Posts Tagged ‘corrective eye surgery’

Laser Surgery and Your Eyes: How Your Eyes Heal

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Only if our optical organs were made of simple inorganic matter, we could with high certainty definitely adjust every one of them to a perfect 20-20 vision. However, eyes are constructed of active cells. Hence, not all eyes exhibit the same healing reaction. The distinct healing response of the patient’s optical organs can’t be predicted with absolute certainty. And this healing response will affect the quality of the person’s improvement in vision at the end. It should also be noted that, your eye’s healing response, unfortunately is not correlated how rapidly other parts of your body heal nor can it be pre-determined by testing.

With lasik surgery there is lesser statistical variation in the healing progression of the eyes. More diverse results appear when the surface of the eye is healing in procedures such as the PRK, than LASIK where more deep tissue restoration is involved.

People who have received the LASIK treatment display a more foreseeable mending progression. As the eye recovers during the first several weeks even months, there is a minute likelihood for the eye to drift back to its initial characteristics: nearsighted eyes will regress very mildly back to near-sightedness again, and farsighted eyes will turn slightly back toward farsightedness. Medical professionals take this tendency into consideration, and will create a tiny over-revision at the start. As a result, most people who have undergone LASIK will observe that their eyesight sharpens even during the first weeks and even months of their mending period.

There will also be patients who display a mending pattern known as regression’, in which the eyes decline in visual clarity to a much larger degree than is expected. These people may have an outstanding vision during the starting healing weeks, which then regressed into eye improvements much below expectations. Fortunately, under-corrections can be very easily rectified with additional procedure.

Extensive exposure to UV light, such as sunlight or from UV tanning shops, during the starting 6 months after laser vision correction may result in more than a few patients to experience regression. It is very important that subjects of the LASIK procedure to protect their eyesight from considerable amounts of ultraviolet light by sporting protective eyewear when they have to go outside when the sun is strong during the first 6 months after treatment, though small amounts of exposure to sunlight will not be detrimental to your healing.

If you spend a lot of time in the following entertainment which involve a large amount of UV light exposure: mountain sports such as snowboarding and skiing; water polo and other athletic water games; or just relaxing in the lake; it is particularly essential for you to protect your eyes by donning sunglasses during these activities. You should also take note of the fact that, excessive harmful UV light exposure is harmful to other tissues of the eye, since it can result in the development of cataracts and damage the retina. Thus, it is wise for folks, whether or not they have or have not recently had excimer laser eye surgery, to safeguard their eyes from the harmful consequences of sun exposure.

Before having this treatment, you should be clear on the fact that everyone heals varyingly, and these dissimilarities greatly shape your final result. This is a strong argument why it is very important to select the eye specialist carefully. Even if the instrument is one of best in the industry, it is still the specialist who will use the laser and then manage how your eye responds to the treatment afterwards. You also have to make sure you understand your postoperative care instructions; so that you will do the essential things to help attain your desired eye correction result.

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Cost of Lasik Eye Surgery High for Some, Worth it for Many

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Lasik laser eye surgery

These days, there is a great deal of interest in the different types of vision eye surgery that is offered. Lasik is one of the most popular of the various kinds of corrective eye surgery options because it can be done in under an hour, recovery time is very quick, and the risks are quite low. In addition, for many with vision problems, the cost of Lasik eye surgery is quite low when they take in to account the many benefits they receive, especially not having to deal with breaking (or constantly losing) their glasses or the need to deal with the hassle of contact lenses.

In general, the cost will vary quite a bit depending on the exact type of corrective eye surgery that you need. The price of a Lasik procedure can also be affected by the type of facility you choose, whether the Lasik eye surgery center is affiliated with a hospital or not, the country where you reside and the region of the country where you live.

While it is easy enough to find slick advertisements that claim the cost of Lasik eye surgery can be as low as $500 per eye, this is generally not the full cost. After more careful study, people will find the true cost to be closer to $1,000 (per eye) and if a particular Lasik eye doctor is wanted for the procedure, then it could be upwards of $2,500 per corrected eye.

Unfortunately, aside from the many benefits of corrective eye surgery, the high cost simply puts it out of range for many people. This is especially true for those who have no type of insurance coverage to help pay for some of the expense. Even for those who do have optical insurance, many will find their coverage limited. Many insurance policies exclude this type of laser eye surgery altogether because they consider it to be optional and not necessary, since in most cases the vision can be improved with some type of corrective lenses.

