LASIK eye Surgery

LASIK eye Surgery

Nowadays more and more people became attracted by the LASIK eye surgery which seems to be the solution for those who have problems with the sight.

What is LASIK?

LASIK is an acronym for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.It is a surgical method in order to reduce or eliminate the person’s dependency on glasses or contact lenses LASI is a procedure to correct defective visions of the eyes with the help of the laser technology. The first LASIK eye Surgery happened in 1990 and only in 1999 it was recognized by the German Ophthalmology Society (DOG) and by the Professional Association of the Opticians (BVA) as a welfare procedure. Problems like myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism can be treated with the help of this type of surgery .Besides the LASIK method there are also two main types of eye laser surgery: LASEK surgery which is used on patients with moderate or mild short sight and PRK which was the standard eye laser surgery for many years .The difference between the PRK and LASIK treatment is that the recovery after the PRK surgery is longer and both eyes can not be treated in the same time. But with LASIK, vision can be clear and focused in a day, and both eyes are generally done at the same time .In recent years laser surgery became something very common even if the costs still remain a problem for the most part of the patients.

Even if more and more people choose to give up to spectacles or contact lenses this type of surgery is not suitable for everybody. Eye laser surgery is only suitable for certain people. It is usually only performed on healthy adults .This means that if you have under the age of eighteen and you wish to resort to this operation in order to ameliorate your sight you can’t do it. There are a number of medical conditions that some people have that make them poor candidates for this refractive procedure.

People who have just mild eyesight problems are not generally considered good candidates. Similarly, those whose eyesight has changed significantly in the past 12 months may also be refused because their eyesight is still getting worse.

People who suffer from diseases like Diabetes ,arthritis and other similar diseases are not accepted to do the operation. This thing happens also with pregnant women.

There are many steps to be followed before the operation .The first step is to find a good surgeon .In order to decide if you are a good candidate for the surgery your doctor will examine your eyes to determine their health, what kind of vision correction you need, and how much laser ablation is required .The doctor will also look for signs of dry eyes which must be treated and cleared up before LASIK can be performed .The eyes of the patient are verified with the help of a corneal topographer .This device photographs the eye and creates a kind of "map" of your cornea .After some tests and some questions about your health and medications you are ready for the LASIK treatment.

What you must know is that LASIK technique is more advanced and accurate than others, where laser treatment is given under a hinged corneal flap and this flap is placed back after the laser procedure. This flap is self-healing and does not require any stitches. In this procedure, the Bowman's layer of the cornea is left intact making this technique safe and more predictable. The corneal flap is made with the help of a special instrument called the 'Microkeratome'. The entire procedure takes 20 minutes with the actual laser time varying between 15-145 seconds. The procedure is done under topical anesthesia (use of drops) and it is virtually painless. The patient does not have to stay in the clinic and can resume work after three days.

A question that is very common among people who are interested in this surgery is “Are these treatments safe?”

The answer to this question is that the treatment is safe only if it is performed by experienced doctors who use advanced equipment. However, medical opinion is somewhat divided over some of the newer treatments. While the LASIK procedure is a relatively quick and easy surgery, there can be risks and complications. The LASIK surgery can often drastically improve the vision of many people .Statistics show that about 94 percent of all patients find that they have improved vision almost immediately after the surgery .Only a few patients reported some complications with this procedure including seeing halos around lights at nighttime, worsened vision and infections .It is important to understand that since the modern technique of LASIK has only been used for about ten years, doctors do not know the long-term effects. Scientist who research and track LASIK complications, believes that there are probably no significant long-term effects from this surgery. It is known that early forms of vision correction seemed to work well and did not have negative long-term effects.

Here are the benefits of the LASIK surgery :

-this is a very safe method, almost used routinely

-it means a lasting solution for life

-clear vision guaranteed for 24 hours a day

-the morning and evening rituals with the contact lenses are over

-the unpleasantness of wearing glasses is over

-no risk, the sight improvement is for sure

-more than 12 years of experience guarantee the result

-more than 100% visual acuity can be reached with today's technology

- only one laser treatment is necessary which takes only 1-2 minutes

-it is an out-patient procedure, no need for hospital stay

-the possibility of seeing clearly immediately after the treatment

-the visual acuity reached by laser treatment will not deteriorate over the years

-there is no visible sign of the treatment

-it is economical, the sum spent on treatment is regained in a few years

-this is a well proven method all over the world and approved by ophthalmologists

-the laser treatment confers no disadvantage in case of an accident or eye disease in later life