Laser Eye Treatment – Lasik Vs Lasek

Jul 07 2011 Published by admin under Eye Treatment

If you are considering having laser eye treatment then it’s important that you understand the differences between the 2 most popular procedures which are Lasik and Lasek. In some instances your laser eye surgeon may insist that you are only suitable for either Lasik or Lasek based on the findings of the tests carried out during your laser eye surgery consultation. In this situation, you have no option but to go with the procedure that is advised by your surgeon. However, if you are suitable for both types of laser eye treatment, then it is important to understand the key differences between the 2 techniques so you can make an informed decision.

Lasik and Lasek are both types of laser eye treatment and involve reshaping the surface of your eye (cornea) to eliminate the prescription in your glasses or contact lenses. The reason you need glasses in the first place is because the light entering your eye is not focussed precisely onto the retina, which is what is required for perfect vision. If you are long sighted, the light entering your eyes falls behind your retina, whereas if you are short sighted the light entering your eye falls in front of your retina. Both Lasek and Lasik reshape the surface of the eye to ensure that the light is refocused permanently onto the retina.

The key difference between the 2 techniques is the way in which the surgeon accesses the part of your cornea which is to be lasered. During the Lasik procedure, your surgeon creates a flap (thin layer of cornea) using a micro-keratome (surgical blade) thus enabling the surgeon access to the inner layers of your cornea that need to be lasered during the Lasik surgery.

There is however no flap created during the Lasek procedure. Instead, the epithelium (outer corneal layer) is loosened with alcohol and then gently moved to the side. This enables the surgeon access to the inner layers of your cornea that are to be lasered during the Lasek eye surgery. This layer is then replaced back over the eye and smoothed over.

The vast majority of people choose to have Lasik (7x more popular than Lasek) and this is primarily due to the fact that the recovery period following surgery is much quicker when compared with Lasek. Most people can return to work and normal activities the day following Lasik surgery, whereas with Lasek it can be up to 1 week. There is also more discomfort involved with the Lasek procedure which is another reason people usually choose Lasik. People involved in extremely physical jobs or who play contact sports are usually advised to have Lasek. The reason for this is that your cornea is slightly weakened during Lasik as a result of the creation of the flap. There is no flap created during Lasik meaning there is no weakening of the eye.

In summary, Lasik eye surgery is the most common procedure, mainly due to the quick and painless recovery procedure. Lasek may be advisable in certain situations but this will be discussed with you by your laser eye surgeon.

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LASIK Surgery – The Basic Procedure For LASIK Eye Surgery

Jun 30 2011 Published by admin under Eye Surgery

LASIK eye surgery is so common that you have likely heard about it. You may even know other people who have had the procedure done themselves. Sometimes though it is hard to figure out exactly what will be taking place due to the unfamiliar terminology. LASIK eye surgery is a very fast procedure with about an hour from start to finish in most cases. Yet there are still some risks involved with it that you need to be aware of.

The process of LASIK eye surgery requires the cornea to be cleansed. Any of the debris found in the area will be removed. There are five layers of the cornea and the surgeon will have to cut either the epithelium or the stroma. In some cases both layers have to be cut for the LASIK eye surgery to be successful. The depth that the surgeon cuts depends on the current vision that they person has.

All of the tissues that are damaged underneath these layers are carefully removed. It is this various matter in the cornea that results in a person being nearsighted, farsighted, or dealing with stigmatisms. The way that the debris is in place under the cornea affects the shape of the cornea as well as the way it is able to reflect light.

In most instances the surgeon will remove the tissue with a laser so you won’t feel any pain during the process. The tissue with be vaporized with out any damage occurring to the cornea. The lasers have a beam that can get very close to the cornea. In a matter of seconds the various debris that affect sight are removed.

As a result the person will have better sight after the LASIK eye surgery is completed. The level or results is going to vary for each person. Some have 20/20 vision and others 20/40. Some individuals find they still need glasses to read with after the surgery has been performed. Discuss your individual chances for results with the surgeon before you commit to the surgery so you won’t be disappointed with what they are.

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What Does LASIK Eye Surgery Cost?

