With so many cases in eye defects there might be a possibility that you or any loved one of yours is seeking for laser treatment. The other name for lasik treatment is the refractive surgery which focuses on the correction of vision. It results in clear vision, that too, without any uncomfortable specs or contact lenses. It is very obvious to have several questions in the mind about the procedure before the actual surgery. Many regional centre like Lasik Denver provides free consultancy to sort out all the queries in the candidate’s mind.
Am I a good candidate, how can the treatment be scheduled in our busy routines, is the laser procedure wallet-friendly and is the it the right decision to serve my requirements? These are some questions that generally arise in a candidate’s mind and the solution lies in Denver’s eye institute. Being an adult and some pre-surgery tests answers the question of being an apt candidate. Laser eye surgery only needs 15 minutes for both eyes and one can resume driving in 24 hours along with few post-surgery precautions. This solves another query of the candidate. The surgery costs generally varies from 1000$ to 1500$ per eye. Even if it does not suits the candidates pocket, the 0% financing terms of helps him to get through it. The right procedure is generally suggested by the experts which suits the requirements of the candidate. Hence, this experts den always provides with all the solution of the queries.
Apart from lasik and refractive surgery, this experts den, provide treatment cataract, Glaucoma, Cornea Repair and other eye conditions. Cataract has always been a major reason of vision loss among aged people. Though it is a natural phenomenon, it is curable in modern world. Not only Denver, rather lasik California also provides treatment for cataract. During cataract surgery, surgeon removes the affected lens and replaces it with a new, clear, plastic and intraocular lens. It becomes painless procedure under the effect of local anesthesia.
Similarly glaucoma treatment, cornea repair and other eye conditions (dry eye syndrome, macular degeneration, etc) are also available at Denver. Rather it have fellowship trained glaucoma specialist on staff. It can be called as experts den as it so many experts are associated with this laser eye institute. Each treatment has its own experts. Few of which may be enlisted as Dr. Vicki Coulter (M.D.), Dr. Larry Kreider (M.D.), Dr. Rajiv Kumar (M.D.), Dr. Kathy Milano (O.D). Only few names can be enlisted here, but actually it proves to be an experts den.
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.
Although it may seem like a relatively new technique, the history of laser eye surgery dates back to the early 20th century. The techniques and medical knowledge may not have been as advanced during this period, but doctors in Japan were already beginning to see its huge potential by the early 1930s.
During the 1930s Japanese doctors pioneered a few tests; however, the work was not very successful and left many patients with corneal decompensation later on in life. While the initial work was not very successful, it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of scientists researching the potential medical procedure.
Scientists would continue to improve their techniques and understanding of laser eye surgery for many years to come. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that the first practical application of the treatments was to occur.
During this period Dr Fyodorov – the famous Ryssian ophthalmologist – was treating a boy who was involved in an unfortunate accident, causing severe damage to his eye. Thankfully the damage to the eye was minimal and the incident even managed to improve the boy’s vision; prior to the accident the boy had been very nearsighted. Dr Fyodorov was fascinated by the incident and took it upon himself to research the topic further.
Dr Fyodorov published the incident and many papers afterwards, but the event did not have a huge impact on the medical world, and largely went unnoticed for several years. It wasn’t until 1978 when two American scientists, intrigued by the Russian ophthalmologist’s findings, went over to Russia to find out more about the discovery. After their visit the technology received the funding and research that was necessary to make it successful as a medical procedure.
Although these procedures were carried out prior to the discovery, traditional surgical tools were used, making the procedures both dangerous and inaccurate. Thanks to the introduction of laser technologies, the success rate was greatly improved and the practice became more widespread across the world.
The technology was now slowly gaining acceptance around the world. However, it wasn’t until the commercial potential was seen by doctors and businessmen that the laser eye surgery technology spread rapidly across the western world.
Having been performed now for nearly two decades the technology is still in its infancy. That said, the treatment has been performed on a huge proportion of people and boasts extremely high safety and success rates.
Laser eye surgery has improved the lives of many people around the world, and the numbers of people choosing to undergo this treatment increases every year. With more and more doctors becoming familiar with the practice this number is only likely to increase, as the technology becomes more popular around the world.
Laser eye surgery can change the lives of those who choose it as a method for vision correction. The treatment can be used on people with varying levels of vision problems, even if they are very slight or very extreme.
However, there are several different types of treatment out there and this can get confusing because we can get overwhelmed with what’s on offer. What’s more, the thought of laser eye surgery is fairly frightening to some, so a blur of information is not very helpful when it comes to feeling better about the procedure.
