All About Lasik

For most of us who manage daily any level of compromised vision, our world is one where eyeglasses, contact lenses, pricey prescriptions, and frequent visits to the eye doctor are standard. But as Lasik surgery technology has continued to evolve and its popularity has risen exponentially, more and more people are choosing refractive eye surgery as an alternative to glasses and contacts.

Lasik surgery involves the reshaping of the cornea – the thin, transparent tissue covering the iris – or colored section – of your eye. The lens of the eye – which sits right behind the iris refracts – or bends – light rays so that they are seen by the retina – located in the back of the eye. The retina’s job is to then take these light rays and covert them to messages that can be understood by our brain’s optic nerve.

If you understand this process then you can understand that if our eyes suffer refractive difficulties, the light is not bent properly to the retina and the image that our brain receives is blurry. When we wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, the light is brought closer to the lens or sent directly to the retina. Lasik surgery uses laser technology to reshape the cornea so that light is refracted clearly.

During a Lasik surgery procedure, the patient is normally first given anesthetic eye drops to help numb the eye and minimize discomfort after which a speculum is placed on the upper and lower eyelids to prevent blinking. The eye is then immobilized using a corneal suction ring. After the eye is immobilized, a thin incision is made in the top layer of the corneal tissue, making a very thin flap in the tissue. When the flap is folded over, the second layer of the cornea – the stroma – is revealed.

Laser power is then used to resurface this part of the cornea. Such resurfacing is done based on what specific issues are apparent in your particular eye; information that is normally gathered during pre-surgical visits. After the reshaping, the flap is repositioned over the eye; healing takes place naturally and often very quickly.

Lasik surgery is a relatively quick procedure – usually completed in less than 20 minutes for both eyes – and most patients report that it is virtually painless; while it can be mildly uncomfortable at times. While vision may be blurry for up to a day following surgery, most people report clear vision after this time.

Lasik surgery, while popular, is not for everyone. In fact, a pre-surgical examination is imperative to determine if you are a good candidate for Lasik. Surgeons who perform Lasik normally look for at least six months of prescription stability in patients – meaning that your eyeglass or contact lenses prescription has remained the same.

In addition, refractive difficulties should fall under the appropriate guidelines for Lasik correction for the best chance of success. The doctor will also want to ensure that you are in good overall health.

J. Lloyd
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/lasik-surgery-can-free-you-of-glasses-and-contact-lenses-122608.html

Dr. Dan Durrie from Kansas City, Misouri discusses the Intralase and the Ziemer femtosecond lasers for the creation of flaps used in “All Laser LASIK”

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My doc said about 8 years.Did he say this to discourage me? And which laser is better? Does cheap mean safe?

I’ve read good but mostly bad stories. To me my sight is too precious to take the chance. I can deal with the reading glasses and if eventually I need them for more than just reading so be it.

Hi All,
I have power of -5 on both of my eyes… 10 years when i tried to take lasik laser treatment, doctors said that i have cylindrical power, so i can not go for lasik. Now the medical science is improved and its possible now.

I want to know which is the best hospital in bangalore for lasik laser?
Please let me know.
Your answers are greatly appreciated.

Well, I haven’t had it myself personally, but a lot of friends swear by it, and are glad that they got it. My brother got it India through India Health Guru Consultants, and he said it was great Lasik eye surgery helped millions of people to be able to see, without the help of contacts and glasses. It will help you too, but make sure you get the right doctor for the procedure. After the surgery, one feels mild discomfort or pain for a couple of days. The procedure itself is not painful because they give you anaesthetic drops to numb the eye. For the first week, one may have sensitivity to light as blurry vision and dry eyes. All these side effects disappear within a few days and. The process is simple, safe and fast. They are making big improvements in this field, so it’s probably worth it if you can afford it and don’t need to use your eyes for a few days
for info, please visit the link

http://www.indianhealthguru.com

For those of us who deal with the ramifications of less than perfect vision on a daily basis, we know how much our routines can center on maintaining our eyewear; from uncomfortable glasses that get in our way, to contact lenses that dry our eyes and always seem to go missing at the most inopportune moments. And when you add to that the expense of vision treatment for those who wear glasses or contacts, it can be downright frustrating. But what most people have come to discover is that corrective laser eye surgery – a procedure that takes less than an hour and costs considerably less than a lifetime of vision correction prescriptions – can not only perfect your vision but address a number of eye conditions with which many people suffer.

