What Types of Conditions Does LASIK Surgery Treat?
LASIK surgery is generally used to treat three different conditions. These conditions are myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Myopia, often called nearsightedness, is one of the most commonly seen eye impairments on the planet and one of the biggest reasons for LASIK surgery. The amount of people with this condition is growing exponentially causing experts to predict that around 50% of people will have the condition by 2050. In myopia, the eye becomes too extended, causing light rays to hit in the wrong place causing blurriness when the patient tries to view something far away. LASIK surgery for this condition involves making a small flap on the surface of the cornea to enable the surgeon to lift away the top of the cornea and take away the extra tissue. The top of the cornea is replaced and allowed to heal.
Hyperopia, also called farsightedness, can also be corrected using LASIK surgery. Unlike patients with Myopia, the eye is too short rather than too long causing light to focus at a point too far back. The surgery involves reshaping the cornea so that light can reflect and focus more normally.
Astigmatism is when the vision is blurry both close up and far away. It occurs because the eye does not focus light properly and usually happens because of a misshapen cornea. Astigmatism can be a myopic astigmatism, hyperopic astigmatism, or mixed astigmatism. Although LASIK is not the most common treatment for astigmatism, the procedure can be extremely effective for many people with the correct advice from a doctor. The surgery will reshape the cornea, permanently treating the condition.
How Do I Know When to Get Surgery?
LASIK surgeries are rarely prescribed right away. In fact, most doctors require the patient to wait until their eye prescription is unchanged or stable for one to two years before recommending surgery. Any instability in the prescription can continue to cause vision changes even after surgery. A patient who does not wait to have surgery until after the vision is stable may find themselves having to go back into surgery to correct further problems.
There are other reasons that your doctor may advise you to wait to get the surgery. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and other hormonal changes can cause instability in the eyesight and these will need to be resolved before proceeding with surgery. Individuals involved in high contact sports may also be advised to forgo surgery as head injuries can cause the newly created flap on the cornea to become dislodged. Individuals with Keratoconus are almost always advised against LASIK surgery. This is because the cornea is already too thin and the surgery involves removing some of the tissue. Finally, any individual with autoimmune diseases or conditions may be advised against doing the surgery since this can keep the wound on the eye from healing and damage the vision. Some conditions and circumstances may simply postpone the surgery while others may risk you out from getting LASIK at all.
You will need to have several discussions with your doctor before deciding to proceed with LASIK surgery. Your doctor will take everything into consideration before making a recommendation. Never get the surgery in order to simply take advantage of an offer or coupon. These types of “deals” never take your health or your unique situation into account.
Can Children Get LASIK?
Almost all doctors will discourage LASIK surgery in anyone under the age of 25. When the body is still growing, changes can occur in the eyesight as well. In fact, many children with myopia or hyperopia will grow out of these conditions with time and will not require any further treatment. Vision will often stabilize in a person’s twenties, giving doctors plenty of time to make recommendations.
LASIK vs PRK
While researching LASIK surgery, you may have also come across the term Photo Refractive Keratectomy or PRK. PRK has many similarities to LASIK and is used to correct many of the same conditions. Although both are considered safe and effective, there are differences between the two and they may be recommended to different people based on certain factors.
LASIK, surgery involves cutting a flap in the cornea and removing tissue from underneath to reshape the eye. The top layer is then replaced. With PRK, however, tissue is removed from the top layer and then the eye is reshaped using a laser. PRK generally involves a longer recovery time and vision may take up to six months to fully correct when compared with LASIK. However, PRK may be a good choice for individuals with dry eyes or thin corneas. It may also be recommended for anyone who is more likely to dislodge the corneal flap such as those in contact sports, firefighters, or police officers.
What to Expect From Your LASIK Surgery
Once you have consulted with your doctor, been informed of any risks involved, and decided to pursue corrective surgery, you may be wondering what to expect from the surgery. Before surgery, it is likely that your doctor will recommend that you stop wearing contacts and just wear glasses for a certain period of time. Patients with soft contact lenses will be asked to take them out two weeks prior to surgery, while patients wearing hard contact lenses will be asked to remove them up to a month ahead of time. You will also be asked to not wear any products such as makeup or lotion for 24 hours up to the surgery to minimize the risk of infection. You may be asked to cleanse the lashes beforehand.
LASIK is an extremely short procedure. The entire process will take around 30 minutes. The doctor may either choose to use a mechanical microkeratome or a laser keratome. The mechanical microkeratome will create a suction on the cornea and then the flap will be cut with the microkeratome blade. With the laser keratome, the cornea will be pressed against a plastic plate to flatten it. The laser will then separate the tissue to create a flap. You will be required to stare at a fixed spot while the laser cuts. The laser will then cut a specific amount of tissue away that was preprogrammed by the doctor, and then the flap will be replaced.
