If you said that you were going to a lasik clinic twenty years ago, you would have gotten some strange looks. When the basic lasik procedure first became available in the early 1990's it was only available at a few prominent medical centers. The equipment necessary to perform the corrective laser eye surgery had not yet been developed on a mass scale and was not available, or affordable, for many eye surgeons. The popularity of the procedure has given birth to a completely new genre of medical clinics though. Now, there is a lasik clinic in every major town, and the number just keeps growing.
For those choosing to have corrective eye surgery, unique surgical opportunities are provided by a specialized lasik clinic. Patients will receive specialized care in these clinics, dedicated exclusively to corrective laser eye surgery. Comprehensive training in this special optic medical branch is required for staff, as the facilities are devoted to and specifically designed for lasik procedures. As laser eye surgery techniques and types increase, consumers will be able to shop around. This in turn, will compel the lasik clinics to keep moving forward in order to stay on the cutting edge of this medical branch.
Choosing a lasik clinic may seem complicated due to the numerous choices available. A bit of study and investigation should be performed, as with any high-dollar expense. You can find most medical clinics on the internet. Visiting their web site and reading customer reviews is well worth the time spent. Recommendations are also available on medical discussion boards. Your insurance carrier may provide a service that can give recommendations. If you are looking for a doctor to perform your lasik eye surgery, consider speaking with a friend that has been through the process with good results. Their good experience may bode well for you also.
Feel free to visit a lasik clinic and get a feel for the practice before you make the decision to use them. Most eye surgeons will require a consultative visit before performing the corrective laser eye surgery anyway, so you can feel free to keep shopping around if you are not comfortable with your initial visit. Sometimes doctors forget that people are their customers, and you should never commit yourself to a lasik surgeon who doesn't seem to have your best interests at heart. Remember, you are paying them to make you happy.
With new clinics opening up everyday, you should be able to combine your observations to make a good decision concerning which lasik clinic you want to use. Process your own personal experience with the information that you find from others to find the place that best suits you. In some cases, your insurance provider may tell you which eye surgeons you have to pick from, but in the majority of cases, it is entirely up to you.
About the Author
Heather Gurzell is a nurse in California. Like many she got tired of dealing with glasses and did her homework for the best Lasik Sacramento clinic. She highly recommends the Pacific Laser Eye Center with five convenient Northern California area locations such as their Oakland Lasik clinic.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Misconceptions About LASIK Eye Surgery
Many people don't fully understand the details of LASIK eye surgery, even people who are undergoing the procedure! Don't be someone who waits until after your surgery to discover the things you should have known beforehand. The following are the real truths behind the two most common misconceptions about LASIK eye surgery.
1. After LASIK eye surgery I'll Never Need Glasses/Contacts Again
Depending on your age and the issues with your vision, you may or may not need corrective lenses of some kind immediately after LASIK eye surgery or later on, as you age. The vast majority of patients who undergo LASIK refractive surgery report significant improvements in their vision, which generally allow them to drive without glasses within days of their surgery. A small percentage of LASIK patients require "enhancement" surgery, which is a second LASIK eye surgery, conducted to fix any over- or under-correction of your vision resulting from the initial LASIK surgery.
Also, many people, as they age (generally between the ages of 40 and 50), develop poor vision for reading (called presbyopia). If you had LASIK surgery prior to developing presbyopia, you could still need reading glasses as you get older. Presbyopia is sometimes treated with Monovision LASIK, which corrects one eye for distance vision and the other eye for close vision.
However, patients with Monovision are still counseled to keep glasses on hand for those times when perfect distance or close vision or good depth perception (which requires both eyes) is necessary. For most people, LASIK eye surgery reduces their use of glasses to only very specific situations and specialty vision needs.
2. LASIK eye surgery wouldn't be so common if it was risky.
LASIK is surgery and all surgery comes with certain risks. More than one million people had LASIK eye surgery in the United States in 2006, and less than 1% of those patients experienced significant complications. This means that statistically, your chances of having a LASIK eye surgery without significant complications are very good.
However, given that this is surgery on your eyes, and your eyes play a vital role in your everyday life, the risks of LASIK are something you want to be aware of and take into consideration when deciding whether LASIK is right for you. The possible complications can range from minor (and temporary) increases in dry eye symptoms, to visually debilitating and permanent dry eye symptoms. A small percentage of patients lose vision at specific distances, which cannot be fixed after surgery with any kinds of corrective lenses or follow-up surgery. Another small percentage of patients develop glare, halos, or double vision. For some these problems are temporary, but for others they're permanent and especially noticeable in challenging visual situations, such as at night or in fog. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, LASIK eye surgery is safe and effective for most corrections. (The worse your vision is prior to surgery, the less likely LASIK is right for you.) Many ophthalmologists believe
that the risks of long-term contact lens use may exceed the risk of LASIK, although the fact that LASIK has only been around for just over 10 years means that the long-term effects of LASIK can not yet be known.