However, there are many people who have sufficient resources and motivation that are not at all put off by the cost of eye surgery. Some people value the convenience of never having to wear glasses again. Others look forward to never having to deal with the fuss of changing and cleaning contact lenses. Still other’s are motivated by vanity and don’t want anyone to know that they had a vision problem that needed correction.

Regardless of the reasons why people seek out corrective eye surgery, there are many laser eye surgeons being kept happily in business by the demand of this procedure, regardless of the cost. Part of the reason why it has become such a popular practice is because a large segment of the population is comprised of the baby-boomer generation, ranging in age from 45 to 65, who are experiencing vision deterioration.

No matter what the cost of Lasik eye surgery, it is not able to correct all types of vision problems. There are three main problems that Lasik laser eye surgery can improve: nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. If you have other kinds of vision problems, you would need to look to other kinds of corrective laser surgery or stick with corrective lenses.

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Conductive Keratoplasty Protects Against Surgical Eye Intrusions

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Lasik laser eye surgery

When it comes to people’s eyes and the problems they might have with their vision, most generally take such issues pretty seriously and look for ways to improve their eyesight whenever possible. For some people the thought of corrective eye surgery makes them understandably squeamish. However, in these days of highly-technological procedures, there are solutions to vision problems that are minimally invasive and which can deliver excellent results. Conductive keratoplasty (CK) is one of those corrective eye surgery procedures.

CK is a fairly new kind of laser eye surgery in practice today. It utilizes a mild heat that is generated from radio waves. These waves are used to reduce the size of the connective tissues. These tissues are a glue-like collagen, found in the periphery of the cornea and which can cause vision distortions.

A conductive keratoplasty procedure actually steepens the shape of the cornea. The result of this reshaping is that far-sighted patients who have presbyopia end up with improved near and distance vision. For those who only have presbyopia, their near vision is enhanced.

CK is not considered to be an appropriate treatment if you are nearsighted, and Lasik eye surgery would be recommended as a better procedure for people who are either nearsighted or have an astigmatism. CK is also currently being studied for its effectiveness with correcting astigmatisms, and while early indications are that it might be effective, it is not yet being widely used to correct that type of vision problem.

When CK was first introduced, there were some problems reported with the stability of the vision corrections and instances where the cornea actually reverted back to it’s original condition before the corrective eye surgery was done. However, in recent years there have been many improvements in laser eye surgery techniques utilized in CK, and clinical studies in more recent years have shown that the procedure is delivering more stable results consistently.

In April of 2002, the FDA of the United States approved conductive keratoplasty for use with patients over the age of 40 who had mild conditions of farsightedness. Later, in 2004, the FDA expanded its approval to include presbyopia, which is a very common condition that typically effects people as they reach middle age. Presbyopia is a natural side-effect of the aging process and it causes the lens of the eye to stiffen, making it more difficult to focus at different distances at the same time.

As a result of these improvements, CK has been gaining a much greater level of acceptance among laser eye surgeons and potential patients are becoming more interested in this procedure. Ultimately, it will still be some years before long-term data on the success or failure of CK will be available, in order to make a comprehensive comparison between this type of corrective eye surgery and other procedures, such as Lasik vision surgery.

While typical laser eye surgery, such as Lasik, involves cutting the surface layer of the eye tissue, conductive keratoplasty does not require any cutting and there is not any kind of instrument that is inserted in the eye. Due to this completely non-invasive approach, there is virtually no incidence of infections or other serious complications. The primary issue with CK is the length of time the effect with last, which is reported to be constantly improving.

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Lasik Eye Surgery Problems – What Are The Risks Of Corrective Eye Surgery?

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Many people with vision corrections problems were very pleased with the results offered by Lasik eye surgery. Even if the percentage is in favour of the patients, there are still some risks and complications to be considered and they should all be explained by the surgeon before the procedure.

You and your surgeon will meet for a pre-operative visit and he´ll exam your eyes and will establish if you´re a good candidate or not for the procedure. Also, this is probably the best time to ask all the important questions in order to find all the details about the price, the surgeon´s qualification and also about the follow-up care.

During the refractive eye surgery, the following risks can appear: some people can develop debilitating visual symptoms (double vision or halos), some of them can lose the lines of vision, the treatment for the visual capabilities can be too little or too much and some patients might still need glasses or contacts after the procedure.

Also, some patients can develop dry eye syndrome and for others the results can he highly influenced by their age. Before the surgery, the doctor will explain all these risks and he´ll help you decide what´s best for your health.

It is very important for you to understand that long-term data are not available on Lasik because this technology has just been introduced in hospitals. All the tests and the results vote in favour of this procedure but if you think about any additional tests you should take into consideration all the possible risks and complications.

