To determine the incidence and severity of patient complaints typical of dry eye and recurrent erosion syndrome after excimer laser refractive surgery and to compare the incidence of these symptoms after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). SETTING: Outpatient university practice.
METHODS: A questionnaire was mailed to 1731 patients who had had primary myopic PRK or LASIK at least 6 months previously. Questions were designed to determine the incidence and character of ocular dryness and recurrent erosion symptoms and their impact on patient satisfaction and willingness to have surgery again. Responses from PRK and LASIK patients were compared.
RESULTS: Responses from 231 PRK patients and 550 LASIK patients revealed an incidence of dryness symptoms in 43% and 48%, respectively (P >.05). Soreness of the eye to touch was reported by 26.8% and 6.7%, respectively (P <.0001). Sharp pains occurred in 20.4% of PRK patients and 8.0% of LASIK patients (P =.0001). Complaints of the eyelid sticking to the eyeball occurred in 14.7% and 5.6%, respectively (P =.0001). All symptoms occurred predominantly on waking. Frequency of eyelid sticking (P <.0005) and sharp pain (P <.005) symptoms, as well as severity of sharp pain symptoms (P <.0001), were significantly greater in PRK patients than in LASIK patients. On a scale of 0 to 10 (10 high), median overall patient satisfaction with surgery was 9 in both groups. Soreness of the eyelid to touch occurred significantly more frequently among patients with symptoms of sharp pains on waking (P <.001) and the sensation of the eyelid sticking to the eyeball (P <.001). Patients with 1 or more symptoms were twice as likely as asymptomatic patients to have a satisfaction score of less than 8 (P <.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Ocular dryness symptoms occurred commonly after PRK and LASIK. Symptoms suggestive of mild recurrent erosions included sharp pains, the sensation of the eyelid sticking to the eyeball, and soreness of the eyelid to touch, a previously unrecognized symptom of this condition. These symptoms occurred commonly after excimer laser procedures but were significantly more common, more severe, and more prolonged after PRK. The presence of these symptoms had a significant effect on patient satisfaction.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Colorado Lasik Vision Correction
The cost of Lasik surgery can vary wildly depending on where you have the procedure, and Colorado Lasik vision correction is subject to the same market forces as everywhere else. You'd think that a surgery like Lasik, one that's done so often and on so many people, would run pretty much the same price no matter where you go. But there are a lot of variables - how expert the doctor is who'll perform the procedure, for example, and what sort of a facility you go to for your Lasik procedure. The eye centers at hospitals use a different fee structure than a private practice doctor, for example, and private physicians have different levels of overhead costs, which drive the prices they charge patients. Feesd are also based on your prescription, too - the more work that the doctor needs to do to correct your vision, the more it may cost.
Taking a look at Colorado lasik vision correction, for instance, you'll find that fees vary from a low of about $500 per eye to over $2,500. That's huge range of fees, isn't it? The good news is that the price usually includes all of your pre-surgery and post-surgery care, including office visits. Often, the cost of the procedure is driven by the amount of money that the individual doctor's office has invested in the equipment to perform the surgery. New techniques like Wavefront Lasik creates a three-dimensional computerized "map" of the surface of your eye, and the procedure is far more precise than previous methods of laser corrective surgery.
This equipment is pricey - over $100,000 - and the physician also pays a fee of around $200 to the manufacturer each time they use the equipment, much like musicians pay a royalty fee when they use someone else's songs. Whether the eye doctor is in Denver - where rents for office space are quite high compared to other cities in Colorado - or in a less metropolitan area, if you add in the cost of gowns, masks and other accoutrements plus overhead like rent on the office and utilities, insurance and salaries for staff, and you can not only see why the procedure is expensive, but why the price varies from eye doctor to eye doctor.
As with medical procedure, you should research different eye doctors and clinics for both their cost and their reputation, ask for referrals, and base your decision on a combination of factors. Don't automatically go for the least expensive Lasik surgeon in the Colorado White Pages - these are your eyes, after all, and you don't want to cut corners. But don't assume that the most expensive eye clinic is the best, either. Look for a doctor with plenty of up-to-date training, excellent patient references, and a price that doesn't break the bank for colorado lasik vision correction.
