In order to truly comprehend the effect of laser eye surgery, we must first consider the vision anomalies that it treats. It is a general belief that common refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, are attributable to certain irregularities in the shape of the cornea. Due to such anomalies, light rays entering the eye don’t fall exactly on the retina (a layer of light sensing cells) thereby resulting in unclear vision. LASIK is a surgical procedure that aims to rectify these irregularities by reshaping the cornea.

LASIK restores visual acuity through precise ablation of the corneal tissue with the aid of a high precision laser, an excimer laser, which is a “cool” laser that precisely carves the cornea without heating or damaging the surrounding tissue. Once reshaped, the cornea enables the desired accurate refraction, since the light rays now fall precisely on the retina.

Laser eye surgery imparts enhanced visual acuity, without the need for corrective lenses. With the superlative technology at its disposal, laser eye surgery provides excellent results that are rather impressive. An estimated 98% of patients are within 1 diopter of their refractive error following surgery, possessing unaided visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Over half of the patients achieve unaided visual acuity of 6/6, which is the standard visual acuity. However, visual acuity may sometimes be worthless if vision quality is sacrificed in process. Though rare, laser eye surgery complications like halos, glare and double vision may cause vision quality deterioration, rendering blurry vision.

The complications, if any, may be a source of discomfort. The use of prescription eye drops and artificial tear drops helps in soothing the eyes thereby averting the irritable feeling in the eyes that creeps up after surgery. These side effects are known to subside within a few months and the refraction stabilizes within 3 to 6 months following surgery.

Nevertheless, LASIK is a viable, safe and efficacious procedure. Its effects are permanent on the eyes. That is, the refraction attained lasts forever unless otherwise altered due to age related eye ailments, such as presbyopia, which is known to affect almost every individual in their mid to late 40s.

If you find a LASIK surgery that you are confident with, you will be able to get more information about the effects of LASIK laser eye surgery.

Children often come home with conjunctivitis, commonly called pinkeye. When your child has this condition, the membrane lining of the inner eyelid and whites of the eyes are inflamed. Conjunctivitis can be caused by bacteria; a virus or an allergy and the treatment will depend on the cause. The symptoms vary somewhat depending on the cause but usually include itching, tearing, burning, discharge of mucus and redness of the whites of the eyes. It is this redness, which causes conjunctivitis to be called pink eye. Most cases of pink eye are caused by a bacterial infection. With bacterial conjunctivitis, the eyelids swell and a yellow-green pus is discharged. This will often cake the eye shut overnight but tends to clear during the day. The child with pink eye needs to see a physician who will prescribe an antibiotic either in eye drops or an ointment. Unless prescribed by a doctor, over the counter eye drops should not be used. As with any antibiotic, be sure to use it for the prescribed number of days even if the symptoms disappear. Warm compresses applied to the eye during the day and at bedtime will relieve some of the discomfort.

There is no treatment for viral conjunctivitis. However, pus is not usually present. The eye will tear and be slightly red. Usually only one eye is affected. If the conjunctivitis is caused by an allergy a physician may prescribe anti-biotic eye drops. Applying cold compresses to closed eyes may also help. And the child should be kept away from the allergen. Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are highly contagious. The incubation period is three to five days and if one case appears in a school, very often an epidemic will follow. Depending on the school’s policies children with pinkeye may or may not be excluded from the campus. However, when children are experiencing burning, and severe itching, they would probably be more comfortable if kept home. There are some measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of either viral or bacterial conjunctivitis. Use paper towels whenever practical. Insist that all the family members wash their hands frequently. Wash the linens used by the affected family member frequently. Also, keep these articles away from other family members. When the eyes itch discourage rubbing or scratching.

Another common childhood eye problem is a sty. This appears as a pimple on the base of the lower or upper eyelid. It is a bacterial infection in a hair follicle. It will first grow red and painful and then release pus. A sty disappears about five days after the pus is released. A sty is usually treatable at home. Apply warm compresses for about fifteen minutes three times a day. To make the compress, soak it in boiled water and then let it cool to warm. Never try to squeeze or puncture the sty. If the sty does not respond to home treatment, then it is necessary to call a doctor. The doctor should also be called if the eyelid starts to swell or the white of the eye becomes reddish. Sties are easily confused with chalazions. Chalazions are painless swellings on the inside of the eyelids and are caused by plugged tear glands. Small ones disappear on their own but large ones may require surgery.

