heal post-operatively.

This generally means that patients who undergo PRK will require more time than those who undergo LASIK procedures to achieve their best vision.

In the LASIK procedure, the eye surgeon creates a thin surface flap of the cornea using a microkeratome to expose underlying tissues. Since the laser is applied to the deeper layers of the eye, the surgeon is able to reshape the cornea with extraordinary precision.

Once the laser procedure is completed, the surgeon replaces the corneal surface flap to restore the surface integrity of the eye. The results are often dramatic and rapid, with most patients seeing well enough to drive a car without correction the very next day.

However, the best post-operative visual acuity may not be obtained until 2 to 3 weeks, or in some cases, even a few months, after the procedure.

PRK is the more common of the laser eye surgery procedures, because more surgeons are trained in it, while those who run the LASIK centers naturally claim they have the superior technology.

If all goes well, you will be totally free of any eyewear after laser eye surgery.

But this is a surgical procedure on a very delicate body part. So you want the best results possible.

If you are a slow healer or have pre-existing medical conditions like uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, an auto-immune disease, glaucoma or diabetes or other eye diseases that affect the cornea or retina, you might not be able to qualify for this surgery.

Pregnant women should wait until after delivery, since their visual acuity might change during the pregnancy.

Find a well qualified eye surgeon and ask questions. Make sure you are fully informed of all options and risks before undergoing this surgery.

There is hardly any pain during surgery. Once the anesthetic wears off, there will be mild pain that generally wears off within a few hours.

There is a minimal post surgical convalescence, usually 2 or 3 days.

Eyesight starts improving within days, although it can take up to a month for optimal results to appear.

You might have to go back for an extra procedure if the first one leaves your vision blurry. Such “touch-ups” are not uncommon.

As you get older your eyesight may deteriorate more, requiring another surgical procedure.

As with all surgery there are risks.

While not common, there can be complications, such as infection, a poor result, the “corneal haze” – a halo effect when looking at light at night – or even worsening of visual acuity.

Some of these problems can be fixed with follow up surgery, but in some cases you might be required to continue to wear glasses or contacts.

Be sure you are a good candidate for these procedures by consulting a well qualified physician. Try to determine if you have any risk factors that might lead to a bad result.

I know many people that were overjoyed at the result of their eye surgery, even the ones who had to go back for adjustments. Personally, I’d rather continue to wear my glasses than have someone tinker with my eyes.

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This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.

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