Archive for March, 2008

Wavefront Lasik - 6 Custom Lasik Benefits

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

The benefits of custom lasik is one of the reasons it continues to become the preferred option for many many patients however, whether you receive it depends on your qualification as a suitable candidate.

Is everyone suitable to receive custom lasik? In short no, as there are some important guidelines one needs to appease.

For example, a patient needs to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) before being considered. Defective vision as a result of conditions such as myopia and astigmatism at a certain level may also help you to qualify as a candidate.

There are other issues to be considered as well including cornea thickness. In other words, it’s not just a matter of reading the benefits of wavefront guided custom lasik and deciding it’s for you. There is a rigorous screening process involved and one of the reasons for this is to ensure your overall safety and eliminate any risk to your vision.

Benefits Of Wavefront Custom Lasik

The benefits of custom lasik are numerous. The fact it can improve your overall ability to see more but vision accuracy becomes significantly enhanced.

If you had experienced sensitivity prior to receiving the wavefront technology then the odds are strong that this will diminish. This is particularly so in the area of clarity and being able to distinguish objects much more clearly than you once did.
The incidence of risks from post operative surgery such as annoying glare and difficulty in adapting to correct night vision can be significantly diminished.

Let’s take a look at just some of the benefits from wavefront custom lasik. These include:

- the chances of coming out with 20/20 vision or better are increased

- risks are diminished in losing corrected vision from the use of eye wear

- the chances of losing overall vision quality is lessened

- risks such as halos and annoying glare are reduced

- the chances of correcting best corrected vision loss from a previous eye surgery procedure are enhanced

- wavefront custom lasik can also be beneficial for patients who have difficulty in seeing in poor light conditions

The benefits of custom lasik are definitely unquestioned but again, whether you qualify for it depends on your honesty in some respects and the pre-screening process.

Honesty on your part is extremely important because if you hold anything back about your past vision history, then you could just be increasing the risk of complications setting in following the procedure. Be sure not to leave anything out and let the surgeon determine if it’s going to present a risk to you or not.

Lasik Surgery Complications - Lasik Eye Surgery Risks

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

The percentage of people who suffer complications from lasik is small however, this doesn’t mean you should approach the surgery without some solid pre-screening and due diligence.

The initial phase of lasik surgery, that is, the pre-consultation and screening is just as important as the surgery itself. Yes, you need to qualify for lasik.

What If You Don’t Qualify?

If you are not qualified for Lasik eye surgery, you may qualify for a number of other procedures that could also help you. The qualifying procedure is very important because it establishes the workability of the procedure on your eyes and on your person.

If you do not qualify for this procedure, do not attempt to find a way around it or visit a less reputed surgeon to do the procedure anyway. You will be denied qualification for a proper medical reason and you should not toy with this reasoning because it is in place for your own protection. Without the qualification procedure, the risk factor increases by a significant degree.

If you qualify for Lasik eye surgery, your doctor will make you aware of some of the Lasik eye surgery complications that resonate with your case. From there, with the knowledge of the Lasik eye surgery complications in your mind, you can make a final decision on the procedure and elect to have or negate the procedure.

If you decide on Lasik eye surgery and the procedure is a great success, you have the process to thank for the safety of yourself throughout the procedure and the success of the procedure as a whole.

How Safe Is Lasik?

It’s extremely safe although a small percentage of patients will suffer complications from lasik. The majority of the complications are minor and can be rectified with follow up treatment. One of the keys to a safe and happy experience is choosing a competent and experienced surgeon who definitely has their patient’s interest at heart.

Lasik Complications - Steps To Avoid Lasik Risk

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Lasik eye surgery has virtually changed people’s lives in recent times and it can make a major difference in your life. But don’t be “blinded” by the claims that’s safe and almost risk free. No surgery is risk free.

You need to approach lasik from the view of safety first. Just because it’s been great for someone you know doesn’t mean it it will be great for you.

This article is not meant to alarm you in anyway, it’s designed to ram home two vital points about lasik surgery which can cut out a lot of the risk element in your case.

Choosing The Right Surgeon

The incidence of lasik eye surgery risk will come down to two factors. Firstly, it will depend on you and how truthful you are during the pre-surgery stage and secondly, the skill of the surgeon you select.

Avoiding lasik risk starts with you and the very first moment you meet your surgeon. This pre-screening phase is so vital to the overall outcome of your lasik surgery it cannot be understated.

The Lasik Surgeon’s Role

Many people are “blinded” by smart marketing and are dazzled by some of the cheap lasik prices being advertised. Truth is, very few people qualify for the prices being advertised. It’s a case of reading the fine print. The skill of your surgeon matters greatly.

- Obviously the skill of a surgeon is crucial during the operative stage and

- A skilled, experienced and reputable surgeon will always put you first before dollars and cents.

In other words, it’s almost as if you have to earn your lasik surgery. A reputable surgeon will make sure you’re properly and expertly screened to determine if you are a good candidate.

Cutting down the incidence of lasik risk starts with you. If you hide anything which could threaten the success of the surgery, then it doesn’t matter how good a surgeon is, the risk of complication will be high.

What Are The Possible Risks Of Lasik Surgery?

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

Before you have laser eye surgery, you should be aware of the potential risks and side effects involved with any surgery. The chances of having severe vision-threatening side effects of laser eye surgery are very low. However, there have been a few cases of serious eye injury, requiring corneal transplant.