Corrective laser eye surgery can allow you to finally have the vision you have always wanted; most patients are able to achieve 20/20 vision even immediately following the procedure. For those who have suffered with poor vision their entire lives, this can be a miracle procedure. And for those who suffer from such degenerative conditions as dry eye – wherein sufferers experience itchy, burning eyes, glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, corrective laser eye surgery can be a saving grace.

When most people think of corrective laser eye surgery they immediately think of Lasik surgery – a popular procedure that is used to correct vision. But the truth is that corrective eye surgery is rather like an umbrella phrase under which all manner of corrective procedures fall. Lasik is indeed one of the procedures that falls under this umbrella and is considered to be an excimer laser procedure – through which the cornea of the eye is reshaped by laser. Lasik – and the procedures like it – correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The difference between the various excimer laser procedures is the type of laser that is used and the technique that is followed depending on what particular procedure is likely to bring you the most success based on the condition and shape of your eyes.

Non-excimer laser procedures are another group that falls with corrective laser eye surgery. Such procedures involve one of three things: the insertion of permanent lenses into the eye, the reshaping of the eye using laser energy or radio waves instead of lasers themselves, or the actual cutting of the eye. These procedures are meant for those who experience severely compromised vision or cataracts.

Other corrective eye surgery may include more complex and comprehensive procedures such as cornea transplants during which healthy tissue from a donor eye is transplanted into the eye of someone whose own cornea has been compromised due to injury or illness. There is also a procedure that is used to treat Keratoconus – or the bulging of the corneas; during this procedure the surgeon places plastic inserts (Intacs) onto the corners of the cornea to flatten them.

Not surprisingly, as technology continues to advance, corrective laser eye surgery continues to make similar advancements. More and more people have come to discover that it is no longer necessary to live with permanent vision impairment. If you feel that you may be a candidate for such procedures, see your eye doctor for a thorough examination.

Samantha Kay
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/deciding-if-corrective-laser-eye-surgery-is-for-you-123942.html

he is advised by opthomologist to go for glasses, with -1 cylindrical and -.5 in both eyes, what might be the cause for his vision defieciency? can he go for lasik or any other treatment to get rid off spectacles and r there any side effects for this?

No respectable surgeon will do those procedures until they feel sure that the eyes have stopped growing… so 18-21 years of age. In a few more years he can get contacts if he feels the need but for now specs are the only option.

differences between Lasik Surgery and Laser Eye surgery? and which would be the best for me?

There are several different types of laser eye surgery. And there are different types of lasers that can be used in eye surgery depending upon what the surgeon is wanting to accomplish. For instance, the surgeon could use a yag laser to treat secondary cataracts. Or the surgeon could use an argon laser to perform iridotomies or possibly to treat leaking blood vessels in the retina. Or the surgeon could use an excimer laser to correct vision disorders such as near sightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. This is the laser you are probably referring to.

Laser eye surgery… have you been considering “taking the plunge” but are not sure where to start? The technological advancements in eye surgery techniques in recent years have been quite stunning with several options available to prospective patients.

The different levels of procedures available are something you need to understand and discuss with your surgeon. In this article, we will discuss the different types of laser eye surgery procedures; some of which you may want to consider depending on your level of requirement.

Did You Know?

While lasik has become a “buzz” word in eye surgery circles, it is not the only type of eye vision surgery available. In fact, patients have any number of options available to them and should perform necessary due diligence, with input from an eye surgery specialist, before choosing their designated procedure.

Lasik Eye Surgery Variations

There are several variations in Lasik eye treatment. Let’s examine some of them:

Custom Lasik… is also referred to as wavefront lasik and basically involves the measurement of a person’s ability to focus and process images. If irregularities exist, then treatment is devised around the findings produced and will involve the re shaping of the eye’s corneal surface. Relatively new, this type of procedure has been embraced as a real breakthrough by most surgeons with the ability to provide patients with better overall vision quality – moreso than what was available to them in the past.

