Refractive Eye Surgery – Advantages Of Lasik Eye Surgery

Refractive eye surgery is very effective in rectifying visual refractive errors and decreasing the dependency on glasses and contacts. It has been proven successful in reducing myopia (nearsightness), astigmatism (elongated corneas), hyperopia (farsightedness) and many other problems caused by refractive errors.

The medicine comprises four types of refractive eye surgery procedures: corneal incision procedures; flap and photoablation procedures; implants and thermal procedures. Nowadays the modern technology allows the doctors to use the laser to reshape the cornea.

During a flap procedure, the surgeon cuts a tiny flap in the cornea to reshape the tissue underneath and correct the refractive error.

Lasik (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) is very popular in the field of refractive surgery and can correct astigmatism, hyperopia and myopia. At first the surgeon uses a IntraLase or a microkeratome to move a flap out of the stroma. Next, he uses an excimer laser to remove excess corneal tissue and only after that he replaces the flap.

The best candidates for Lasik are the people with flat or thin corneas. A small trephine blade cuts into the epithelium while a mild alcohol solution will smoothen its edges. Excess corneal tissue is removed with an excimer laser and in the end the flap is replaced.

Just like LASEK, the Epi-LASIK cuts the epithelium but epikeratome is used as a replacement for alcohol and blade.

The second stage in flap procedures is photoablation because it removes excess corneal tissue with ultraviolet radiation. The original laser eye surgery procedure was PRK (photorefractive keratectomy).

This intervention used local aesthetic eye drops to numb the eye followed by the reshaping of the cornea. The excimer laser is an ultraviolet beam of light controlled by the computer that won´t cause any damage to the tissue around the eyes.

Arcuate keratotomy and radial keratotomy are two corneal incision procedures that alter the surface of the cornea to correct refractive errors. Radial keratotomy (RK) makes a few spoke-shaped incisions in the cornea with a diamond knife and by doing that it can treat myopia. Arcuate keratotomy is pretty much the same except that the diamond knife cuts parallel incisions to the edge of the cornea.

Farsightedness or temporarily hyperopic refractive errors can be corrected with heat thanks to thermal procedures. During the thermal keratoplasty procedure, the surgeon puts a ring of 8 or 16 small burns around the pupil. The heat causes contractions and makes the cornea steeper.

Thermal keratoplasty comprises Laser Thermal Keratoplasty (LTK) with holmium laser and Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) with high-frequency electric probes.

Last but not least, we have the implants. Thanks to implantable contact lenses (ICL) inserted in the cornea through small incisions, many patients suffering from astigmatism, hyperopia and myopia were cured. ICL sit behind the cornea refocusing the light and offering a natural image.

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

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.

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Lasik Eye Surgery Cost – What Determines The Price Of Corrective Eye Surgery

Many people agree that a Lasik vision correction can change a person´s life. After several years spent wearing contacts or glasses and after dealing with serious eye health problems, many patients have undergone Lasik eye surgery and were very pleased with the results.

Before visiting a doctor for the Lasik surgery, you might want to know how much this will cost you because nowadays a medical treatment can be quite expensive.

At first, many people were afraid about allowing a doctor to use a laser over their eyes but in time the technology, the training and the tools got better and better and that made the surgeon´s job safer and easier day after day.

It´s recommended that you visit a good Lasik eye surgeon when you decide to go ahead with the surgery but before setting up an appointment, it would be best if you check the prices. Also, it´s very important to know if your insurance covers this type of procedure in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

The price for a Lasik surgery is highly influenced by numerous factors starting with your location and ending with the doctor´s level of expertise.

When you go see the laser eye surgeon you should ask him the following:

- How much will the equipment maintenance cost?

- How much will I pay for the salaried stuff, the facilities and the supplies?

- If I´m contributing to the royalty payments received by laser manufacturer and what´s the amount to be paid?

- What´s the estimated amount for the follow-up costs for post-operative exams for one year after the surgery?

It´s very important that the surgeon will offer you honest responses because this will influence your decision. Also, there are a few offices that will even negotiate with your vision insurance provider for the covered amount.

The eye is probably the most important body part because it provides the most important sense of all. That´s why every patient is entitled to ask as much as possible about the Lasik eye surgery about the surgeon and last but not least about the financial expenses.

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How To Choose A Lasik Surgeon

LASIK is a simple procedure that allows the surgeon to correct visual errors in only a short period of time, usually a few minutes.

When you decide to have the surgery you´ll have to be very careful when choosing the doctor because its level of expertise is vital for you. Everything will last only half an hour and you´ll only feel a brighter discomfort that will disappear right away.

After the procedure you will be able to use your visual function without any problems.
The procedure is pretty much standard but in some cases there might be some complications and risks involved. That´s why the pre-op evaluation is important because your doctor will answer all your questions and together you´ll decide which the best option for you is.

That´s why before visiting the doctor you might want to do a research so that you´ll know what to ask.

Also, you must make sure that the doctor is licensed for this type of surgery and that its certifications are in order.

As I said before, the surgeon is the most important factor and that´s why you should ask him how many procedures he completed and what were the results. The references are very important and you shouldn´t be ashamed to ask all these details.

You can also ask for references from a former patient because like that you can find out many important things that will influence your decision one way or another.

Honesty is very important in the doctor-patient relationship and that´s why you must receive a true answer when you ask about bonuses offered by the Lasik equipment manufacturer. Sometimes the doctors use their number of patients to gain bonuses and that´s not necessarily a good thing.

A large number of procedures will keep him from being very accurate with every single patient. Remember: your eyes are not a play toy.

You should take into consideration experience, certifications, training, price and the comfort level offered to you by the centre before deciding for a doctor in your area.
Good luck in finding a great surgeon that will solve all your eye-related problems.

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