All about LASIK surgery / What are the risks? / How to find the right doctor ? / What are
the charges ?
LASIK INFO WEB
Before making your decision
Learn about the LASIK procedure
its benefits, and its risks from this web
LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency
on glasses or contact lenses. In the past year, LASIK surgery has grown
in popularity as an alternative to glasses and contact lenses for people
suffering from nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and
astigmatism. However, it cannot correct presbyopia, or age-related near
focusing problems. This is because presbyopia is the result of muscle slackening,
and LASIK does not improve muscle tone in any way, but instead changes
the curvature of the cornea.LASIK makes permanent changes to correct refractive
errors.LASIK can eliminate risks associated with long term contact lenses
usage.While the media and others would have you believe it is a very simple
operation, in actuality, it is exceedingly complex and requires a highly
experienced and dextrous eye surgeon
TIPS ON HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT LASIK SURGEON
If you are thinking of having LASIK surgery you must beware of"slick" advertising and/or deals that sound "too good to be true." Remember, they
usually are. There is a lot of competition resulting in a great deal of
advertising and bidding for your business. Do your homework and Don't base your decision simply on cost or the type of LASIK technology used and don't settle for the first eye
center, doctor, or procedure you investigate. You could start by asking
friends, family member and colleagues who’ve had LASIK, about their experiences.
A good LASIK surgeon typically has a solid reputation in his or her community.The
recommendations for choosing a Superior Lasik Surgeon are as follows:
1. Make sure they do hundreds of LASIKS each year. 2. Make sure they have
done LASIKS for five years or more.
3. Make sure they are respected teachers
of the LASIK procedures.
4. Make sure they have very few "re-do's." Thus, there Pre-Surgical
testing must be good. 5. Make sure they use sterile
techniques on every case. 6. Make sure they use a new costly-blade on every
case. 7. Ask to speak to several of their recent consecutively-operated
cases.
Lasik surgery consultation fees range from S$50~S$200 and Lasik surgery
fees fromS$1,500~S$3,000 per eye(depending on the type of surgery)
ARE THERE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH LASIK?
All surgical procedure has some degree of risk, and LASIK surgery is no
exception .The following is a list of possible risks:
・Undercorrection or
overcorrection
・Regression
・Night vision disturbance(Halo, glare, light
sensitivity, starburst, low contrast situations, etc.)
・Dry eye
・Infection
・Blindness (in rare occasions)
However, the overwhelming majority of patients who undergo LASIK experience
no side effects and are back to work the day after surgery.It is important
to remember that patients in their 40s or older suffer from presbyopia
and will still need reading glasses.
Between 1%to 8% experince complications but this is still not accuratelly
known since this technology has not been around long enough to pinpoint
precise complication rates
LASIK SAFER THAN CONTACT LENSES
PORTLAND, OR, United States (UPI) -- Portland, Ore., researchers have said contact lens users are more likely than Lasik surgery patients to develop complications leading to further vision loss.
Ophthalmologist William Mathers and colleagues at Oregon Health and Science
University`s Casey Eye Institute said a review of multiple studies revealed
that contact lens wearers face a 1- in-100 risk of developing a serious
lens-related eye infection over 30 years of use and a 1-in-2,000 chance
of experiencing dramatic loss of vision loss as a result, WebMD reported
Wednesday.The researchers said in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology
that the chances of Lasik surgery leading to significant vision loss is
about 1-in-10,000.'One shouldn`t just assume that contacts are safer,'
Mathers said. 'This may have been true at one time but for the average
person this is certainly not the case anymore.'Almost everyone who wears
contact lenses violates some principle of proper use at some point,' he
said. 'Either they don`t wash their hands before putting them in or they
use tap water (to store the lenses). But infections can occur even when
this doesn`t happen.'
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