Often times called ophthalmic surgery, eye surgery, is a surgical procedure that is preformed on the eye or eye region. This type of surgery, due to it’s nature, is typically performed by an ophthalmatolgist; hence the original name ophthalmic surgery.

There is several different types of eye surgery. The most common are described below:

PRK (PhotoRefractive Keratectomy)

PRK surgery is when the most oustide layer of the cornea is scraped away manually and an excimer laser is used to reshape the tissues located underneath the surface of the cornea. After the corrective eye surgery is done the outer layer must be grown back, in order for the eye to be protected again. Due to this, PRK is known for having a large recovery time. There as some advanced methods avaiable today that use a different excimer laser which vaporizes the epthithelium, however it is not widely used.

LASEK (Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis)

LASEK is advanced form of PRK(see below) that uses an alcholic solution on the epithelium which softens the surface before it is removed. With this procedure the epithelium can be replaces once the surgery is finished.

Epi-LASEK

Epi-LASEK is similar to LASEK however it uses a type of barrier to preserve the epithelium layer, which is then replaced after the surgery. The reason for this extra step is to try and help cut down post surgery discomfort, and increase the amount of time required for healing.

As you can see their is several different methods of laser eye surgery; These aren’t even all of them! If you think that eye surgery might be right for you, or are interested in obtaining more information it is recommended to consult with your local physician and eye doctor.

Corneal abrasion is a superficial scratch in the outer lens of the eye. It is usually caused by improper wearing of contact lenses or by particles that get lodged in the eye. A scratched cornea can be painful and alarming. Good thing is that the eyes are one of the quickest healers in the body and scratched corneas are easy to treat. Some of the symptoms of corneal abrasions include pain, redness, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, excessive tears, the feeling that there is an object or particle in the eye, and possible swelling of the eye.

Natural healing process

A scratch in the cornea can heal completely within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the severity, leaving no permanent damage when healed. During this time, the cells will reconnect the undamaged layers and renew the scratched part of the cornea. If you feel like you scratched your cornea, do not rub your eyes! It will only worsen the abrasion. Instead, flush your eyes with water to get rid of the object or particle that scratched your eye. Use a cold compress over your eye to keep it from swelling and lessen the pain. Keep your eyes closed and let it rest. If you cannot wait too long and the pain or discomfort is unbearable, you should contact an eye doctor in urbane scrubs to see if you need treatment.

Seeing an eye doctor

To ease the pain, anesthetic eye drops are typically used during examination and to prevent infection, an eye doctor will usually recommend antibiotic eye drops. After the treatment, the doctor will cover your eye with a tight eye patch to prevent your eyelid from moving. You will have to wear the eye patch for at least 24 hours so that the healing process will not be disturbed and so that it repairs quickly and smoothly.

What to avoid

Those who wear contact lenses should not wear it for the whole period of the treatment and healing period because it will only slow down the healing process. Also, the medication can cloud or stain soft lenses, thereby damaging it. Superficial cornea abrasions do not cause permanent blindness or loss of vision but it may blur your vision temporarily. Once your eye heals, it may take a few weeks before your clear vision returns (if you had clear vision before the abrasion). During this time, it is advised that you refrain from rubbing your eyes. This will slow down the healing process or even aggravate the abrasion.

Recurrence

In some instances, a corneal abrasion can spontaneously recur long after it has healed, usually occurring when you wake up in the morning. This happens when an area of the eye’s epithelium failed to reconnect to the deeper layers of the cornea. When this happens, it is best to go to the eye doctor so that a special instrument can be used to form better connections between the layers of the cornea. The treatment will be similar to the one that was administered in the original abrasion. You can also ask your doctor about lubricants or ointments that you can use to prevent recurrent abrasions.

Do you wear glasses or contacts? If so, you probably make periodic visits to the optometrist. Here you will have checkups and make sure your eyes are in good condition. They’ll also give you a higher prescription for glasses or contact lenses as necessary. If you deal with this expense, you know that it can add up quickly.

Regular eye exams are crucial to your health. An eye doctor is able to examine and inform if you have any vision related, health and eye disease issues off the bat. However, a visual screening alone would not be sufficient. A complete eye exam is the only way to ensure a good bill of health. For without a thorough eye exam, these issues may go unnoticed causing permanent damage.

So what is the difference between a visual screening and a comprehensive eye exam? Here are a few guidelines to help you assess the difference providing information on what to expect during your next eye exam.

