Geeky glasses can be the fashion trend of the decade, but people who have to wear glasses all the time know the pain. Lens or glasses can be equally troublesome to deal with after long hours. People with vision troubles know that misplacing their glasses and searching for them with blurry vision in the morning can be quite a task. But now people who hate wearing lenses and glasses, can say bye to their blurry vision with this state-of-the-art technology of LASIK. It is a revolutionary technology that can correct faulty eyesight with a beam of laser. But it is an invasive procedure. So, it is important to know all about the procedure before committing to it. The repercussions and risks associated with the surgery should be clear to everyone who is planning to go through this surgery.
The Procedure Of LASIK
LASIK is an invasive procedure. In this surgery, surgeon will first apply numbing drops to the eyes to anesthetize them. An incision will be made in the cornea and the flap will be lifted. This will be followed by shaping of the corneal tissue by an effective laser. Then the flap will be replaced. According to the author of The Eye Care Revolution and ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Abel, the recovery is very fast and patients will be able to see the difference almost immediately after the procedure.
Who Can Get This Done?
LASIK is an effective technology that can correct common eyesight problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. But to go ahead with this procedure, your ophthalmologist should check your cornea for uniformity and dry eye problem. And once all these are checked, your ophthalmologist can give you consent for LASIK.
LASIK can also fix age-related eye condition, presbyopia. The LASIK used for this purpose is called Monovision LASIK. But it can affect the sharpness and depth perception of an individual. So, reading glasses might still be required for more strenuous tasks like reading small writings etc.
The Rate Of Success
The American Academy of Ophthalmology conducted a survey in which they found that almost 90% of the people who have undergone LASIK end up with vision somewhere in between 20/20 and 20/40. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, more than 50% of the LASIK patients have occasionally ended up using glasses or lenses after the procedure. Despite these numbers, more than 80% of the patients have been reported to be completely happy or satisfied with the procedure. FDA has also stated that the results are not all that satisfactory for people with very large refractive errors.
Associated Risks
The risk associated with this procedure is incredibly low. The risk is astoundingly only 1%. But before getting into anything, it is important to weigh all the negatives against the positives. According to the FDA, extreme negative repercussions can be dry eyes and loss of vision. And some patients have reported temporary inconveniences like halos, blurred vision and dry eyes after the procedure. It can last up to six months and sometimes more. People who are scared of blinking during the procedure shouldn’t worry as there will be a device to hold your eyelids open for you.
Options Other Than LASIK
People often query if there is any other option than LASIK for fixing vision. Well, there is. Epi-LASIK is the other alternative to LASIK. It is a non-invasive procedure that uses laser like LASIK. It comes with less number of associated risks. But the downside to this procedure is that the recovery time is longer. It takes around 11 days to completely recover in terms of the vision clarity.
Other Parameters
Cost and a good doctor are the other parameters of this procedure. So, you can call up a university-associated hospital and ask them for all the important information to avoid jumping the gun.
So, equip yourself with all necessary information before making a life-altering decision and then decide in your best interest.
