sethson.com » Lasik and Laser Eye Surgery

Lasik and Laser Eye Treatment as a Medical Procedure

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:45:27 +0000

You have probably heard of laser treatment. A laser is actually a beam of light full of energy which transmits energy into tissues to treat medical conditions including skin and eye problems. It is used to treat eye defects like farsightedness, astigmatism or nearsightedness. Lasers have become crucial to many aspects of medicines especially surgery since lasers are used to cut tissues and vessels where it is necessary for treatment. In fact, it can be used to treat conditions without actually having to cut into the skin.

Laser surgery holds a lot of promise in different fields of medicine especially in laser eye treatment. It has become a tremendously essential instrument in treatment of various eye diseases. So, if you are suffering from an eye condition, you would be greatly benefited by a laser eye treatment. However, before you actually rush to a local eye clinic, there are things that you must know about laser eye treatment.

Considerations for a Laser Eye Treatment

First of all, not all eye conditions are treatable by LASIK. You may be wearing glasses or contacts, but that doesn’t automatically qualify you for a laser eye treatment. If you are near-sighted, far-sighted or if you have astigmatism, you may be benefited by LASIK. Other eye conditions may require other treatment. You can also be disqualified from getting a laser eye treatment if you have a history of dry eye condition, corneal disease or other eye problems. Also, individuals who developed far-sightedness during his or her middle age is not qualified to undergo LASIK treatment.

Looking before You Leap

A LASIK procedure is complicated, but you need not be asleep during the procedure. If you have any concerns, it is best that you tell your doctor so that he or she could explain the procedure to you and assuage your fears. It is very important that you follow your doctor’s advice with regard to all aspects of the procedure including the postoperative care. This is to ensure a successful treatment. However, do not expect that a laser eye surgery will give you back a perfect vision. It is a chance for a good vision, but it is not a guarantee perfect outcome. Also, you must remember that LASIK is a medical procedure and with it comes risks and benefits. You can develop complications from the operation. So, before you actually undergo LASIK treatment, it is necessary that you weigh the pros and cons of the treatment. Consider also other alternative methods of treatment before you opt for LASIK treatment.

Refractive Eye Surgery for Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:45:03 +0000

Refractive eye surgery embraces all types of eye surgeries which aim to mend the refractive eye errors and other eye conditions. These surgeries seek to decrease people’s dependency on glasses and contacts. These include any or all surgical procedures that reduce refractive eye errors like myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. These may also include procedures like cataract surgery. Refractive surgery represents an exciting and evolving development in ophthalmology. It is rapidly gaining popularity. In the United States alone, there was an approximately 900,000 refractive surgeries that were performed in 2004 and again in 2005.

Factors Affecting the Surgery

The type of refractive surgical procedure that would be performed in an individual depends on various factors – age, type of eye error, degree of error and the possibility of condition reversibility. There are refractive surgery procedures, like LASIK and radial keratotomy, which have been extensively adopted and certified by the government; but there are procedures that are still awaiting evaluation and approval by the FDA.

Each type of refractive eye surgery procedure has its own risks. Individual who are considering undergoing a refractive eye surgery must research and know the procedure for a particular type of surgery before making any decision. An exhaustive study of the risks and benefits must be conducted before anything else.

The Different Procedures

Various refractive eye surgery procedures vary. These may include flap procedure, surface procedure, corneal incision procedures, and other procedures. An example of a flap procedure is the LASIK where the ophthalmic surgeon cuts a flap of a corneal tissue using microkeratome. Surface procedures differ from flap procedures only in the handling of the epithelial layer. An example is the LASIK which changes the shape of the cornea using Excimer laser.

An example of corneal incision procedure is the radial keratotomy which is a highly accepted and practiced refractive eye surgery procedure. This alters the shape of the cornea in order to reduce astigmatism or myopia. Other procedures of refractive eye surgery include thermal keratoplasty, laser thermal keratoplasty, intra-stromal rings or Intacs, and lens implantation to change refractive eye errors.

The risks in these types of procedures are relatively minimal although it cannot be recommended to just anybody. There are people who are not qualified to undergo refractive eye surgery treatment especially those with glaucoma, autoimmune diseases, uncontrolled vascular diseases, pregnant women, and people with eye diseases. However, there is such a huge promise in this field of medicine. Thousands of people with myopia who had undergone refractive eye surgery are now able to read comfortably without the aid of glasses or contacts.