A vision screening is a simple exam performed by a school nurse, volunteers at community centers, and at the Department of Motor Vehicles. A vision screening is designed to detect blurring and muscle coordination problems. However, it is not able to identify the overall situation of your eyesight. It is a limited test to help detect patients at risk for vision problems.

A comprehensive eye exam covers what a vision screening cannot. It not only tests for eyeglasses and/or contacts, but rather checks for eye diseases and other problems that could lead to vision loss. For example, glaucoma has no symptoms during the early stages, but it may cause permanent vision loss if not caught early. Thus, an eye doctor conducts a health check of your eyes inside and out for signs of early problems. An eye doctor is able to discover glaucoma before it reaches the point of damage, while in a vision screening you are not able to accomplish this task.

After the exam is completed, your eye doctor will discuss an overview of the results. The eye doctor will explain what stage your eyesight is currently in, if change has occurred, and what are the overall results of your eye exam. Next, the doctor will provide treatment options, which may include a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, surgery and/or medication. In some cases, the eye doctor will recommend vitamins needed for eye health.

If eyeglasses are required, the eye doctor will pass you along to the eye techs in the eye center. The techs will fit you for eyeglass frames and lenses. For issues ensue if eyeglasses are not fit properly. Thus, you need to make sure you are having eyeglass fittings fulfilled by an experienced eye professional.

If you are a contact lens wearer then you need to inform the office prior to booking your appointment. For there are specific exams conducted for contacts, which take longer than regular appointments. Allow the office to prepare and schedule the appointment accordingly.

After the contact lens exam is finished, the doctor shall ask you questions. He/she may ask about your lifestyle to determine what type is best suited for you. There are disposable contacts, weeklies, bi-weeklies and soft lenses to choose from resulting in a wide array ensuring there are many different kinds available for you.

After determining what type of contacts, a fitting for the lenses occurs. Contacts may cause damage and discomfort if not fitted correctly. As a result, be vocal with your eye professional. Let he/she know if there are any problems ensuring receive proper treatment preventing any further damage from occurring.

Laser eye treatment is not without its risks, although modern technologies have led to decreased risk of side effects. There are a few common side effects, but these are usually temporary. Most side effects will go away within a few days of the surgery, although they could persist for several months. If you are considering laser eye treatment, you should understand the possible side effects, which include:

Reduced vision under poorly lit conditions. You may see halos around bright lights, or have difficulty with glare. Less than 4 percent of patients experienced halos, but you should avoid driving at night if you have reduced vision. This side effect can last up to 12 months, but will drastically improve within a few days of the surgery. It may be caused when the corneal flap does not correctly adhere to the eye after LASIK surgery. Sensitivity to light. One of the most commonly experienced side effects, it should go away within just a few days. Dry eyes can last up to 6 months, and they are very common after laser eye treatment. You may have the sensation that there is a foreign body in the eye, or your eyes may be red or itchy. Your eye doctor may give you lubricating eye drops to help with this discomfort. During your recovery period it is important that you not rub or touch your eyes, which can further irritate them and prolong the effects. Hazy or cloudy vision for up to 6 months. Corneal haze occurs as a part of the natural healing process after some eye surgeries. It usually has no effect on the final outcome of your vision and can only be seen through an eye examination, but sometimes it can affect your vision. This may go away in a few months; if not, a second laser eye treatment may be needed. The risk of corneal haze is much lower with recently developed technologies than with earlier methods of laser eye treatment.

Overall, the procedure is safe and effective. However, be sure to discuss the possible risks with your eye doctor before continuing with the surgery. In many cases, laser eye treatment side effects disappear within a few days to a month following the procedure. After your surgery, you’ll need several days set aside for recovery. However, if your side effects to not subside during this recovery period, be sure to visit your eye doctor for an examination.

Since LASIK surgery has been so popular, many doctors started offering it. That’s good for us, the potential patients. It gives us a wide array of possible eye surgeons to choose from.
So it’s up to us to choose well. To do that, we need to prepare a list of good questions to ask our potential doctors. Then we should set up a series of interviews with the best candidates.
You can find names of LASIK surgeons by:

Asking friends and acquaintances

Asking your family doctor for a referral, or your regular eye doctor

Looking at advertisements or the phone book (but see under The First Principle!)

Contacting the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) (http://aao.org/)

The first principle

The thing we shouldn’t compromise on is quality. How can we trust a doctor who puts his profit ahead of our eyesight? Some LASIK facilities advertise low prices and this may at first look attractive.

Caveat emptor – buyer beware!

A facility which charges low fees has to make up for those low fees by: