Tired of sporting that nerdy look? Want to get rid of those huge boring glasses or difficult-to-find contact lenses? You’ve stumbled upon the right page. In this article, I’m going to talk about the LASIK eye surgery, which has been gaining extreme popularity these days for correcting vision without any hassle. Read on below to know more about it:
What is LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK is the abbreviated form of ‘laser in-situ keratomileusis’, which is basically a surgical procedure intended for people having certain vision imperfections like astigmatism, myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), etc. In this procedure, highly specialized ultraviolet excimer laser is applied under the corneal flap in order to restructure the cornea. It helps in making vision better by curing refractive errors, thereby either decreasing or eradicating the necessity of wearing glasses or contact lenses.
Types of LASIK Eye Surgery
Depending on laser ablations performed during the surgery, LASIK can be divided into the following categories:
- Conventional laser treatments
- Wavefront-guided treatments
- Wavefront-optimized treatments
- Femtosecond laser treatments
How Does It Work?
- At first, a thin defined flap is formed in the cornea with the help of microkeratome (excimer) or femtosecond laser.
- The newly created corneal flap is pulled back so that the corneal tissue lying underneath it gets exposed. Now, the excimer laser is applied to the tissue for reshaping the cornea. Individualized patterns are used for each patient so that the cornea becomes able to focus light on the retina in a proper manner.
- Finally, the corneal flap is placed in its previous position covering the corneal tissue. There is no need of suture for this purpose.
- The entire procedure takes only 10 to 15 minutes to be finished.
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Ideal Candidates
An ideal candidate for LASIK eye surgery should be in good physical and mental health. She must not have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, keratoconus, high myopia, high hyperopia, too large pupil, too thin cornea, dry eye, abnormal corneal shape and curvature, history of previous corneal surgery, and so on.
Results
- Your cornea is reshaped in such a manner that it can focus light right onto your retina perfectly. It corrects refractive errors and improves your vision significantly.
- You do not need to put on contact lens or glasses any more.
- You might experience dry eyes or blurry vision right after the surgery. But these are temporary only.
- Make sure that you visit your doctor regularly for the first 6 months.
Recovery Time
While your vision gets stabilized within 5 to 7 days of the surgery, you may need to wait three months or more for enjoying the results completely.
Risks and Side Effects
Like all other cosmetic procedures, the LASIK eye surgery also comes with several risks and side effects. These are discomfort, glare, halos, shadows, dry eyes, burning sensation, redness, light sensitivity, visual deviations, anisometropia, aniseikonia, double vision, hazy vision, problem in driving at night, over-correction of vision, under-correction of vision, etc.
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Benefits
- Rectifies refractive errors and gives correct vision.
- Eliminates the need of wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- Being a non-invasive procedure, it is much safer than other options available.
- Does not involve stitches, bleeding or pain.
- Extremely fast and accurate procedure with minimal downtime.
Cost
The cost of undergoing LASIK eye surgery for each eye ranges between $2,000 and $3,000.
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