In most cases, the complications were successfully solved and after the surgery the patient was very pleased with the results. At this point the surgeon´s level of expertise plays an important role because if he performs a quality surgery the result can completely eliminate the glasses and the contacts from the patient´s life.

Also, you might want to ask your doctor for references because other patients can help you make up your mind faster about this procedure.

Learn what are the common lasik eye surgery problems that can happen at my lasik eye surgery site.

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After Lasik Eye Surgery Recovery is Rapid

Friday, February 13th, 2009

laser eye surgery

If a person wants to have certain vision problems corrected, then one of the best and most popular ways of achieving that is by having Lasik laser eye surgery. This procedure is gaining widespread acceptance because it gives people fast results, has very little chance of causing complications and infections, and recovery is quick as well. Even with that said, there are a few things that people need to do after Lasik eye surgery to avoid any problems.

One of the first things that people want to know when they are considering corrective eye surgery is how long it will take, after the surgery, before they are able to return to their normal daily activities. The good news is that recovery from this type of laser eye surgery is quite rapid and within a couple days after the procedure, most people can get back to life as normal, except without the hassle of needing their eyeglasses or their contact lenses.

In the days immediately after Lasik eye surgery has been done, the laser eye surgeons advise patients to avoid activities that could result in anything coming into contact with the eyes, such as in the form of rubbing, touching or poking. Also, for the first few hours immediately following the procedure, the patient should refrain from standing and should recline with their eyes closed as much as is possible.

Once these few hours have passed after surgery, the patient is then able to get back to their routine activities, either at home or at work. Still, rubbing the eyes should be avoided for a few days and if dryness or itchiness occurs, then the patient should used lubricating eye-drops to help alleviate the irritation and to sooth the eyes. Most Lasik eye center facilities will provide the patient with drops for their eyes for this very purpose.

After corrective eye surgery, it is also recommended that patients wear a soft protective eye-mask at night so that the affected eyes are buffered and protected from any inadvertent bumps, scraping or rubbing. This also helps to make sure that no foreign objects enter the eyes during this brief period of recovery from the Lasik vision surgery.

While there is historically very little occurrence of infections with laser eye surgery in general, some laser eye surgeons will prescribe antibiotics as a precaution. If antibiotics, or any other medications, have been prescribed, it is important to take these medications exactly as prescribed by the Lasik eye doctor. Also, most doctors will recommend that you drink plenty of water in order to be sure the eyes are properly hydrated during the healing process.

After Lasik eye surgery patients also should avoid showering, so that soap and water do no inadvertently get into the eyes. Doctors say that a Lasik patient is able to quickly resume normal activities such are reading, watching television and computer work but that they must take care to use artificial tears regularly to keep the repaired eyes moist and lubricated. By following these minimal guidelines, the Lasik patient can quickly enjoy their improved vision.

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Lasik Eye Procedure – What Happens During A Lasik Eye Surgery

Friday, December 12th, 2008

People that were forced to wear contacts or glasses all their life can now leave these aids behind by using a new and innovative LASIK procedure called the LASIK eye surgery.

This new type of refractive eye surgery can be risky but in most cases after detailed testing and consultation the final result is a good one. If you worry about the duration of the surgery, you should know that everything lasts only a few minutes but in order to obtain good results you should be very careful about the pre and post operative appointments.

It is very important to choose a good eye surgeon and after he evaluates he´ll establish the details of the procedure. He´ll let you know if you´re a good candidate or not, he´ll explain the procedure, the complications, the risks and the final result and together you´ll set the post-op appointment.

A few weeks before the LASIK eye procedure it´s recommended that you use only glasses and no contact lens because the shape of the cornea plays the most important role during evaluation.

When the procedure starts you´ll be sitting in a chair while the doctor will put numbing drops in your eyes. After he cleans up the area around the eyes, he´ll use a machine that will keep your eye lids open.

You might feel pretty weird because our eye lids are programmed to shut but if you stay relaxed you won´t feel a thing. The lasik eye surgeon use various types of machines and that´s why the level of discomfort can vary a lot from one patient to another.

Next, you´ll have to look straight into a laser placed over your eye while the surgeon will complete the procedure.

Everything happens very fast and the discomfort will only last a few seconds. All the above mentioned details sound scary and when you think that everything happens in the eye you might reconsider but you shouldn´t. LASIK eye procedure is very safe and most candidates leave the hospital with excellent results.

Wondering how much does lasik cost? Visit my lasik eye surgery site for more information.

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