Jun 16 2011 Published by admin under Eye Surgery

How much does LASIK eye surgery cost? That’s the primary consideration that keeps many people from getting this procedure. After all, it’s proven itself as the ultimate 21st century solution to vision problems. It’s been shown to be safer than many other procedures, and its effectiveness has increased in the past decade. Plus, the fact that it’s usually done as an outpatient procedure makes it convenient for those who can’t take off work. But what of the price considerations?

The first step is to find out if you want to even spend the money for LASIK eye surgery. A licensed ophthalmologist can tell you if you’re a good candidate. Even before then, you can figure out if you are by asking yourself if you’ve had any eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, or unhealthy eyes. You also must be 18 or older.

You can find LASIK procedures anywhere in the $500 to $2, 500 price range. Remember that this is per-eye (and any time someone gives you a LASIK price quote, you have to double; it’s standard to price it on a per-eye basis). The lower-priced procedures are either those that are less complicated or which are done by a less experienced doctor. Keep that in mind before you opt for a certain doctor simply because he’s the cheapest.

Although they might cost more, one of the benefits of going with an experienced eye surgeon is that he’ll be willing to sit down and discuss with you what he’s going to do and what you can expect. You should use this time to ask him some well-thought-out questions, which you have prepared ahead of time. And any doctor who simply won’t answer should not be hired for your LASIK procedure.

So it’s true that you shouldn’t hire a doctor just because he’s cheap. But you also should not think someone must be exceptional simply because he’s expensive. In all cases, it’s best to do your homework and find out as much as you can about that doctor.

So how can you make sure that you’re getting the best value (not necessarily the cheapest price) in LASIK? Some tips: First, don’t go simply by an advertised price and assume this is what you’ll pay. Sometimes there are qualifications that might not apply to you. It’s important that you speak with someone at the center about your situation and get your own specific price quote.

Some more suggestions: Double-check the price that the center quotes for you. If possible, you want to make sure that this price includes all follow-up doctor’s visits that the surgery necessitates. This includes visits in which the doctor just checks on your progress, but ideally, it will also include trips that you make there to report negative side-effects of the LASIK.

In conclusion, remember that you don’t necessarily want to hire the cheapest LASIK surgeon out there. You need to ask yourself about other important factors, rather than just finding the best LASIK eye surgery cost. However, this doesn’t mean you have to throw your money away. Feel free to try to get the most value, the most benefits, for the money that you’re paying him.

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Laser Eye Surgery Risks

Mar 28 2011 Published by admin under Cataract Surgery

Lasers have made a revolution in the field of surgeries and specially eye surgery as they have made it very easy to make an accurate cut on the skin. The other good thing for their so intensified use in surgical process is that the recovery of the patients after a surgery-using laser is at a much higher rate than that with normal surgical process. But with the good points there are some laser eye surgery risks involved in this surgical process.

The biggest lasik eye surgery risk is that patient can experience a vision loss, although it is observed by a very small fraction of patients but still it can happen. The more horrifying part is that this vision loss cannot be corrected once a person experiences it not even with another surgery of eyes or with contacts, or even with glasses.

The second surgery risk involved is that the patient may develop the risk of dry eyes. In this condition a person might not be able to see properly and may even develop the problem of permanent blurring. A person may even feel irritation in the eyes, as the eyes are now not able to keep themselves moist as they could earlier. But, this problem can be solved.

The person may even develop similar problem of double vision or halos. This problem has a main hit at the nights when the person is not able to see things properly sue to lack of light. The person might see well under proper light.

There is another laser eye risk that has been reported after the laser eye surgery, this is of sensitivity towards the light. A person is not able to see in the background of bright color. Imagine what can happen if a person with this problem is driving a vehicle and that person has such an attack.

So, it is advisable for everyone that one needs to go for repudiated laser eye surgery centers to avoid such risks, as it sometimes lead to death.

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Five Reasons to Love Laser Eye Surgery

Mar 10 2011 Published by admin under Eye Surgery

Glasses? Who needs them. Laser eye surgery allows those with less-than-perfect vision to see the world clearly without dealing with the aggravation of glasses or contacts.

