How do I know if laser eye surgery is for me? There are many factors that have to be considered if you are thinking about having eye surgery done. First of all, there are age limitations. Certain surgeries require you to be 18 while others will require you to be 21 or older. You can’t have laser eye surgery if there is anything going on that could affect the healing process, or affect how your eyes will react to the surgery process. This means if you have pink eye, dry eyes, or any kind of injury that has affected your eye, that you will have to wait until it passes. If you’re pregnant, then you should wait until after you have given birth. In fact, you’ll probably be better off to wait a few months after, because pregnancy can affect your eyes. It can cause dry eyes or even change the shape of corneas! And of course, as with just about any medical procedure, any medications you are taking may affect whether it is safe to have laser eye surgery.

Am I qualified to have laser eye surgery?

There are some conditions that may mean you aren’t able to have laser eye surgery at all. Some of these can include uncontrolled glaucoma or cataracts. You also must be able to show that you have had a good, year-long history of stable vision. You may also be disqualified if you have certain types of diseases such as autoimmune or degenerative.

What are the costs and possible financing solutions I could use for laser eye surgery?

If you have come to the conclusion that laser eye surgery is something you need, then you need to be prepared for what it is going to cost you. Depending on the exact surgery or procedures that you need to have done, it will likely from a thousand to several thousand dollars. However, don’t close the door on considering it just because you don’t have a way to come up with such amounts of cash. There are some ways that you may be able to get it financed. There are many health care financing services, including some that are tailored for leaser eye surgeries. You can also consider investing into a FSA, or flexible spending account. With an FSA you’ll need to put some of your paycheck into each month, and you’ll be able to use pre-tax income for it.

How do I find a laser eye surgeon?

Now that you have figured out how you are going to pay for it, you’ll need to find the surgeon who will perform the procedure. Be careful during this selection process. Ask the surgeon for their credentials; are they a member of any medical associations? Talk with others and see if you can find someone who can give you a referral to a qualified surgeon. After you find a few that you think may fit the bill, schedule an appointment to sit down and talk with them. Be sure to take a complete list of everything you may want to ask so you don’t forget something!

Just the thought of a surgeon messing with your eyes can send a chill through most of us. Cataract eye surgery is no exception. But with the development of microsurgical procedures, cataract eye surgery is quick, generally without discomfort, and will dramatically restore your vision to the point where you may require prescription glasses for distance vision or reading only.

Primarily distinguished by the clouding of the lens of the eye, a cataract doesn’t cause blindness but instead gradually reduces your vision. It does this as it grows from a small area of cloudiness that often goes unnoticed to a much larger area of cloudiness that covers the entire lens. Initially, you may not even be aware of a change in your vision. However, over time, cataracts tend to enlarge to the point where your vision does become affected.

The good news is that cataract eye surgery has become commonplace (there are over one million such surgeries performed each year), and results in success nearly 100% of the time.

Very basic and straightforward, cataract eye surgery involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a plastic lens.

There are two fundamental approaches to this eye surgery. The first is called Phacoemulsification and is generally the preferred approach to cataract removal. It involves the use of sound waves to break up the cataract. Here’s how it works: a small incision is made on the side of the cornea, (the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the surface of the eye). The tip of a microsurgical instrument is inserted into the eye. This instrument emits high frequency waves which break up the lens into tiny fragments. The fragments are then removed by suction, using the same instrument.

The second fundamental approach is called Extracapsular surgery. In this approach, a longer incision is made on the side of the cornea and the core of the cloudy lens is removed in a single piece. Any remaining fragments of the lens are removed by suction. Extracapsular surgery requires stitches to close the larger incision and generally takes six to eight weeks to properly heal.

In both cases, after the cornea is removed and replaced with a tiny prescription lens referred to as an intraocular lens (IOL). Using a calculated corrective prescription, the IOL clearly focuses light onto the retina, which dramatically improves vision. The new lens feels completely natural, you won’t notice it at all, just as you didn’t previously notice your cornea.

There are two types of intraocular lenses used for cataract surgery: Monofocal and Multifocal.

Monofocal

With the monofocal lens implant, the lens acts the same as your natural lens, except it cannot adjust focus. The lens is shaped to provide good vision for either farsightedness or nearsightedness, but is unable to improve both distances. Depending on whichever range you choose (most oten the monofocal lens is used to improve farsightedness), the other vision distance will require glasses or regular contact lenses.

