Subscribe Feed (RSS)Is LASIK Corrective Vision Surgery Right for You? Part II
November 24th, 2008 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.More than 9 out of 10 LASIK patients, recently interviewed eight years after their surgical procedure, said they were very satisfied with their post-operative quality of life. Not only did they express satisfaction at their own personal outcomes, but they were also willing to recommend this particular type of corrective vision surgery to others. Let’s take a closer look at LASIK surgery so you can decide whether it’s right for you.
The different types of LASIK surgery.
LASIK surgery comprises two basic types: Standard LASIK and Custom LASIK. In both cases the preparatory and post-operative procedures will be conducted along very similar lines.
Before surgery, your ophthalmologist will determine your eligibility for corrective vision surgery by carrying out a detailed eye examination. This will include the use of a corneal topographer to photograph the unique contours and irregularities of your eye. Screening for disqualifying conditions like cataracts and glaucoma will also be carried out.
Post-operatively, antibiotic eye drops will usually be prescribed for use four times daily over two weeks. Rubbing the eyes, an involuntary response while sleeping, should be avoided as it might dislodge the newly-settling LASIK flap. To reduce this risk of displacement, some surgeons advocate the wearing of a clear shield over the eye for the first week.
The day of your treatment.
On the day of your treatment, which will be an outpatient procedure of typically one hour’s duration, you’ll have topical anaesthetic drops applied to the eye. The skin around the eye will be cleaned with antiseptic solution and a sterile drape placed over it.
Your head will be positioned under the laser and an eyelid speculum placed in your eye to retain the eyelids. A suction ring, which guides the fine blade used to make the corneal incision, is then placed on the eye.
A thin flap is then created by one quick slice across the top of the cornea. Having folded back the flap, the laser is used to remove a microscopic amount of corneal tissue before the flap is replaced in its original position. A saline solution washes away any particles which may have landed on the exposed cornea during the procedure.
You will now rest for a little while before going home. It is often recommended that LASIK surgery is performed on one eye at a time (the procedure is not reversible). If all goes well, however, and the treated eye shows post-operative stability, then the second eye could be treated within two or three months after the first procedure.
Custom LASIK Surgery.
In Standard Lasik, the patient’s prescription is the sole determinant of the number and location of computer-controlled laser pulses delivered to the eye. As with most things in life, however, the more information which is made available to the surgeon, the greater the likelihood that the corrective vision surgery will result in a better overall quality of vision for the patient.
This has been borne out by comparing patients’ evaluations over the two LASIK procedures. Custom LASIK has the edge over traditional LASIK on two counts:
temporary problems of haloes and distorted vision experienced post-traditional LASIK surgery are not encountered in Custom LASIK.
Problems with glare or starburst around lights, commonly experienced by traditional LASIK patients when the pupil is dilated at night or under low light conditions, were not repeated by custom LASIK patients.
The absence of these temporary problems, along with a slightly higher figure for visual acuity in custom LASIK patients, are attributable to the three-dimensional image of the patient’s eye which is fed into the computer.
Compared to the two-dimensional image of the conventional procedure, the surgeon has a detailed, 3-D map of a patient’s eye imperfections at his disposal. This allows him to work with a greater degree of accuracy and to achieve even better quality of vision for his patients.
Risks and complications.
Any surgical procedure carries risks. However , it should be pointed out that there are LASIK-specific problems related to the creation of the hinged corneal flap. Complications, including damage to or wrinkling of the corneal flap or penetration of the eye by the microkeratome (surgical blade), may result in permanent loss of best corrected vision. Corrective lenses would then have to be worn by the patient.
The eye might also be under-or over-treated. Retreatment for under-correction can usually be carried out 4-12 weeks after the primary LASIK procedure. The original flap is lifted once more and further tissue is removed to correct the residual refractive error. Over-treatment, however, entails consequences similar to corneal flap damage: the need to continue wearing corrective lenses. An experienced, skilled surgeon is, therefore, vitally important.
Tips on choosing a LASIK surgery surgeon.
Interview several surgeons whose names have been referred to you from people you trust.
Be well-prepared with questions on your likely refractive outcome; the cost of your treatment (are all medication and clinical reviews included in the treatment costs?), and the cost of possible retreatment.
Will the surgeon who performs the surgery be present at the subsequent follow-up clinics?
You only have one pair of eyes so make sure that cost alone doesn’t determine your choice of surgeon. Go for the best, most experienced surgeon you can afford.
© 2006 Maureen P Cook
Maureen Cook writes articles for publication
from her home in England. She shows you
how to decide whether LASIK surgery is right for you
To read more, go to myvisioninfo.com/vision_surgery.php Vision
Surgery.
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