Laser eye surgery gets the job done by reshaping the patient’s cornea. By changing the form of this clear part in the front of the eye, the surgeon is able to alter the path of light through the eye to the retina, producing the kind of focus that makes glasses a relic of the past. LASIK and other laser eye surgery techniques have been helping people see the world as it was meant to be seen for several years.

This approach to poor vision has at least five benefits that make it an attractive option to those with a vision problem.

First, the surgery works. More than three-fourths of the people who undergo laser eye surgery emerge with the vision they wanted. Even those who don’t hit their goals generally experience significant improvements. And those few people who don’t get the results they wanted can have additional corrections performed to make things clear at last.

Second, the process is virtually painless. Some people notice a slight irritation for a short period, but laser eye surgery isn’t a painful undertaking. If you think you can survive a slightly itchy pair of peepers for a few days, you can handle the discomfort associated with eye surgery.

Third, it gets results fast. In most cases, the positive change in vision is almost immediate. Very few patients need to wait for more than a day to notice a difference. Imagine that! Within 24 hours you could go from being the squinter who is always in a haze to having crystal clear vision.

Fourth, it isn’t a one-time-only proposition. If your vision naturally degrades with age following laser eye surgery, you can go in for corrections that will allow you to continue living a glasses-free life. Many people mistakenly believe they should hold off on the procedure because it can only be done once. That’s simply not the case.

Fifth, you can stop dealing with the frustrations and limitations of glasses and contacts. While those of us with vision problems do adapt to a life with glasses, we’ll be the first to tell you that the idea of moving on without them is nothing less than a thrilling prospect. No more smudging. No more playing with your eyes to get contacts in and out. Swimming without feeling as though you’re staring through the murky waters of Loch Ness!

If you aren’t seeing world with sufficient clarity, you may want to consider laser eye surgery. It produces tremendous results and brings a number of benefits to the table that a pair of glasses can’t even begin to rival.

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How Much Will Lasik Eye Surgery Cost?

Mar 04 2011 Published by admin under Cataract Surgery

LASIK eye surgery is always thought to be expensive, making many eyeglasses wearers who want to get rid of specs by having an eye surgery give up their intentions. It is true that LASIK eye surgery cost high in the eighties, however, today one just needs to spend about $1000 to $3000. Here below is the procedure of a LASIK eye surgery and the expenditure each step is thought to cost.

The first step is the intralaser procedure, during which quite expensive equipment will be used. Compared with the traditional procedure, each eye will cost another $250 to $500. At the same time, the surgeon should be highly skilled so as to use such advanced equipment. The second step is the wavefront technology. Similarly, for the application of highly precise equipment which makes the follow-up and complications minimal after the surgery, the price escalates and each eye costs about $100 to $500.

However, usually the cost of a LASIK eye surgery varies from person to person, therefore, when you decide to have such a surgery, certain points should be kept in mind as follows:

1. The slighter you suffer from either shortsightedness or farsightedness or something else, the lower cost the operation will be, thus it is important to be clear about your prescription and specific needs.

2. The so called extra fees concerning the follow up problems, including the first year enhancements fees should be included in the quoted price. Therefore it is necessary for you to consult the policy related to solutions in details concerning that if any follow up problems emerge.

3. The last one which is also the simplest one is to ask the surgeon any questions you have. In the ordinary course of events, most surgeons will offer you satisfactory answers and clear all your doubts.

In addition, apart from what is listed above that price alters from different prescription and different centers. The variation of cost also depends on the technology you apply. In average, most technology cost is between $600 and $1000 per eye. However, as it known to all that advertisements cheat. You may have seen many clinics advertise a LASIK eye surgery cost as low as $500, but actually the hidden costs are needed to take into consideration. Normally, most procedures cost between $1000 and $2000.

In conclusion, there is no identical cost for a LASIK eye surgery which rather varies from person to person, so you need to choose proper surgery according to your specific prescription and need. Be sure to choose a convenient option and a competent care center. Do not try to get thing on the cheap at the cost of eye health.

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