Multifocal

With the newer multifocal intraocular lens implant, you’ll experience normal vision at all distances, which may eliminate the need for prescription glasses. There are some cautions, however. Around 4% of those who receive multifocal lenses exerience some night time glare and halos {spheres of illuminated haze surrounding sources of light). These side effects tend to decrease over time and may be minimized with the use of eye drops or prescription glass for night driving.

As with any surgery, there can always be complications. Complete healing for cataract eye surgery may require several weeks, though you should be able to return to your normal routine fairly quickly. You’ll likely experience some dryness and itching in your eye during the healing process. Be sure to use your prescribed eye drops and closely follow your doctor’s instructions.

Though cataract eye surgery may sound a little unnerving, the procedure is generally quick and painless. More important, it brings with it a 98% success rate. Don’t let the process scare you. Talk with your ophthalmologist about your particular situation and the best way to improve your vision.

Laser eye surgery is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. If the procedure is performed in the correct manner it can lead to great results for the patient concerned. The patient will be able to enjoy a better quality of life and the procedure itself is not that long. However, as with any surgical procedure, laser eye surgery comes with risks and on occasion, complications can occur.

This procedure involves correcting long and short sightedness. The laser is used to change the shape of the cornea which is the transparent part of the eye which covers the iris and the pupil.

Complications and risks

As laser eye surgery is still a relatively new form of procedure, its full effects have not been fully determined. In some cases problems do occur from dryness of the eyes to night vision problems. The risk of complications occurring may be higher with some patients. It is the responsibility of the doctor to screen their patients for potential of risks and any diseases such as inflammation of the eye, large pupils, or dry eyes. Not every candidate will be suited for the surgery, and the pre-screening should identify these.

The complications experienced by patients can vary from case to case. Some patients experience minor problems such as pain and sensitivity which can be solved. However, in other cases the consequences can be particularly serious with some patients suffering from cornea scarring to in some tragic cases even blindness.

Undergoing Cataract surgery

Cataracts usually cause impaired vision for elder patients. It is a degenerative disorder, however it can also have other causes. Cataract surgery is usually performed to improve the patient’s eyesight and this is done by the lens of the eye being broken down into tiny pieces which are removed through a small cut in the eye. The lens is then replaced with an artificial one.

Problems after surgery are rare but can occur. In order to establish a claim, it will have to be seen whether there was negligence in the pre-operative screening, the actual eye surgery, or in the post-operative.

It is the doctor’s responsibility to inform their patient of the risks involved in the surgery before the operation is carried out. It may not be possible to go through every risk possible, but the general risks should be highlighted to the patient.

The process of making a claim

There are a number of things that will be considered such as:

* The nature and extent of your injury

* How long it has take you to recover from the injury and whether it has any long term consequences

* The extent of losses you incur as a result of the injury

Our specialist solicitors have a great deal of experience dealing with these types of claims. If you have suffered an injury as a result of your surgery, our solicitors should be able to help you with your claim.

Cataracts develop slowly. The changes in your color perception develop slowly as well, so slowly, you may not be aware of them. I have a degree in art and a good color memory. When I make color choices I rely on this memory. However, I didn’t know my cataracts had changed my color perception until the painter asked, “You really want me to paint the walls this color?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I love it.”

“Okay,” he answered, a resigned tone in his voice.

According to the paint can, the color was Parisian Taupe, and almost every room of our house is this color. After cataract surgery in both eyes I realized the color wasn’t as dark as I thought. Don’t get me wrong. I still love the color, though there isn’t as much contrast between the walls and white trim as I thought.

Still, as the afternoon ends and dusk begins, I see subtle, intriguing changes in the wall color. The walls aren’t dark at night, they are cozy.

My color perception was skewed when I bought bath towels on sale. The towels were heaped in a large bin and I picked out four that matched. After surgery, I realized the colors had the same tone, but didn’t really match. Mismatched towels are not a big deal, but they are annoying.

As cataracts develop they become yellowish in color, according to the American College of Eye Surgeons. This yellowish color filters the colors you see, especially blue. I thought age was making my blue eyes gray. It turns out, the cataracts changed the way I saw the color blue. Now that the cataracts are gone, my eyes are bright blue again.

The American College of Eye Surgeons says untreated cataracts eventually become completely white and opaque. “A Patient Guide to Cataracts and Cataract Surgery” by Kelly D., Chung, MD, of the Oregon Eye Specialists, cites changes in color perception as a reason for surgery. Symptoms of cataract include blurred vision, light sensitivity, double vision, and “washed out color perception.”