What Are Some of the Minor Complications of Laser Eye Surgery?
Less than 0.1 percent of all patients suffer from corneal infection after Laser. This usually means an additional discomfort and slower healing, but no long-term effects after a number of years.

Under correction or overcorrection is also one of the most common side effects of LASIK eye surgery. A surgeon cannot predict precisely how your eyes will respond to treatment. This means you might need to keep wearing corrective lenses after surgery. In some situations, you can have another surgical procedure to improve the results.

After laser eye surgery, a few patients find their best-corrected vision withcontact lenses is worse than before. This is also one of the side effects of Laser eye surgery, usually resulting from irregular tissue removal.

Corneal haze is part of the normal recovering process after a LASIK procedure. It usually has no significant effect on your final vision and can be noticed only by an ophthalmologist with a microscope. However, in some cases, excessive haze can interfere with vision.

Regression is another possible side effect of laser eye surgery. For some patients, the eye returns to its initial state within a few months. A new surgical procedure is usually possible in such cases.

The halo effect can affect LASIK patients and is noticed in low light. As the pupil becomes larger, a second faded image forms due to the untreated part of the cornea. This can often interfere with night driving.

Flap Damage and Distorted Flap Is A Major Complication of Laser Eye Surgery
Flap damage or loss is a more severe side effect of laser eye surgery. In some cases, instead of creating a hinged flap on the center of the cornea, the entire flap tissue comes off. This can usually be replaced after the laser treatment. However, in some cases, the flap can be damaged or lost.

A distorted flap is another side effect of laser eye surgery. It consists of a distortion in the shape of the cornea created during the healing process, which can result in a lower best-corrected vision.

Even when both the procedure and the healing process seem to go perfectly, there are some side effects that might still cause discomfort. Older patients, for example, cannot have both good distance and near vision in the same eye without wearing glasses or contact lenses. Patients suffering from myopia who could still read without glasses might no longer be able to do that after surgery. As with all surgeries, talking with your eye surgeon before your procedure enables you to get a better understanding of the risks and complications that could occur with Laser eye surgery.

Lasik Advances? Lasik Surgeons Can Answer Your Questions.

Friday, March 7th, 2008

If you have ever wondered how Lasik Eye Surgery works and if it is for you, you definitely aren’t alone. People with all kinds of vision problems, from the most mundane to the most serious , have thought about going under the laser at the hands of an knowledgeable doctor in one of the lasik surgery centers. Once thought to be dangerous , Laser Vision Surgery is now one of the most demanded forms of elective surgery and is considered to be quite safe. Of course you should never go into this kind of process blind, pardon the pun. You should first satisfy your inquisitiveness with gathering all the Lasik Advances you can find. Here are a few of the aspects of this experience you should understand before heading to the eye surgery clinic: Lasik Eye Surgery requirements, custom lasik surgery, choosing a Lasik Eye Surgeons. Every surgeon has to endure vigorous education and internship in order to be licensed to operate in any capacity. All Lasik Eye Surgeons are doctors, but not all doctors are surgeons. Unfortunately there are those dishonest people who will claim to be something they aren’t. Check out Lasik Information videos for more data and a clear picture of what you can expect from Lasik Eye Surgery.
If the Lasik Eye Surgery clinic you are considering doesn’t have the potential to provide customized handling, you should rapidly run the other way. Each individual patient should anticipate for the both the surgeon and Lasik Eye Surgery clinic to be prepared to handle any need your condition may bring up. When we are talking about modifying, it isn’t about something as lighthearted as altering your eye color, it’s about being equipped and staffed to take care of any difficulties or special situations surrounding your Lasik Eye Surgeons.
There are all kinds of ways to find a Lasik Eye Surgeons clinic or hospital that suits your needs . If you trust the Lasik Eye Surgeons, and you should if you are planning to let them operate on your eyes, he or she will be able to guide you to their personal clinic or suggest the best surroundings for your surgery. A Lasik Eye Surgery is a huge responsibility for the patient, not so much the doctor.

Lasik Cost - How To Avoid Unnecessary Lasik Cost

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Be careful when doing an analysis on the average cost of lasik eye surgery as you could end up being way off the mark and ultimately in for a shock when it comes to deciding on the procedure.

In other words, there appears to be a couple of considerations here; the advertising which promotes lasik eye surgery at well under $1000 and the traditional means of getting quotes by actually visiting a surgeon’s office.

As for the apparent cheap prices being quoted, always read the fine print before agreeing to anything. Truth is, just because it’s being advertised at a certain price, doesn’t mean you automatically qualify for it.

Cheap Lasik Prices

In most cases, only a few people will actually be eligible for lasik at this price. The truth is, the lasik eye surgery cost is priced per eye and you could expect to pay from $1500-$2000.

The reason the cost of lasik eye surgery cannot be quoted as a one price fits all is because of the increase in the number of procedures being introduced. For example, new wavefront tecnology is much more expensive than the bladed microkeratome procedure.

Wavefront lasik includes the intralase which basically means the flap is created via a laser instead of a blade. Intralase is reproted to be safer as a surgical procedure. Bladed microkeratome procedures are still the more affordable at between $1500-$2000 per eye. Which way you decide to go will depend on your pre-consultation with your surgeon and obviously your budget.

Lasik Questions

To avoid any shocks cost wise, it’s important you completely understand what’s involved with your procedure. One question you should ask is how is the price arrived at?

The lasik eye surgery cost depends on many factors but for better peace of mind, getting a quote which includes everything from start to end at the initial consultation makes good sense if you are working on a strict budget.