Save This Page to Del.icio.us LASIK Surgery Resources for Patients
What is LASIK?
LASIK stands for "laser assisted in situ keratomileusis", which is a surgical procedure used to treat nearsightedness, medically known as myopia, farsightedness known as hyperopia and astigmatism. LASIK, is performed by medical doctors called ophthalmologists who are specially trained in surgery of the eye. The doctor uses a laser and a microsurgical instrument to change the shape of the cornea. The cornea is the clear covering which the eye uses to focus light on the receptors in the back of the eye. By reshaping the cornea, the doctor is able adjust the focus point in the eye which can allow for clearer vision.
While in many cases, LASIK surgery may decrease or even eliminate your need for corrective eyewear, for distant vision, you will very possibly still need reading glasses sometime in you mid-40s. As with most things in life, there are trade-offs. It is important to consider this in determining if LASIK is right for you.
Is LASIK for me?
LASIK has helped a lot of people to significantly reduce their dependence on glasses or contacts. However, it is not for everyone. Your ophthalmologist is the best source of information pertinent to your needs and the conditions that may prevent you from being a good candidate for LASIK. Generally, you should have healthy eyes, not be pregnant or nursing and be over 18 years old. Your vision should be stable with no change in your eyewear prescription in the last 12 months. Your vision error should also be with in acceptable ranges of correction for LASIK. Finally, you must understand the potential risks, complications and side effects (some of which are listed below) associated with LASIK and be willing to subject yourself to those risks. You should discuss these issues with your surgeon, carefully weighing the risks and rewards before making you final decision.
How is LASIK done?
With the patient comfortably seated in a reclining chair, LASIK is performed in an outpatient surgical suite. The eye is first numbed with a few anesthetic drops. An eyelid holder is placed between the eyelids to prevent you blinking. A suction ring is placed on the eye which lifts and flattens the cornea and helps keep your eye from moving. You may feel pressure from the eyelid holder and suction ring, similar to a finger pressed firmly on your eyelid. From the time the suction ring is put on the eye until it is removed, vision appears dim or goes black.
Once the eye is stabilized and prepared for LASIK, a microsurgical instrument is attached to the suction ring. The blade moves across the cornea, stopping at a point, far enough from the edge of the cornea to create a hinged flap of thin corneal tissue.
The instrument and the ring are removed from your eye, allowing the flap to be lifted and folded back. Now the laser is moved into place, Following preprogrammed settings, specific to your eye, the laser begins reshaping the cornea. In most cases, a pupil tracker will be used to keep the laser centered on your pupil during surgery. After the reshaping of the cornea is complete, the surgeon places the flap back into position and smoothes the edges. The flap adheres on its own within minutes.
And after LASIK surgery?
Immediately following LASIK surgery, it is common to have a burning or scratchy sensation. This will typically disappear in a few hours. It is best to plan on relaxing at home or even napping after your procedure. Your ophthalmologist may give you a clear shield to wear over your eye after surgery or at night to prevent accidental rubbing or scratching of you eyes. Dryness after surgery is common. You will usually be given eye drops to alleviate dryness and assist the healing process.
Are there risks, complications, and side effects?
Any surgical procedure has potential risks and complications. When considering LASIK surgery or any elective surgical procedure, those risks and complications should be carefully weighed against the potential benefits. LASIK can sometimes result in vision that is either under or over corrected. Most often, these problems can be improved with additional laser surgery, glasses, or contact lenses.
While permanent vision loss is very rare, there is an extremely small chance that your vision will not be as good after the surgery as before, even with glasses or contacts. Most complications can be routinely be treated without any loss of vision.
Most side effects experienced by LASIK patients are temporary in nature. In rare instances, they may be permanent. These side effects may include:
- scratchiness;
- dryness;
- glare;
- light sensitivity;
- discomfort or pain;
- hazy or blurry vision;
- halos or starbursts around lights.
The most common side effects experienced by LASIK surgery patients are some dryness in the eyes and fluctuating vision during the day. Generally, these effects fade within the first month. Occasionally, these symptoms continue to for a longer period of time. As with any surgical procedure, infection is a small possibility with LASIK. If this occurs, antibiotics will generally clear up the infection. On rare occasion, complications will cause irregularities in the flap created during surgery which will require additional treatment.
What results can I expect after LASIK surgery?
The goal of LASIK surgery is to reduce or eliminate the dependence on corrective eyewear for most daily tasks. While LASIK has greatly enhanced the quality of life of thousands of people, it is important to know that correction is not always complete. Generally most people achieve vision in the 20/20 to 20/40 range. Occasionally, under correction can be enhanced by a second surgery.
LASIK surgery cannot eliminate the need for reading glasses due to age related near vision loss. By the time we reach 40 or 50, virtually everyone with excellent distant vision will need help reading. Conversely, many people with less than perfect distant vision, can read and do other close up activities with little or no vision correction. While LASIK offers potential elimination of corrective eyewear for distant vision, it could also cause the need for reading glasses in individuals over 40. It is a trade off that should be considered, particularly for individuals who's income depends on near vision!
If you regularly engage in activities or a career that requires 20/20 vision, you must consider that there is a chance that LASIK eye surgery might fall short or a second surgery may be required. In addition, 20/40 might be the best that can be achieved and in rare instances worse things could happen. Finally, you might be trading daily corrective lenses for seeing distant for reading glasses for close up work or glasses for other tasks such as night driving.
Summary
Your local ophthalmologist is your best resource for evaluating the risks and rewards of LASIK surgery. LASIK is currently the most popular method of eliminating or reducing dependency on glasses or contacts. If it is right for you, join thousand who have benefited from the benefits of LASIK. Ultimately, only you with proper guidance from you doctor can determine if you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery .