Archive for November, 2006

Lasik surgery is a dream come true for many people. It can restore their vision to 20/20 or better. Now let’s get realistic. How effective is lasik eye surgery? Can it really repair everyone’s eyes to perfect 20/20 vision or better? Can you really throw your glasses and contact lenses away, never to have to worry about them again? The answers to these questions may surprise you. The truth is that not everyone gets 20/20 vision when the surgery is complete. The sad thing is that no matter how much research you do, getting exact statistics is impossible. A statistical chart on www.corneatexas.com shows that they have a 96% success rate. According to www.aapecs.com only about 55% of people have 20/20 vision after surgery; however 92% have 20/40 vision. 20/40 is the minimum vision requirement in the United States to get a drivers license.
You can see that statistics can be easily manipulated to mean anything you want them to mean. You can not base your decision on having surgery simply based on the statistics that your doctor gives you. Remember that he is in business. You are a sale to him. He will tell you what you want to make a sale. Statistics should be considered, but not be the basis for your decision.
Everyone’s eye is different. The decision to go ahead with surgery should be done after have a consultation with a competent doctor. Don’t go to someone you don’t know or trust, especially if they are going to be the one doing the surgery. They just want your money. If you have a regular doctor that you have been going to for years his/her opinion would be valuable. Over the years you have learned to trust this doctor and his consultation has a better chance of being unbiased.
Do not trust anyone who claims you can throw away your glasses forever or that they guarantee 20/20 vision or your money back. There are no guarantees in medicine. The truth is most people still need glasses when they are done with surgery. You may need a weaker prescription, but still you may need corrective lenses. You have to accept that risk before going into surgery.
Many people go into surgery not expecting or even knowing about any of the side effects or complications. You need to research and understand these complications before having the surgery. You also need to ask yourself, “What can I reasonably expect from this surgery.” You also need to know what to expect after the surgery. Although the surgery may only take about 20 minutes, the recovery can take up to six months. No, you will not have patches on your eyes and you won’t spend six months in pain waiting for your eyes to heal. But it will take about six months to know if the surgery truly worked. If it did not work, your eyes may go back to their original shape within those six months. Also within that six month window, some of the negative side effects may manifest themselves. The first six months is critical. If you experience anything out of the ordinary, report it to your doctor immediately. They key to repairing any potential damage is timing. Don’t wait if you feel pressure behind your eyes, or extreme dry eye, or reduced vision, or glares, or anything that is not normal. Your doctor may still be able to fix these problems, but not if you don’t tell him or wait too long to tell him.
The honest truth is that you may still need glasses or contacts when it’s all said and done with. You need to know the risks involved and have realistic expectations. Going in prepared will help guide you through the entire process. “Knowledge is Power.” The saying may sound cliché, but it has always held true. Do your homework first. Research the surgery. Research the side effects. Research your doctor. Ask questions, even if you think it is a stupid question. It never hurts to ask questions and educate your self. A competent doctor will answer you questions honestly and not just sell you on the miracles of not wearing glasses ever again. Then make an educated decision about having the surgery. Then you can walk into surgery with confidence.

All basic lasik procedures start the same. You have to create a corneal flap. This had to be done by hand with an osculating blade. That was before the invention of Intralase. Intralase replaces that held hand blade with a computer guided blade. This results in a safer procedure. Intralase is 100 times more accurate than the hand held blades of the past. It also has a better success rate with four times as many people achieving 20/20 vision after surgery. The 100 % blade free method is preferred to the old fashion way of doing the surgery. This also reduces the chance of scarring of the cornea which can impair vision.
The invention of Intralase has greatly reduced complications caused by lasik surgery. There is one major complication that is caused by the use of Intralase. Many patients report an extreme sensitivity to light after surgery. This sensitivity is called photophobia. However this only happens in 1 % of patients. That is much better compared to the old way of doing things where as much as 20% of patients experienced difficulties of some kind after surgery. Most doctors agree that photophobia is only temporary and can be treated with steroid eye drops for a few weeks. Most doctors also agree that Intralase is favorable to the old way of performing lasik eye surgery. It has fewer complications and has fewer risks than traditional lasik. One side effect compared to the numerous side effects of traditional lasik is a vast improvement in the procedure.
As with all new innovations of science, Intralase comes at a cost, quite literally. Adding the safety and accuracy of Intralase also adds three hundred dollars or more to the price tag of an already pricy surgery. Most insurance companies will not cover lasik eye surgery, so that extra money you have to spend for accuracy and safety is coming out of your pocket.
Now that you know why it is such a good, safe, accurate procedure, it is time to learn how it works. A surgeon uses a computer to guide the laser over your eye. The computer guided laser makes three “bubble like” incisions in the middle layer of your cornea. The resulting flap is made at a specific depth and location that best suits your corrective needs as determined by your doctor. The doctor then folds back this flap to reshape your cornea to correct your vision and astigmatism if it exists.
With the innovation of Intralase, patients who were previously not able to have lasik eye surgery may now be able to throw their glasses away forever. It has a wider range than the old hand held blade therefore making more people eligible for surgery.
The invention of Intralase has also brought back potential patients who chose not to undergo lasik in the past due to the high risks involved. Intralase is safer and more accurate than they lasik of the past. It is because of this that so many people have lost their phobias and have undergone the procedure. Lasik with Intralase now has minimal complications and higher success rates. That has made it more appealing to people today. The safety and accuracy is well worth the extra money to most people. If you are considering lasik, Intralase should be considered as well. It could mean the difference between seeing 20/20 again and never seeing again. The choice is yours. Be sure to make an educated decision. Learning all you can is the key to making the right choice.
Lasik with Intralase is the safest and most accurate eye surgery out there today, but still it is not for everyone. Please talk to your doctor about what is best for you and your situation. A consultation with a doctor is required before surgery and your doctor is the best person to decide if lasik is right for you. If your doctor thinks you are not a good candidate for surgery, you might think about asking him about other options. There may be other things that you could do to help correct your vision. It never hurts to ask. There may be something you can do to make yourself a good candidate. If you want it bad enough, you will do whatever it takes.

