LASIK surgery - the best way to correct vision
LASIK is the most well known surgical procedure willful to
reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses. LASIK
(Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) provides vision
correction by permanently changing the shape of the cornea and
changing it's focusing power. In LASIK surgery the corneal
tissue is precisely removed and the cornea is reshaped.
In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved
the use of LASIK in correcting vision since 1998, for the
treatment of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
LASIK is not recommended for the persons which are in their
early 20s or younger, the persons which have diabetes, are
pregnant, or are taking medications such as steroids. Also,
people who had glaucoma suspect, or ocular hypertension, eye
diseases or previous eye surgeries should not have LASIK
surgery. There are a few indicators of risk that have to be
taken into consideration when a person decides to have LASIK
surgery, such as: large pupils, thin corneas, previous
refractive surgery, dry eyes (LASIK surgery aggravates eye
dryness).
Before you have LASIK surgery you have to stop using contacts
for 1 to 4 weeks advance surgery to permit the cornea to return
to it's initial shape. During the LASIK surgery patients are
given an anesthetic and generally they feel no pain, but there
are a few cases when they suffer some discomfort. You can have
LASIK surgery for both eyes at the same time if your health
condition allows it. LASIK surgery regularly takes about 5 or 10
minutes per eye.
The newest technology in LASIK is the wavefront laser, approved
by the FDA in 2002, which sends a wave of light to the retina
that helps producing a 3-D map oh the eye's visual system.
During the LASIK surgery complications can appear in very few
cases, for less than 1% of patients.
You can be a candidate for LASIK surgery if you are at least 18
years old and you had no radical changes in vision over the past
year. In addition, for persons with severe vision problems LASIK
may not be an option.
After having a LASIK surgery there is a small chance to lose
vision, for the patients who were among the persons for whom the
LASIK was not indicated. Also, after the LASIK surgery there
were patients who had blurred vision, bad night vision and
diminished contrasts. Generally, these problems can be resolved
by a new treatment.