The Pros and Cons of LASIK EYE SURGERY?
LASIK is a recent laser eye surgery technique which FDA approved for use in 1998. As of now, there are no long term studies about its effects. For this reason and because making decisions regarding one’s eye sight is very important, you must do comprehensive research to be able to judge if the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are manageable risks for your treatment. If you do the research, you’ll be able to select a skilled and experienced eye surgeon. Many experts acknowledge the fact that the success LASIK heavily depends on the surgeon and not on the machine. You’ll also willingly participate in undergoing the tests because you know these are crucial tests to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.
What are the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery? The best benefit is easy to enough to identify. Your eye sight will immediately improve. So if you suffer from any of the following conditions, moderate to high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness), low to moderate degrees of hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism associated with myopia, and have thick corneas, you’ll qualify for the operation.
Two other significant benefits you should consider in weighing the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are its fast recovery time and immediate results of improved eye sight. LASIK patients normally get better eye acuity of 75% to 85% within 24 hours. This compares favorably against the two older surgical techniques, radial keratotomy (RK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), where healing & improved vision takes weeks or months to occur. Also, LASIK operations generally take under a minute to perform on one eye, you walk out of the clinic within hours.
Now that the pros have been highlighted, what are the cons found in the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery?
If the patients’ eye condition is incorrectly diagnosed, the patient might develop permanent debilitating visual symptoms such as glare, halos, or double vision after the operation.
If you don’t have dry eye syndrome, you may develop one. You’d be uncomfortable, and permanent. Left untreated, it will be unhealthy for your corneas.
If you are farsighted, as you age, the benefits of LASIK will diminish with age, you’ll need glasses or contacts in the later years.
Many patients experience significant improvement with their vision after LASEK. But remember to have realistic expectations; your age, eye condition and health are serious considerations. You may still need to wear eyeglasses or contacts after the operation.
Educate yourself. If you do, you’ll competently manage the pros and cons of LASIK surgery. You’ll enjoy keener eye sight afterwards.
Tim Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Vision-Doctor.com an online website that offers discounts on contact lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses and free information on LASIK eye surgery procedures [http://www.vision-doctor.com/Lasik-Eye-Surgery.html] that you can view in the privacy of your own home.
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Are You Eligible for LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK eye surgery has been performed on more than one million of people in the world. Almost all of them are satisfied with the results – they have been able to eliminate the dependence on corrective eyewear and most of them even don’t need prescribed glasses or contacts to see and read anymore.
Having heard of such results, you may begin contemplating LASIK eye surgery. But unfortunately, LASIK surgery is not for everyone. Many people are considered as good LASIK candidate, but some people do not meet the criteria. You have to visit your doctor and consult with him or her, take a comprehensive eye and health examination, answer some questions and your doctor will then determine whether you are eligible for LASIK eye surgery or not, because it is very important to ensure the successful of the LASIK procedure that will be performed later.
The best candidates for LASIK are those with mild to moderate levels of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and a combination thereof – myopia with astigmatism or hyperopia with astigmatism. As technology is evolving rapidly, the future LASIK eye surgery is expected to treat severe refractive errors.
The next criterion is that you must be over 18 years old and have had a stable glass glasses or contact lenses prescription for at least two years. Some doctor may reject patients who are younger than 20 years old because their visions are still unstable.
Potential candidates should be free from certain diseases such as diabetes, ocular herpes simplex, glaucoma, keratononus, cataracts or any eye diseases.
You are not eligible for LASIK if you are pregnant or nursing and have fluctuating hormones. Also an ideal candidate must be a fast healer and have no disease that may affect wound healing such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and HIV. If you are currently taking certain medications such as retinoic acid and steroids that may prevent proper wound healing, you are not a good LASIK candidate.
If you have meet all the conditions needed, it is also important for you to understand the benefits, outcomes, risks and complications of LASIK. If your expectations are too high and unrealistic and you are not a risk taker, you will be rejected by your doctor for LASIK eye surgery.
Besides the criteria from doctor, you also have to consider the LASIK cost, if it is affordable or not and whether your health insurance covers this type of surgery. Usually, the cost is ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 per eye and it may costs more if you choose Wavefront LASIK or bladeless LASIK (IntraLase). Of course it is better for you to ask and discuss the price with your doctor.
After all, if you are eligible for LASIK eye surgery, it is completely up to you to decide whether you choose to continue to the next step of LASIK procedure or just stop there because you are not willing to bear the risks.
Lina Lee is a successful webmaster and publisher of LASIKWeb.info, a website that provides complete guide and infomation about LASIK Surgery. Also find out if you are a good candidate for LASIK Eye Surgery by asking the 50 tough questions for your LASIK surgeon.
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