Bladeless Lasik… known as intralase which is a relatively new technique relying on laser energy rather than the use of a cutting instrument ( microkeratome ). Without going into great detail about how the procedure works, intralase has been a boon for patients once regarded as non-lasik friendly, in other words, patients with thin corneas considered unsuitable for lasik treatment; to be be considered as candidates for treatment. The downside is the obvious likelihood of increased cost but again, it’s all relative to a patient’s requirement.

Epi-Lasik… is considered a cross between lasik and lasek. Lasik involves the cutting of a flap in the cornea while lasek will involve cutting a thin sheet on the corneas outer layer. This procedure certainly isn’t suitable for everyone who needs eye surgery and the one downside revolves around the longer recovery time. However, people with thin corneas are generally good candidates and your consulting surgeon’s opinion will have a lot of bearing on whether you decide to go ahead with this type of procedure.

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)… formerly the “grand daddy” of laser eye surgery but with the advent of lasik, it has taken a bit of a back seat. However, it still has it’s place in the laser eye surgery landscape and again, is most suitable for patients with thin corneas. PRK is an extremely short eye procedure and while many patients have been able to resume normal work duties a day after surgery, it’s best to follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Lasek… another fairly new procedure and a great option for people with thin corneas or corneas that would not normally be suitable to undergo lasik treatment. A finer blade is used to cut the outer layer of the cornea as opposed to the thicker lasik blade and complications are less likely.

What Lasik Procedure Are You Considering?

This is not a decision you can make on your own quite obviously and you’ll need to be guided by your doctor. Always ask why and get a satisfactory explanation why a particular laser eye procedure is favoured over another. The risk of complication is very minimal with eye surgery today however, risk is still there of complications setting in.

You will need to follow your surgeon’s instructions “to the letter” following surgery as this is the critical healing time for your corneas. If you are required to use eye drops or medications, use them and keep any impending appointments following your procedure.

Dean Caporella
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/laser-eye-surgery-seeing-is-believing-51381.html

Dr. Feinerman is the first surgeon on the west coast to perform All-Laser LASIK using the Ziemer femtosecond laser. Most accurate & fewer complications than any other LASIK.

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Technorati Tags: All-laser, DaVinci, eye, laser, LASIK, medicine, refractive, surgery, ziemer, zLASiK

There are many Lasik centers now available in the world. You will want to find a laser eye center that offers surgical procedures for more than just a few years and has been a leader in refractive surgery. It is helpful to have a team of very well qualified Ophthalmologists who have performed more thousands of refractive surgeries.

A good laser surgery center should believe in experience married to high quality in correcting the patient’s vision which is essential for successful laser eye surgery. A good laser surgery center has the best in advanced FDA approved technology and going further than 20/20 vision should be their mission.

Lasik and LADAR Vision

A good Laser Eye Center uses lasik which is a popular way of correcting vision and this has become the choice for a majority of its patients who like to recover fast and also do not want to contend with too many side effects and complications which is the case with most other types of vision correction procedures. It is also noticed by most patients that their vision does in fact improve because of lasik and this laser eye surgery center is adept at lasik surgeries.

This laser eye surgery center also uses laser and radar technology that was developed by NASA for using LADAR Vision which is an approved system and has active eye tracking that compensates for involuntary eye movements. LADAR Vision is a system unlike other eye-tracking systems that uses laser radar tracking technology to measure eye movement 4,000 times per second and is capable of following eye movements without being bothered by the rapidity or erraticness of such eye movements.

In addition, a good Laser Eye Center is a laser eye surgery center where its surgeons are pioneers in LADAR Wavey CUSTOMCORNEA wavefront technology which is used to gauge as well as address both lower and higher order aberrations. There are various locations where a good laser eye surgery center can be located. There are a large number located in Southern California, and more specifically Los Angeles County, Orange County and Inland Empire County.

The California-based Laser Eye Center is considered as being one of the leading laser eye surgery centers in the United States and the surgeons here have helped thousands of patients to enjoy better vision and their commitment to excellence is without limits since they are the people who provide the answers to patients in need of best eye care treatment. Surgeons here are very experienced and perhaps the best available in the United States.

Do your own research and decide for yourself. The internet is a great resource for researching center locations and the services that they offer.

anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-a-laser-eye-surgery-center-can-offer-114768.html