History and Types of Modern Eye Surgery

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:44:34 +0000

Back when Leonardo Da Vinci was painting the Mona Lisa, he expressed an interest on wanting to find the causes of short-sightedness and myopia. But it was only much later when Scheiner discovered how to measure the cornea’s surface that the journey to the science of eye treatment started. Eventually, the first cataract surgery was performed in the 1850s and was recognized worldwide.

Brief History

Eventually, various eye treatment procedures were discovered and various diseases cured through medications, corrections and surgery. Snellen proposed incisions in the cornea to flatten the surface in 1869. He also created the Snellen chart which is still in use until today. Leendert Jan Lans studied and defined the principles of keratotomy which later on became the source for the discovery of refractive surgery.

Eventually various eye surgery procedures were developed and different techniques were discovered by doctors around the world. Radial keratotomy was developed. The laser technology was discovered for eye treatment. Governments worldwide began to allow and certify the use of laser technique for eye correction. Today, there are numerous eye surgeries being performed and are being developed.

Some of these eye surgeries include laser eye surgery, cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, canaloplasty, refractive surgery, corneal surgery, vitreo-retinal surgery, eye muscle surgery, oculoplastic surgery, eyelid surgery, lacrimal apparatus surgery, eye removal, orbital surgery, and other oculoplastic surgery like ciliarotomy, ciliectomy, ciliotomy, and conjunctivoanstrostomy.

What is an Eye Surgery?

Eye surgery or ocular surgery is a surgery which is performed on the eye’s adnexa or the eye itself, usually by an ophthalmic surgeon. Nowadays, general ophthalmologist can perform eye surgeries; however, complex eye surgeries are performed by those who have undergone rigid training.

The eye is an extremely delicate organ and proper care must be observed during an eye surgery. The procedure must be conducted in a precise, efficient and safe manner. If you are thinking of having an eye surgery, you must make sure that you specify that you would want a consultant to do the job if you are not too confident with having a resident perform the operation.

Correct procedures must be observed when performing an eye surgery. Proper anesthesia must be administered. Most eye surgeries use local anesthesia while topical anesthesia is preferred for quick surgeries. Typically, general anesthesia is used for children undergoing eye surgery. Correct sterile procedures must also be observed. Gowns, sterile drapes and gloves must be at hand.

Eye surgeries are very common these days, and if done correctly, they are miracles to people who got their eyesight back because of these surgeries.

Lasik and Laser Treatment Risks and Dangers

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:44:00 +0000

There are various laser treatments that are used by physicians in every field of medicine and in every country, and one of these treatments is the laser eye treatment or LASIK. This type of treatment has been used for more than a decade now, and its popularity has grown considerably as the technology has become more advanced in each year. More and more people are seeking laser treatments for various conditions including eye problems. Indeed, it is a good alternative for a lifetime use of glasses or contact lenses.

Knowing the Risks

However, the risks of laser treatment of the eye must be carefully considered before actually deciding to undergo laser eye treatment. The procedure itself is not something that you can take lightly. You should carefully study both the pros and cons of the procedure and base your decision on how comfortable and confident you are with LASIK. There are a lot of benefits that you would get from a laser treatment. However, the benefits must outweigh the risks of a laser eye treatment.

The risk of having serious eye complication or severe injury resulting from the laser treatment is minimal, but the procedure does have risks. The risk for you may be quite a small percentage, but you still must be informed of the potential risks of LASIK because, even if technology has improved tremendously over the last few years, there is still a small chance that you will not respond to the treatment. It is still possible that you may still find yourself in the same condition you were in before surgery.

Other Complications

Some people will have to get corrective lenses even after surgery in order to achieve good vision or undergo further eye surgeries in order to correct the side effects of the LASIK treatment. It is also possible that after surgery, you may develop some type of infection, which delays healing process. It is also possible that there could be detachment of the flap of tissue created during the laser treatment procedure or the development of a halo-like presence in their vision. You may also find your eyes unusually dry all the time or that they do not produce tears for eye moisture. This results to a burning sensation or blurred vision. And there are people who initially find their vision clearing after surgery but would find themselves frustrated and disappointed a few months later when the effects of the surgery are gradually lost.

Even though there are risks to LASIK, the reality is that thousands enjoy the benefits of a successful treatment.