Though most cataract surgery is successful, there are some risks, and your eye doctor may ask you to defer surgery for a while. What can you do about skewed color perception? First, you can become more aware of it. In hindsight, I should have asked the painter to describe the taupe paint. If you’re choosing paint for a major project, such as the exterior of a house, ask a friend to help you.

The store staff will also be glad to help you. When I was choosing fabric for a new couch, the sales associate used special software program to show me how the three fabrics I was considering would look on the couch. This program, along with her advice, helped me choose the fabric.

Skewed color perception can throw off your clothing choices. Again, friends may be able to help you. Many department store chains have personal shoppers and you can request their assistance. Thanks to cataract surgery, my color perception is acute again and I’m living in a bright, colorful world.

Many people don’t know this but cataracts are the number one cause of vision loss in the United States. It affects almost half of adults aged 65 or older if you can believe it! Luckily even people that have already started to form some cataracts can often save their eyesight and put off cataract surgery for some time, or even for good by blocking the effects of free radicals. That’s basically what I want to talk about in this article today.

First of all you should protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation. Sunlight contains UV light as well as regular visible light. Unfortunately UV light has no problem getting into your eyes and once it does so it can spark the production of free radicals. Because of this, everyone should wear sunglasses when they’re outside even on cloudy days… even children.

The next thing you can do is take eye protecting supplements. Your liver will produce antioxidants that will help block free radicals but taking antioxidant supplements will give you even more protection. The main antioxidant you want to look for is glutathione which comes in sulfur containing foods like onions, garlic, and eggs.

Next you should also take vitamin C because recent studies suggest that taking 400 mg of vitamin C every day can reduce your risk by nearly 77% for cataracts. Other studies have shown that people that eat lots of fruits and vegetables that have vitamin C in them have a much lower risk as well. Also, talk to your doctor about taking 1000 mg of vitamin C twice a day.

Vitamin E. is another important supplement and antioxidant to take because it’s often hard to find it in food alone. Talk to your doctor about different ways of getting vitamin E. through supplements.

Magnesium is an incredibly important mineral that helps dilate blood vessels in the eyes which generally helps to flush out free radicals. You’re going to want between 400 mg and 500 mg on an empty stomach sometime around bedtime to increase the blood flow of your eyes while you are asleep.

Finally another incredibly important thing to do is to drink lots and lots of water every single day. I suggest you drink six 8 ounce glasses of water every single day. Your eyes depend on water to remove lactic acid and other specific protein damaging toxins that are fairly important to remove. And besides, I really don’t think I need to make a strong case to argue the fact that our body just needs water.

So there you have several fairly easy tips and tricks on how to protect your eyes from cataracts. It’s important to do as many of these things as you can but if you can’t do them all, at least try to add several of them to your daily routine and you may be thankful that you did. Eyesight is a precious gift and anything we can do to retain it for as long as possible is beneficial.

Vision can be enhanced by doing some eye exercises. Here are some of the steps:

First, one is suggested to sit comfortably and then palm his eyes with two hands. No pressure should be put on the eyeballs. Relax and close eyes for half a minute. Inhale and exhale deeply. Then, repeat one action – looking up for sometime and looking down. Relax at internals. Then, repeat another action – looking right for some while and left. Relax at break.

After that, repeat another action- rotating eyeballs for sometime and relax during the break. The last action: looking at something nearby, as nose, and crossing eyes. And look at something afar, as the ceiling. Repeat for sometime.

Foods are also very important for vision.

If one eats more fish, he will run much lower risk of getting AMD. It is good to eat fish twice a week a least. Some studies have showed that people who eat fish regularly keep a low risk of getting AMD.

In addition, some vitamins are also very important for vision. For example, Vitamin A is good for those who often work in dark environment. Cataracts can be avoided by taking Vitamin C. some data shows that the risk of some particular eye diseases, like AMD, Cataracts, etc. can be avoided by taking sufficient Vitamin C, at least 300mg. Vitamin E is a kind of powerful antioxidant that is effective in reacting with free radicals. Free radicals are harmful for cells and other tissues in the body. Therefore, Vitamin E is nice in combating aging.

In addition, Dark chocolate is another kind of useful substance for vision. Flavanoids in it is very powerful in combating the aging process. Generally, the refined dark chocolate is much better. Eggs are another very helpful substance for vision. Egg yolks are very beneficial for eyes, for many important nutrients can be found in them. Leafy vegetables are also very important for vision. They contain many substances and nutrients that are good for eyes.