After surgery, it is crucial that you have someone come pick you up as you will not be able to drive. Although you should not experience extreme pain or irritation, it is likely that you will have some pain and a sensation similar to having something in your eye. The doctor will place a shield over the eye to prevent you from itching, rubbing, or putting pressure on the eye as this can cause the flap to dislocate. It is important to wear the shield, even at night, until the doctor says it is safe to take it off. The shield is generally worn for up to a month. You will also likely be given eye drops to take home to help prevent infection or dryness.
Your doctor will ask you to come back after one or two days so that they can check your vision and do an eye exam. You will then schedule several more examinations throughout the course of the next year. The doctor will ask you to stay away from exercise for a few days, and to stay away from contact sports for at least a month. You will be asked to refrain from using make-up for two weeks, and to stay away from swimming without goggles for up to 8 weeks to help prevent infection.
You should not expect your vision to be perfect right out of surgery. Your vision will likely be blurry for several days and then it can take several months to arrive at its peak performance. If, after this time period, you are still experiencing blurriness or other vision problems, you should talk to your doctor immediately. However, you should be able to return to all of your non-strenuous activities within one day.
Although LASIK is considered a permanent eye correction, some vision changes are still expected to occur over the years as you age. Therefore, even if you no longer need glasses or contacts, you will still need to visit your eye doctor once a year to ensure that your vision remains healthy. Do a search for “eye doctor near me” to find one in your area.
Blade or No Blade?
Many doctors are split on whether it is better to have a blade or bladeless operation. The blade, which is also called a microkeratome, is the more traditional procedure. The bladeless, also called a femtosecond laser or IntraLase, has been around since 1999. There are pros and cons to both types of procedures. Microkeratome procedures can be more comfortable for the patient as the suction time (the most uncomfortable part of the procedure) is shorter than with the IntraLase. However, many doctors feel that they have more consistent results with the IntraLase and feel more at ease in the operating room. However, with an experienced doctor who has a good history of patient satisfaction, the reality is that both are considered both highly effective and safe. It is up to the patient and the doctor to discuss the surgery and find the solution that is the best for the patient.
Do You Stay Awake for a LASIK surgery?
Many people feel nervous about going in for their LASIK surgery and wonder if they can go under general anesthesia during the procedure. However, because the surgery generally takes well under 30 minutes and a local anesthetic works well to make the patient comfortable, general anesthesia is not worth the risks that come with it. However, many patients take a mild sedative before the procedure that can help to reduce the fear associated with surgery. Many patients report that the anticipation is worse than the surgery which is usually fast and easy.
What Does LASIK Surgery Cost?
LASIK surgery can be quite pricey, ranging anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 for each eye. You should be wary of places that advertise prices much lower than this as these are not likely to be safe and may come with additional risks. You should also avoid surgeons who seem to be selling you a product. LASIK should never be treated like a product or a commodity as it is a surgery and should be taken seriously. Bladeless surgeries are often up to $300 more per eye, and prices often vary depending upon your region and the experience of the doctor.
Are There Any Risks Associated With LASIK?
There are risks associated with any type of surgery. However, the risks connected with LASIK surgery are fairly rare when compared with other types of surgery. Some of these risks include chronically dry eyes, keratoconus, and damage to the cornea. Some patients have reported nerve damage following the surgery as well as halos, starbursts, and other visual disturbances. Other patients over the years have complained about vision problems leading to depression. However, the procedure has an approximate satisfaction rate of 96-98%.
It is also important to note that in recent years, eye doctors have become more selective about who they perform the surgery on. Many of these side effects were reported in cases where doctors now would be hesitant to even recommend the surgery. In fact, the number of surgeries has gone down from around 1.4 million to 700,000 per year because doctors are only performing surgeries on the best candidates. The bottom line is that complications from the surgery are rare and most people are happy with their results. However, it is always good to know the risks of any surgery, so you should do your research thoroughly before proceeding. It is also important to find a surgeon that you trust and who has at least 10,000 successful surgeries under their belt.
LASIK eye surgery is a great option for many people to help correct certain vision problems. However, it is important to note that it is an elective surgery that is performed on healthy eyes that simply have myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Although it is a helpful and effective surgery for many, it may also be possible that simply wearing glasses or contacts is a better option for you. You should discuss all of this with your doctor to find the solution that is best for you.