About the Author
Dean Iggo is the webmaster of discount contact lenses where you can find reviews and information on colored contact lenses, lasik eye surgery and more..
Taking a look at Colorado lasik vision correction, for instance, you'll find that fees vary from a low of about $500 per eye to over $2,500. That's huge range of fees, isn't it? The good news is that the price usually includes all of your pre-surgery and post-surgery care, including office visits. Often, the cost of the procedure is driven by the amount of money that the individual doctor's office has invested in the equipment to perform the surgery. New techniques like Wavefront Lasik creates a three-dimensional computerized "map" of the surface of your eye, and the procedure is far more precise than previous methods of laser corrective surgery.
This equipment is pricey - over $100,000 - and the physician also pays a fee of around $200 to the manufacturer each time they use the equipment, much like musicians pay a royalty fee when they use someone else's songs. Whether the eye doctor is in Denver - where rents for office space are quite high compared to other cities in Colorado - or in a less metropolitan area, if you add in the cost of gowns, masks and other accoutrements plus overhead like rent on the office and utilities, insurance and salaries for staff, and you can not only see why the procedure is expensive, but why the price varies from eye doctor to eye doctor.
As with medical procedure, you should research different eye doctors and clinics for both their cost and their reputation, ask for referrals, and base your decision on a combination of factors. Don't automatically go for the least expensive Lasik surgeon in the Colorado White Pages - these are your eyes, after all, and you don't want to cut corners. But don't assume that the most expensive eye clinic is the best, either. Look for a doctor with plenty of up-to-date training, excellent patient references, and a price that doesn't break the bank for colorado lasik vision correction.
About the Author
Dean Iggo is the webmaster of discount contact lenses where you can find reviews and information on colored contact lenses, lasik eye surgery and more..
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Eye Phobia For Lasik Surgery
Overcoming Eye Phobia For Lasik Surgery by Peter Rankin
If you wear glasses or contact lenses, it could be that you are completely bored of putting them on every morning. It could be that you have started with another accessory - a chain round your neck for your glasses as you are in the habit of constantly misplacing them. The worst of all is when you are fed up of 'wearing your eyes' to see anything ! if you are in agreement with one or more of the statements mentioned here, it is high time that you tried an option which takes care of most of your problems. Do away with glasses or contact lenses. Go for Lasik surgery - a brand new technology which can repair your eyes surgically. There are many whose vision was restored to the 20/20 level. There are more who have had even better results.
But the sheer thought of a doctor focusing a laser beam into the eye and blinding it permanently is surely a scary thought. But getting properly educated on Lasik Surgery could eliminate many of the fears. One of the proven ways to overcome this phobia is to watch a Lasik surgery done on someone else. If this also does not help, contact your eye doctor who can refer you to a clinical psychologist, who can help.
Most doctors allow prospective patients to sit and watch a Lasik surgery done to another patient. Either it is video taped which you can watch or you may like to sit and watch the procedure live, of course with the patients' consent. Once you experience the simplicity, painlessness and the convenience of the whole surgical process, you may feel comforted. More over, you may ask the patient questions like, what it felt when the surgery was in progress, how it feels now or any other questions you may have.
Information is power. So true in this case. The more information you gather, the more you learn about the pros and cons of lasik surgery the more equipped you are to face the surgical procedure, when it happens to you. Intensive and extensive knowledge about lasik surgery can put you at ease and prepare you to face the situation. Watching it happen to others is a wonderful way to learn. With eyes open all the time, the procedure is carried out - yet you cant see a thing because your head and eyes are kept fixed in one position. If this is scary news to you, watch it happen to some one else. It will put you at ease.
In case witnessing a surgery done on some one else is not quite your cup of tea, you can try getting a psychological counseling. Professional psychologists can cure any phobia. Some try it with hypnosis, some with visual aids to get the fear out of your system. And they do this pretty fast. If you think a good psychologist is expensive, you could try another method to overcome fear. Try meditation.