One of the most common types of laser eye treatment is LASIK, which stands for Laser-Assisted-In-Situ-Keratomileusis. This procedure is performed many times every year with a high level of success and only takes around ten minutes to carry out, treating both eyes at the same time. During LASIK treatments, the eye is anaesthetised before a protective flap is lifted from the surface, revealing the inner corneal tissue. This tissue is then worked on by the laser, which reshapes the surface until it is corrected. The protective flap is replaced and left to heal.
Most patients report an improvement in vision within hours of this treatment, and many say that the levels of discomfort following the surgery are minimal. The eyes heal quickly and patients usually return to work within a couple of days.
LASEK stands for Laser-Assisted-Epithelial-Keratomileusis and is used to correct long and short-sightedness, as well as astigmatism. LASEK surgery involves the removal of the top layer of the cornea following the anaesthetising of the eyes. This layer is then sculpted by the laser to correct long and short-sightedness or astigmatism before being replaced and left to heal. Following LASEK, surgeons will place a soft contact lens on the eye to protect it and promote comfort.
LASIK is carried out more frequently than LASEK as it tends to have a faster recovery time. However, some patients are better suited to LASEK because they may be involved in contact sports or have thin corneas, for which LASEK is a better treatment.
IntraLase provides an alternative way to create the protective flap before LASIK surgery. It involves a laser being utilised in the creation of the flap and promotes even faster healing time.
If you are thinking about getting laser eye treatment, you will always have to undergo an in-depth consultation first – so you’ll never have to worry about getting the wrong treatment. However, it’s useful to know a little beforehand so you are prepared for the consultation and what will come up.
Except for visual benefits and technological improvements of laser eye surgery, there are still certain risks and complications of the surgery. Patients who are considering a laser eye surgery should be very clear of both the surgical options and potential risks through making a thorough discussion with the surgeon. Some problems are widely reported on corrective laser eye surgery.
In most cases, laser eye surgery can create clear vision and remove the need of eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, the surgery can not ensure a 100% success rate that there are still certain vision correction issues. It is hard to predict the level of effectiveness of a specific surgery. In very rare cases, some people report a worsened vision or little effect from the surgery. And some patients can still not get rid of corrective lenses.
Corneal haze is another side effect that occurs during the healing process of PRK or LASIK procedure. Corneal haze can cause a fuzzy and affect the vision. Fortunately, this condition is usually not serious and will go away on its own. No permanent visual effect will be left. However, there are also rare cases that corneal haze does not resolve itself, which requires further laser treatment.
Eye infections are also rare in laser eye surgery. Common consequences of an eye infection include discomfort and delayed healing process. Modern technologies can actually control the infection rate at a quite low level.
Halo effect is also one of the potential complications of LASIK or PRK procedure. It is widely known that halo effects usually occur in low light and dark conditions. Those LASIK recipients who suffer halo effect always have difficulty in night driving. Actually this effect is caused by the pupil enlarging.
Flap complications are only possible in LASIK recipients, because only LASIK cut a corneal flap during the surgery. Potential flap complications include damage to the flap and complete loss of the flap, which are caused by flap detachment or tearing.
Some patients also report that the visual effects of laser eye surgery gradually regress over time. In this case, a second surgery is needed.
There are clinics offering various different types of refractive laser eye surgery in most towns and cities across the UK but it’s still important to take time as ultimately your health is at stake.
Are they genuinely interested in your health -
although many high street opticians offer laser eye surgery it shouldn’t be considered as a purchase.
When you discus your surgery with a clinic they should be asking lots of questions about your health and vision. It’s best if they also seem genuinely interested rather than asking them as a part of pro-forma question to ensure they are legally covered
Do they only do one kind of procedure -
while its true that some clinics do specialize in purely one type of surgery like lasek or waveform, if they only offer one it’s worth considering if the type of surgery they are offering is exactly what you require as they may just be recommending that procedure to stop you from going elsewhere.
No Specific Surgeon-
I would always be wary of a clinic which doesn’t offer you a specific dedicated surgeon, while the more process driven clinics might offer a slightly cheaper price you don’t want to put your hands of a clinic with a by numbers cookie cutter approach to what is a delicate operation which can affect your livelihood.
Make an appointment and trust your gut -
in almost every case you will have a number of appointments with your laser eye treatment clinic prior to the operation. These offer one of the best opportunities to judge whether you have chosen the right surgery; go with your gut if the staff seem helpful, the patients satisfied and the environment hygienic you can probably trust your instinct.
Look at consumer reviews -
although you can never trust online reviews 100% because by their nature they tend to attract mostly negative reviews. However website with online reviews can provide a great insight into which clinics offer the greatest level of surface even if sometimes you have to take the comments with a pinch of salt.
While fortunately accidents -
and bad levels of service are uncommon in the laser eye sector it’s still important people shop round and resist the urge to go with the cheapest clinic they can find and opt for a trust worthy well qualified organization with a history of happy patients.