No Touch Laser eye surgery is the term coined by one clinic that refers to the procedure of photorefractive keratectomy or PRK where a laser is used to remove epithelium at the surface. PRK is a procedure that makes of use of anesthetic drops to the surface of the eye before the epithelial cells, which are the surface cells are, brushed off by a surgeon. The surgeon does this with either a brush or the excimer laser. During the procedure itself, the patient is made to stare at a fixation light. In this No Touch laser eye surgery, the laser removes tissue and molds the “stromal” layer underneath

Patients report to having blurry vision for the first three or five days because the epithelium cells were removed. A patient wears a bandage contact lens for three days until the epithelial cells cover the wound. Patients can expect recovery after a week about a week after the lens is removed. To maintain the visual recovery, steroid eye drops are used by the patient for at least three months. The No Touch procedure treats mild to moderate astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness.

PRK is not patented. PRK is an alternative to Lasik stands for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. Lasik is one kind of refractive laser eye surgery performed by eye doctors to treat eye conditions such as hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism. Many patients found they prefer Lasik to PRK because recovery takes less time for Lasik than for PRK and it is less painful. Many patients would rather go through this procedure than to wear contact lenses or glasses. There are some instances though, when PRK is more suitable for a patient than Lasik.

In the No Touch procedure, no cutting happens, thus the name. No instruments touch the eye. What usually happens is that the patient stays at the clinic for about an hour and a half. After a thorough reexamination and consultations with your eye specialist where every step of the procedure will be properly explain, the patient is fitted with a device that will prevent him from blinking. No other instruments are needed. Procedure takes less than 5 minutes per eye.

The No Touch procedure is just a variant of the PRK and Lasik surgery. As with any other procedure, it is essential to go over the steps with your doctor to find out as much as information as you want or as much information as you would need to put your mind at ease and help you make more informed decisions.

Sport enthusiasts know the difficulties of partaking in their sport if they suffer from any kind of impaired vision that requires glasses or contact lenses in order for them to take part which is a great burden.

This is where laser eye surgery has revolutionized the sports industry. People whom before found it daunting to practice certain sports can now be rest assured that after having laser eye surgery done, they can do what they love best without the worry and discomfort they had before.

All of both near and far sighted eye problems are possible to treat today with refractive laser eye surgery. There have been over 2 million people on the entire planet that have gone through this new method of laser eye corrective surgery and all with a very high success rate, never needing to reach for spectacles or contacts again. New advancements in laser eye surgery allow for the entire procedure to be preformed without a human hand involved as computers determine the exact laser incision calculations the entire time, known today as ‘No Touch’ laser eye surgery. Other types of laser eye surgery involve scraping away at the cornea and cutting the cornea as with lasik which involves instrumentation being used.

Like other refractive procedure, ‘No Touch’ changes the curvature of the cornea and allows light rays to focus properly on to the retina. No touch was developed be one of the leading refractive laser eye surgeons today, Dr Don Johnson. The fact that the cornea is never touched by any surgical instrument is why the term was coined. Only laser light is used to remove the top layer of cells from the epithelium. Once that if complete, the vision correction is done by additional pulses of laser light are directed onto the cornea thus changes its shape along with the patients vision.

The attractive thing about the new ‘No Touch’ laser eye surgery procedure is in its simplicity for the patient. A few numbing eye drops and a device to hold open the eyelids are all that is needed as the patient lays down under a machine that pulses a gentle ray of light into their eye.

Amazingly, after the surgery which takes a matter of minutes for each eye, patients experience visual improvement straight afterwards by way of seeing things that they in no other way could see without wearing their glasses or contact lenses.

Other welcomed benefits include healing time being reduced, a smoother healing surface thanks to the specialized computer formula which Minimizes complications and produces more accurate visual results and above all being the safest refractive laser eye treatment available today.