Meditation helps in soothing and calming the mind and body. It can help you lose weight, give you relief from stress and anxieties and help you overcome phobias. Once you know enough about lasik surgery, you could do some research on meditation and see how meditation helps in soothing battered nerves. "Meditation for Dummies" is a good book which teaches you a lot about mediation, the techniques and also what you can expect from it.
While all these are good ways to get fear out of your system, it could well be that you need a combination of several of these. Only you can tell, what is good for you to get over your phobias. But if you overcome your phobias and get the surgery done, you will be the one who will have the last smile. Because you would have got a better quality of life post-surgery.
The most important thing to remember is that if you don't get over your fear you will be wearing glasses for ever (and keep on losing them also). Hopefully this should give you the right motivation to go ahead and kill that fear bug inside you.
About the Author
Peter Rankin is a staff writer at Vision Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Wellness Digest.
If you wear glasses or contact lenses, it could be that you are completely bored of putting them on every morning. It could be that you have started with another accessory - a chain round your neck for your glasses as you are in the habit of constantly misplacing them. The worst of all is when you are fed up of 'wearing your eyes' to see anything ! if you are in agreement with one or more of the statements mentioned here, it is high time that you tried an option which takes care of most of your problems. Do away with glasses or contact lenses. Go for Lasik surgery - a brand new technology which can repair your eyes surgically. There are many whose vision was restored to the 20/20 level. There are more who have had even better results.
But the sheer thought of a doctor focusing a laser beam into the eye and blinding it permanently is surely a scary thought. But getting properly educated on Lasik Surgery could eliminate many of the fears. One of the proven ways to overcome this phobia is to watch a Lasik surgery done on someone else. If this also does not help, contact your eye doctor who can refer you to a clinical psychologist, who can help.
Most doctors allow prospective patients to sit and watch a Lasik surgery done to another patient. Either it is video taped which you can watch or you may like to sit and watch the procedure live, of course with the patients' consent. Once you experience the simplicity, painlessness and the convenience of the whole surgical process, you may feel comforted. More over, you may ask the patient questions like, what it felt when the surgery was in progress, how it feels now or any other questions you may have.
Information is power. So true in this case. The more information you gather, the more you learn about the pros and cons of lasik surgery the more equipped you are to face the surgical procedure, when it happens to you. Intensive and extensive knowledge about lasik surgery can put you at ease and prepare you to face the situation. Watching it happen to others is a wonderful way to learn. With eyes open all the time, the procedure is carried out - yet you cant see a thing because your head and eyes are kept fixed in one position. If this is scary news to you, watch it happen to some one else. It will put you at ease.
In case witnessing a surgery done on some one else is not quite your cup of tea, you can try getting a psychological counseling. Professional psychologists can cure any phobia. Some try it with hypnosis, some with visual aids to get the fear out of your system. And they do this pretty fast. If you think a good psychologist is expensive, you could try another method to overcome fear. Try meditation.
Meditation helps in soothing and calming the mind and body. It can help you lose weight, give you relief from stress and anxieties and help you overcome phobias. Once you know enough about lasik surgery, you could do some research on meditation and see how meditation helps in soothing battered nerves. "Meditation for Dummies" is a good book which teaches you a lot about mediation, the techniques and also what you can expect from it.
While all these are good ways to get fear out of your system, it could well be that you need a combination of several of these. Only you can tell, what is good for you to get over your phobias. But if you overcome your phobias and get the surgery done, you will be the one who will have the last smile. Because you would have got a better quality of life post-surgery.
The most important thing to remember is that if you don't get over your fear you will be wearing glasses for ever (and keep on losing them also). Hopefully this should give you the right motivation to go ahead and kill that fear bug inside you.
About the Author
Peter Rankin is a staff writer at Vision Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Wellness Digest.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Bladeless LASIK Eye Surgery
The risks involved in LASIK eye surgery is relatively small compared to other types of surgery. However, there is still a risk which is there because of the use of the blade that is used to cut the flap in the cornea. The use of this blade comes with the element of human error. This is because all human beings make mistake from time, although this risk is reduced the more highly trained someone is. However, this risk is still there.