Eye Correction Treatment of Myopia, Shortsightedness and other Problems

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:43:33 +0000

If you have a very poor eyesight, well, you are one of the millions of people in the world today who have bad eyesight, failing eyesight and unfortunately are going blind. There are millions of people who are suffering from shortsightedness. Some of these millions are at a risk of totally losing their eyesight because of a misguided notion about how to correct their eyesight condition. Instead of properly correcting the condition, an erroneous treatment has continuously been used to treat shortsightedness that parents with children undergoing an eye correction treatment for myopia find their children’s condition worsening.

What You Need to Know

It seems that when optometrists prescribed glasses or contact lenses, they have been adopting a measure of eye correction by “undercorrecting” myopia or shortsightedness. Unfortunately, the particular treatment done in good faith made the condition much worst. A study made in Polytechnic University in Cambridge, England on young children with shortsightedness showed that there is a need to study the past method of eye correction with regard to myopia. The study also revealed and showed that the children undergoing the same method of eye correction treatment previously practiced for myopia were reducing the chances of the children to recover good eyesight. After two years of study, the children’s eyesight was even worse than before.

This is what should people with myopia need to know. The result of the study was applauded as it revealed the key evidence that there is a flaw in the eye correction treatment and that there is a need for change on that aspect. This could altogether change the eye correction methods worldwide.

Correcting the Mistake

The theory in the previous treatment method of myopia was that, in order to find the focal point of near objects, undercorrection will stop the eyeball from elongating. When optometrists undercorrect, what they do is prescribe you a lens that would focus light from far away objects in front of the retina when it should focus light exactly on the retina. Ironically, in truth, what undercorrection does is to elongate the eyeballs faster than usual, resulting to visions that worsen the condition rather than improve the same.

The decline in vision with undercorrection treatment of myopia differs with adults and children. The decline on children is faster than adults. The study shows that the faulty eye correction could affect more generations worldwide if not corrected. Unfortunately, research on myopia are not greatly prioritized or funded. People with myopia are not discouraged to seek treatment. What they should get is full treatment instead of the prevailing eye correction treatment – undercorrection.

Choosing an Ophthalmologist or Eye Doctor

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:43:09 +0000

Almost everyone, at some point in their lives, will have to visit an eye doctor or an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is an eye care physician who treats eye conditions or diseases and correct eyesight problems. If you are scared that you seemed to be losing your eyesight and that your eye condition seems to be getting worst, it would be wise to visit your ophthalmologist promptly for treatment. This eyecare provider specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of eye disorders.

The Ophthalmologist

There are specialists treating eye disorders such as ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician, but there are some differences between them. Ophthalmologists are doctors that operate on patient’s eye while the two do not. They perform routine eye exams, prescribe eyeglasses, diagnose eye diseases and eye disorders, give the necessary treatment or surgery, and supply preventative medical information.

Additional education and training maybe required if an ophthalmologist decides to practice in subspecialty area such as glaucoma, external and cornea disease or ophthalmic plastic surgery. Some of the eye disorders they treat are the early stages of glaucoma with eye drops, medication or pills. They provide laser surgery if the patient has cataracts. Some eye conditions have no cure, but ophthalmologist provide support, advice and the necessary counseling while supervising their patient’s condition. The main objectives of an ophthalmologist are preventing eye conditions through early diagnostic procedures and treating eye disease.

Now, the question is what their common activities are. It includes consultation with clients, complete eye examinations, reviewing test results and explaining to the clients the treatment options and other necessary additional tests. They have to meet with other medical staff for the patient’s treatment if necessary. They have to hire and train support staff including nurses and assistants if appropriate; making sure that patients’ records and files are maintained. They have to attend additional education and training with other specialization for treating eye disorders. They have to be updated on the modern and new technologies associated with treating eye disorders such as LASIK and the likes.

Choose Wisely Your Ophthalmologist

If you want to undergo eye surgery, you must research and weigh your options. Choose your ophthalmologist well. Get some referrals from their colleagues. You must make sure that the surgeon who will perform the operation on your eye is an experienced surgeon because there is a lot more difference between an ophthalmologist from someone who doesn’t know one end of the scalpel to the other.

Getting the Best Laser Eye Care Services

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:42:39 +0000

Laser eye care is rapidly developing. There are now thousands of healthcare groups that offer various refractive surgery options for people who are seeking vision clarity as an alternative to wearing glasses or contact lenses. These refractive surgeries include LASIK and LASEK as well as lens implantation. You can find various laser eye care services which are provided by teams of local ophthalmologist in your area. These ophthalmologists are combining their experience, knowledge and skill in order to give top-notch laser eye care and treatment.