Conclusion
In general, the thing to keep in mind is that all but statistically few LASIK patients end up with improved vision and good results. However, those who experience complications from LASIK eye surgery tend to be VERY unhappy (and vocal) about it. You don't get your money back whether your vision is better or worse after LASIK eye surgery.
You shouldn't let a vocal unhappy minority convince you that LASIK eye surgery is terrible any more than you should let slick marketing campaigns convince you that it's risk-free and perfect. Carefully discuss the visual situations you hope to correct, your various expectations, and all potential risks and complications with your LASIK surgeon in a (often free) consultation prior to surgery. And, as with any major medical procedure, it's wise to get a second opinion.
About the Author
Did you find these tips on LASIK eye surgery useful? You can learn a lot more about LASIK that can help you do what's right for YOUR eyes by clicking here. Cambria Reid researches and writes in-depth articles on LASIK laser eye surgery, its risks, costs, FAQs, benefits, and more for the popular http://www.Likely-LASIK.com.
1. After LASIK eye surgery I'll Never Need Glasses/Contacts Again
Depending on your age and the issues with your vision, you may or may not need corrective lenses of some kind immediately after LASIK eye surgery or later on, as you age. The vast majority of patients who undergo LASIK refractive surgery report significant improvements in their vision, which generally allow them to drive without glasses within days of their surgery. A small percentage of LASIK patients require "enhancement" surgery, which is a second LASIK eye surgery, conducted to fix any over- or under-correction of your vision resulting from the initial LASIK surgery.
Also, many people, as they age (generally between the ages of 40 and 50), develop poor vision for reading (called presbyopia). If you had LASIK surgery prior to developing presbyopia, you could still need reading glasses as you get older. Presbyopia is sometimes treated with Monovision LASIK, which corrects one eye for distance vision and the other eye for close vision.
However, patients with Monovision are still counseled to keep glasses on hand for those times when perfect distance or close vision or good depth perception (which requires both eyes) is necessary. For most people, LASIK eye surgery reduces their use of glasses to only very specific situations and specialty vision needs.
2. LASIK eye surgery wouldn't be so common if it was risky.
LASIK is surgery and all surgery comes with certain risks. More than one million people had LASIK eye surgery in the United States in 2006, and less than 1% of those patients experienced significant complications. This means that statistically, your chances of having a LASIK eye surgery without significant complications are very good.
However, given that this is surgery on your eyes, and your eyes play a vital role in your everyday life, the risks of LASIK are something you want to be aware of and take into consideration when deciding whether LASIK is right for you. The possible complications can range from minor (and temporary) increases in dry eye symptoms, to visually debilitating and permanent dry eye symptoms. A small percentage of patients lose vision at specific distances, which cannot be fixed after surgery with any kinds of corrective lenses or follow-up surgery. Another small percentage of patients develop glare, halos, or double vision. For some these problems are temporary, but for others they're permanent and especially noticeable in challenging visual situations, such as at night or in fog. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, LASIK eye surgery is safe and effective for most corrections. (The worse your vision is prior to surgery, the less likely LASIK is right for you.) Many ophthalmologists believe
that the risks of long-term contact lens use may exceed the risk of LASIK, although the fact that LASIK has only been around for just over 10 years means that the long-term effects of LASIK can not yet be known.
Conclusion
In general, the thing to keep in mind is that all but statistically few LASIK patients end up with improved vision and good results. However, those who experience complications from LASIK eye surgery tend to be VERY unhappy (and vocal) about it. You don't get your money back whether your vision is better or worse after LASIK eye surgery.
You shouldn't let a vocal unhappy minority convince you that LASIK eye surgery is terrible any more than you should let slick marketing campaigns convince you that it's risk-free and perfect. Carefully discuss the visual situations you hope to correct, your various expectations, and all potential risks and complications with your LASIK surgeon in a (often free) consultation prior to surgery. And, as with any major medical procedure, it's wise to get a second opinion.
About the Author
Did you find these tips on LASIK eye surgery useful? You can learn a lot more about LASIK that can help you do what's right for YOUR eyes by clicking here. Cambria Reid researches and writes in-depth articles on LASIK laser eye surgery, its risks, costs, FAQs, benefits, and more for the popular http://www.Likely-LASIK.com.
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