Bladeless LASIK lowers that already small risk even further as it removes the need for a blade. This function is taken over by IntraLase lasers which are controlled by computers and can therefore provide a more precise cutting action. Because bladeless LASIK is so delicate that it can even be used on people who have thin corneas. These are people who usually not approved for other types of laser surgery.
Bladeless LASIK offer a number of advantages. The IntraLase laser used during bladeless LASIK allows for an increased curvature, hence lowering the margin of error even more. The fact that a laser is used instead of a blade leads to less infections and irritation. Not only that, bladeless LASIK only leads to a shorter recovery period compared to other types of LASIK eye surgery.
Before bladeless LASIK, many people who had surgeries had to come back for follow-ups or to redo a surgery that didn't go so well. There is also a great deal of irritation that follows other surgeries. However, with bladeless LASIK most of these are something of the past, because of a success rate that is very close to 100%.
So now you may wonder, why do we need an eye doctor for if the lasers are doing everything? Well even though many of the actions are controlled by lasers, these lasers still have to be directed. And to be able to do that you need to have the knowledge of both laser technology as well as eye surgery, which only a trained LASIK eye surgeon can give you. Surgeons who do bladeless LASIK now also need to know how to operate the computer that controls the InterLaser lasers.
Although bladeless LASIK may cost a bit more, many people think it is worth spending that extra money, considering the near perfect results you get. Not to mention the reduced irritation and shorter recovery time.
About the Author
For more info on Lasik laser eye surgery and how it can help you, please visit LASIK EYE ADVICE now.
Bladeless LASIK lowers that already small risk even further as it removes the need for a blade. This function is taken over by IntraLase lasers which are controlled by computers and can therefore provide a more precise cutting action. Because bladeless LASIK is so delicate that it can even be used on people who have thin corneas. These are people who usually not approved for other types of laser surgery.
Bladeless LASIK offer a number of advantages. The IntraLase laser used during bladeless LASIK allows for an increased curvature, hence lowering the margin of error even more. The fact that a laser is used instead of a blade leads to less infections and irritation. Not only that, bladeless LASIK only leads to a shorter recovery period compared to other types of LASIK eye surgery.
Before bladeless LASIK, many people who had surgeries had to come back for follow-ups or to redo a surgery that didn't go so well. There is also a great deal of irritation that follows other surgeries. However, with bladeless LASIK most of these are something of the past, because of a success rate that is very close to 100%.
So now you may wonder, why do we need an eye doctor for if the lasers are doing everything? Well even though many of the actions are controlled by lasers, these lasers still have to be directed. And to be able to do that you need to have the knowledge of both laser technology as well as eye surgery, which only a trained LASIK eye surgeon can give you. Surgeons who do bladeless LASIK now also need to know how to operate the computer that controls the InterLaser lasers.
Although bladeless LASIK may cost a bit more, many people think it is worth spending that extra money, considering the near perfect results you get. Not to mention the reduced irritation and shorter recovery time.
About the Author
For more info on Lasik laser eye surgery and how it can help you, please visit LASIK EYE ADVICE now.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Loss of Contrast Sensitivity After Lasik
Refractive surgery techniques are designed to change the eye's focus and reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses. However, there are other factors in the eye, which may affect vision quality, that are unrelated to eye focus. These factors can cause the quality of vision to vary greatly, even when a patient has 20/20 or better acuity. Contrast sensitivity measurement is the best method of quantifying the actual quality of a patients vision.
Immediately after LASIK refractive surgery, contrast sensitivity may be such that the patient's quality of vision is well below the normal range. After several weeks, or in some cases several months, the quality of vision and contrast sensitivity may recover to normal levels. For PRK refractive surgery, the amount of time required to recover to normal levels may be longer, up to six months.
Immediately after LASIK refractive surgery, contrast sensitivity may be such that the patient's quality of vision is well below the normal range. After several weeks, or in some cases several months, the quality of vision and contrast sensitivity may recover to normal levels. For PRK refractive surgery, the amount of time required to recover to normal levels may be longer, up to six months.
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