Eye laser surgery information

Eye laser surgery has completely revolutionised eye surgeries, making them faster, less painful and a lot simpler. The innumerable discomforts that were felt after traditional eye surgical procedures have been done away with in eye laser surgery and this has prompted many people into attempting this form of corrective surgery.

Eye laser surgery requires expertise and specialization and so the doctor should be selected with care. The doctor would perform certain tests to ensure that one would be able to undergo the eye laser surgery. People with dry eyes will be advised to use eye drops as eye laser surgery could further dry one’s eyes. Those who wear contact lenses should avoid using them for a pre-determined period of time prior till surgery and the duration of contact lens free period could last from a few days to a few weeks. The thickness of the eye is determined using a pachymeter and the contour of the surface is measured using a topographer from which, subsequently, the corneal map is obtained.

Eye laser surgery is a simple procedure that can be completed within a short duration of time. The patient is allowed to lie down and anaesthetic drops are allowed into the eye that is to be corrected. A small surgical instrument called the microkeratome is used to create a small circular incision in the cornea of the eye. This incision may also be created using a laser and the flap is then used to pull the cornea back and expose the underlying layers. Laser is then used to remove certain parts of the underlying cornea and also used to shape the cornea to make it focus the light onto the retina a lot better thereby aiding in the process of vision correction. In people who are near sighted the cornea is generally too steep and so the eye laser surgery will help flatten the cornea to aid vision. Whereas in people who are far sighted the cornea will be too flat and so the surgery is aimed at making it steep. Once the surgery has been completed the corneal flap is resealed.

Eye laser surgery can be performed for a single eye or both the eyes, but each eye laser surgery should be performed completely independent of the other. The possibility of cross infection should be avoided at all costs. This form of eye surgery does not require hospitalization and the patient can go back home the same day. He/she will be expected to rest a while after surgery and then go home for further rest. The patient will be advised to sleep a lot more than usual and avoid straining the eye too hard for a few days.

The post operative care for eye laser surgery includes the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops for a few weeks after surgery. Protective eye wear and goggles should be used to shield the eye from excessively bright light or any other form of accidental abrasion.

Eye laser surgery has a very high success rate with many of them attaining a vision of 20/20; however there are few people who have complained of certain complications. Eye laser surgery risk includes dry eyes which are seen among few people and this is generally resolved by the use of artificial tears that will serve to moisten one’s eyes. Bright glare and the appearance of a halo have also found to disturb vision in a few people, especially during the night. This poses a hazard for those who drive and is one of the major eye laser surgery problems.

This corrective eye laser surgery helps one attain good vision that permits one to view normally but may require a person over 40 years of age to use reading glasses due to age related degeneration. Research is now under way to treat the age related degeneration using laser.

The cost for eye laser surgery depends upon the technology that is used for the surgery. The cost per eye would be 2000$ for a normal eye laser surgery while the use of a microkeratome to create the corneal flap would cost less than the use of advanced technologies like wave front guided LASIK. The cost for eye laser surgery also depends upon the expertise of the doctor and the area where the clinic is present. Affluent neighbourhoods have been shown to have clinics that charge more than clinics in less affluent areas. Certain clinics also include the reviews that a person would require into their total eye laser surgery costs while other lesser priced clinics will not factor reviews into their initial pricing. The eye laser surgery costs have not risen considerably for a period of time and this could be attributed to the economic downfall that was felt recently, during which time people resorted to less expensive means of vision correction like the use of contact lenses and the use of glasses.

The eye laser surgery information would not be compete without the warning that each patient reacts differently to different procedures so a doctor should be consulted prior to making the decision of taking up an eye laser surgery. One should discuss in detail with the doctor regarding any other health condition that one is suffering from. There have been certain cases where even after eye laser surgery complete vision correction has not been possible and for such cases the use of contact lenses have been advised. This information on eye laser surgery should be used to understand the procedure better and to make an informed choice regarding the procedure.

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