Consulting with an Ophthalmologist

If you are suffering from an eye condition which can be treated with laser eye surgery or treatment, you can check out a local ophthalmologist clinic and inquire about laser eye care options available. They will diagnose and give recommendations on what option would most suit your needs. If you’re lucky, you could qualify for laser eye care surgery and get your condition treated. Otherwise, alternative treatment may be recommended for your affliction. Nowadays, laser eye care is being carried out in superb and latest facilities ensuring the best treatment.

What You Need to Know about Laser Eye Care

With the rapid development of science and technology, laser eye care and treatment options are exhilarating! Laser eye care continues to be a growing trend as an alternative to wearing glasses and contacts. After years of not being able to see clearly and groping around when you can’t find your glasses, it is mind boggling to be able to see things clearly through laser eye care. This method is continuingly being developed and honed, and ophthalmologists are gaining more experience and skill in laser procedures.

Laser eye care, however, is not available to everyone. It is suitable to eye conditions like shortsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, but there are a lot of people who cannot qualify for a laser eye surgery. There are eye conditions like those resulting from brain injuries or age-related vision problems that are not curable by laser treatment. The result of this type of treatment also varies from one individual to another. Remember that it is a procedure. There is no 100% assurance that once you undergo this type of surgery, you would have your 20/20 vision back. Some people benefits from this treatment more than others.

People’s conditions vary. There is, therefore, a need to consider the indications and contraindications of a laser eye care surgery. If you are in good health and your eyes is in relatively good health, without pus, blood or leakages and if you’re not diabetic, you might just be a good candidate for laser eye care treatment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Lasik Eye Surgery

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:42:08 +0000

If you are awfully tired of keeping track of your eyeglasses, or spending about half an hour cleaning your contact lenses, or having to remove your contact lenses when all you want is to close your eyes and fall asleep, a LASIK eye surgery is good for you. The truth is, having eyeglasses or contact lenses are tiring. It is wearisome being dependent on something else in order to see clearly. It is a pain when you lose a lens or your glasses, and it could even be scary.

The Disadvantages of Glasses and Contact Lenses

Glasses and contacts are expensive. Often, you lose or misplace them, or most of the time, you tend to forget to bring them. It is also such a pain looking for them when you misplaced them because you dread going to the optometrist and get another pair of glasses or contact lenses. It is frustrating being dependent on something that could be lost or broken and all because you have a failing eyesight. It is no wonder why most people would rather get LASIK or laser eye surgery. They figured that it’s worth spending a sum of money to cure the condition than having to bear the condition all their lives.

The Advantages of LASIK

LASIK eye surgery is a great idea. The freedom you’d get from not having to depend on any contraption in order to see the world is exhilarating. Also, to women, it’d be great not worrying about how the glasses look on you and not worrying about what kind of glasses would suit you. Glasses can make you look dowdy if you can’t find the right pair that suits your face, and a pair of contact lenses is not such a good alternative because of its high maintenance. In the long run, it would also save you a lot of money. If you would add up all the expenses for your eye examinations, eye adjustments, contact lenses, and glasses for every year for the rest of your life, the amount you’d spend is more than the amount you would have to pay for a LASIK eye surgery.

Before you consider a LASIK eye surgery though, you have to make sure that your eyesight condition has been stable for the past several years. Otherwise, a LASIK eye surgery won’t really improve or cure your condition, it’d only make it worst. You would also have to weigh the risks and benefits of a LASIK eye surgery. If you think that the benefits of getting one totally outweigh the risks, then a LASIK eye surgery is right for you.

Eyesight Correction with Lasik and Laser Eye Surgery

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:41:39 +0000

There are now numerous methods of eyesight correction available to you today. Even severe eyesight conditions can now be treated. You can have laser eye surgery, or if your eye prescription is outside the limit for LASIK, you could opt to get implantable contact lenses. These eyesight correction methods have about 95% success rate, which is a good news indeed to billions of people suffering with eyesight problems worldwide.

The Laser Eye Treatment

One eyesight correction method that has become extremely popular is the laser eye treatment. The safety of this procedure is measured by the number of success stories resulting from people who had undergone LASIK eyesight correction. There are numerous testimonials made by people on how successful treatments were and how it made so much difference in their lives.