There is a small list of risks involved when you have this procedure done which are as follows: Under/over correction, haze formation and infections but the incidents of these problems occurring is very low and these can generally be resolved by a second treatment if necessary.

Copyright (c) 2010 Jonah Myers

The latest in eye surgery, LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is used to correct your vision and reduce your dependence on devices, such as, contact lenses and glasses. It corrects refractive errors of the eyes, such as, Myopia or nearsightedness, where you have more difficulty seeing distant objects, Hyperopia or farsightedness, where you have more difficulty seeing near objects, and Astigmatism, where the image on the retina is distorted due to imperfections in the cornea.

Though the actual surgery is painless and quick, you need to know what to expect after LASIK eye surgery. Whatever you may have heard about going back to your routine schedule within 24 hours after LASIK eye surgery, it may not be the case always. You may have burning and/or itching sensation in your eyes. In some cases, there is a mild pain and you may be required to take pain killers. Your eye may water and you may have a blurry or hazy vision for a few days. Whatever you feel, do not rub your eyes.

Your eye may be sensitive to light; you may be seeing ghosts, haloes and starbursts. Normally these symptoms would disappear after a few days. If not, it is better to consult a doctor immediately. For your dry eyes, you may be required to take antibiotics, steroids and other medications. You need to use protective shields to keep anything from getting into your eyes.

After the surgery you will be able to put away your eyeglasses or contact lenses. Nevertheless, there are a number of things you should apply to speed up the recovery time:

The First Week

While showering, do not let water strike you directly on the face. Stop soap and shampoo from entering your eye. You may do light exercises but keep sweat out of your eyes. Regularly use the prescribed eye drops for infection, inflammation, and for lubricating your eyes. Avoid swimming, using whirlpools and hot tubs. Do not use lotions, creams and eye makeup.

The First Three Months

You may start strenuous exercises, but keep sweat away from your eyes. You can start swimming, but with eye protection. Unless otherwise advised by your doctor, you can start using lotions, creams and eye makeup.

Three to Six Months

Fluctuating vision is part of the recovery from LASIK eye surgery. It will take this much time for the vision to clear up.

You might need re-surgery to correct certain anomalies. If further correction is necessary, you need to wait until your eye measurements are consistent for two consecutive visits, at least three months apart, before re-operation.

Blepharoplasty or surgery aimed at the eyelids is more of an aesthetic touch up than a reconstructive one. There are also times when this is used to improve a person’s sight function instead of his or her looks. Eyelid surgery is quick and relatively safe. There are also some risks to it especially since the area is quite close to the eyes but experienced surgeons rarely encounter sight problems after an operation such as this.

Post Operative Instructions: The surgeon in charge of the patient usually gives post operative instructions and tips before the operation is to be done. This is because eyesight of the patient will be affected, therefore rendering him or her unable to fully see or read the instructions after the procedure. Cold compresses are recommended to help with the swelling and discomfort in and around the affected area. Medicated eye lubricants or eye drops will also be prescribed by the attending physician to prevent infection and keep the eyes moist. Itchiness is to be expected once the stitches heal and it is best to avoid touching or holding the area.

One other important instruction is to keep the head elevated for several days after the operation. This is to prevent further swelling and aggravation in the stitches if blood pools due to none elevation of the head. Extra pillows may be necessary when sleeping.

Tips: The patient will need a person to accompany him or her after eyelid surgery. This is because the area around the stitches may need to be covered afterwards to protect it from dirt and infection. Once the anesthesia wears off, the patient can expect to feel a slight discomfort and soreness, which can be addressed with some pain medication which the surgeon is sure to prescribe. If the degree of pain is intense, it is best to consult the surgeon immediately.

Tears are to be expected for several days post operation as well as the development of bruises. Expect the bruising to disappear after several days to a week after they appear. The person’s eyesight may also be more sensitive to light but this will improve after several days. Blurred vision occurs most of the time after eyelid surgery so this is not something that the patient should panic about. The occurrence should improve in more or less a week.

There will be consultations following the eyelid surgery to give the surgeon time to assess and monitor the progress of the procedure. Stitches will be taken out during one of these times and once the doctor is satisfied with the result everything will be normal.