Improved vision is not the only reason why many people turn to Lasik vision correction. It is true that Lasik has become popular for those who rely on corrective lenses everyday. But the Lasik procedure can also help correct or improve other eye conditions. Lasik vision correction surgery uses the latest in laser technology to help treat several kinds of eye problems and disease.
Lasik surgery is designed to help improve the eyesight in patients with low to moderate vision problems. Those with more severe vision problems can also benefit from Lasik technology. While most patients experience improved vision and never had a need for glasses or contacts again, others may still need to use a prescription. For those suffering from more severe forms of eye conditions, Lasik may be recommended. There are many forms of Lasik surgery and an eye care professional will help determine which one is right for the condition of the patient.
The Lasik procedure has become very popular for treating eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and presbyopia. In addition the Lasik surgery can help those with astigmatism and myopia and hyperopia, which are all three common forms of eye problems.
Myopia and Hyperopia: These conditions are more commonly known as farsightedness and nearsightedness. Myopia is caused by an irregular shaped cornea. This will cause light rays to focus in the front of the retina, rather than on the retina. Those who are nearsighted will have good close-up vision, but objects at a distance will be difficult to see. Hyperopia is the opposite. Light will focus behind the retina. Those who are farsighted, can see objects at a distance, but not close-up. These two conditions are the most common reasons why patients choose to have a Lasik procedure. Lasik surgery is very beneficial to patients with myopia and hyperopia.
Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a very common form of visual impairment. This condition is caused when the eye is shaped more like an oval or football shaped. The odd shape of the eye causes the light to focus on two points of the retina instead of just one. Usually, those with astigmatism are either nearsighted or farsighted as well. When Lasik is done on patients with astigmatism, both problems can be corrected in one surgery.
Presbyopia: This common condition is normally cause by natural aging. Presbyopia causes problems with focusing on objects close-up. Usually patients that experience this difficulty are between the ages of forty and fifty years of age. Often, this problem can be improved by monovision, intraocular lens implants and Lasik.
Glaucoma: This common eye disease is usually characterized by elevated pressure in the eye that causes damage to the optic nerve. Laser glaucoma surgery can be performed using three different techniques. These are all performed with a laser and help either increase or decrease the pressure of fluid in the eye. The type of glaucoma treatment a patient receives will depend on the severity of the condition.
Macular Degeneration: Macular degeneration is an eye disease that is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye. This can result in serious vision loss if left untreated. If this disease is caught in the very early staged, it can be treated with laser vision correction surgery. While treatments do not reverse damage cause by the disease, it will prevent further vision loss. With laser surgery, the laser is used to destroy new blood vessels within the eye. Laser surgery is a very popular way to help prevent macular degeneration from causing further vision loss.
Diabetic Retinopathy: This eye disease is a degenerative eye disease caused by damage to blood vessels and abnormal vessel growth. Those with diabetes are the ones that suffer from this eye disease. Those with diabetes should always maintain good diabetic care to help prevent this type of eye disease. Laser surgery can be used to seal the retina from further damage that can lead to retina detachment. This kind of surgery is performed under local anesthesia.
For patients who suffer from these kinds of eye diseases, Lasik vision correction surgery can help stop further damage to the eye. For more serious eye conditions such as macular degeneration, Lasik surgery can help patients keep their eyesight without further vision loss. It is important to discuss health history with an eye care professional to see which treatment is best for the particular kind of eye disease.