LASIK eyesight correction, however, is not 100% risk free. There are potential side effects and problems that may results although serious complications are rare. Complications, if they occur, are minimal and usually resolve themselves after some time. However, the final outcome of the LASIK eyesight correction is not guaranteed. The results vary from one individual to another. Your neighbor might not be too satisfied with the result of his treatment, but you could be ecstatic about it. The healing process also differs from one person to another.

Overall, laser eyesight correction surgeries are safe. There is an estimated 2 million procedures that are carried out every year worldwide. The procedure is mostly safe and the predictability of the outcome of the eyesight correction treatment is high. This is largely because there are excellent studies and researches on laser surgeries being conducted. There are now hundreds of highly skilled and competent ophthalmologists performing laser eyesight correction surgeries worldwide.

Things to Consider

After surgery and you’re cleared by your ophthalmologist for regular activities, you can then resume doing all forms of activities like sports, driving, et cetera. Contact sports should be avoided though as well as nighttime driving. But as a preventive measure and a part of your eyesight correction treatment, you may be instructed to avoid strong sunlight, dust and dirt exposure. Also, you should avoid swimming for a few weeks until your eyes have recovered.

If the results are good, you can expect that it would be more or less permanent. There is no assurance though that there is no risk of reversibility. Some people’s condition comes back after a few months or years. Overall though, the rate of permanency is higher than reversibility.

How to Choose Laser Eye Clinics and Doctors

Brian — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:41:13 +0000

Eye correction surgery is a growing trend. In fact, the procedure has been around for decades, and millions of surgeries have been performed by laser eye clinics all over the world. People from all walks of life have resorted to laser eye surgery for treatment of their eyesight condition. Some of these are notable celebrities including Tiger Woods who has added a few more years in his career because of laser surgery.

If you depend on your glasses or your contact lenses in order to see clearly, you might be interested in visiting a few of laser eye clinics around your area. These clinics specialize in providing their clients with surgery treatments using the latest laser technology and methods. There are various laser eye clinics that you could find in your area, neighboring towns, and the whole country.

Knowing Your Options

If you are considering laser surgery, it is advisable that you first know your options and inquire with some laser eye clinics near your area before you actually decide on having eye surgery with one. Laser eye clinics have different prices and offers. It is important that if you’re considering surgery, you must take into consideration whatever these clinics are offering. The laser treatment program must be exactly what you require. Avoid being talked into getting a surgery that you don’t need.

Knowing the Laser Eye Clinic

You could also try getting some feedbacks on some laser eye clinics that you’re comfortable with. Recommendations from families, coworkers or friends must hold great weight in your decision. Go online and visit the websites of various clinics near your area. It is very important that you have thoroughly considered all your options before actually going in for a laser treatment.

When choosing from among various laser eye clinics, be wary of those which cannot assure you of the service of a skilled surgeon. Some clinics offer a laser treatment for a cheaper price, but do not hesitate to inquire why they do so. You don’t want to risk your eyesight for the sake of a bargain. Gauge the competency of a clinic with every visit that you make. Study the staff. Are they competent? Are they helpful? If you feel that you could trust the clinic and its staff, then you could sign in for a laser eye treatment with them. It is important that you find a clinic that you are comfortable with, that is competent and that has a long history of patients who were well treated.

sethson.com » Lasik and Laser Eye Surgery

Lasik and Laser Eye Treatment as a Medical Procedure

Considerations for a Laser Eye Treatment

Looking before You Leap

Related Posts

Refractive Eye Surgery for Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism

Factors Affecting the Surgery

The Different Procedures

Related Posts

History and Types of Modern Eye Surgery

Brief History

What is an Eye Surgery?

Related Posts

Lasik and Laser Treatment Risks and Dangers

Knowing the Risks

Other Complications

Related Posts

Eye Correction Treatment of Myopia, Shortsightedness and other Problems

What You Need to Know

Correcting the Mistake

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Choosing an Ophthalmologist or Eye Doctor

The Ophthalmologist

Choose Wisely Your Ophthalmologist

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Getting the Best Laser Eye Care Services

Consulting with an Ophthalmologist

What You Need to Know about Laser Eye Care

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Lasik Eye Surgery

The Disadvantages of Glasses and Contact Lenses

The Advantages of LASIK

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Eyesight Correction with Lasik and Laser Eye Surgery

The Laser Eye Treatment

Things to Consider

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How to Choose Laser Eye Clinics and Doctors

Knowing Your Options

Knowing the Laser Eye Clinic

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