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| Laser Eye Surgery Is it right for you? |
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Laser eye surgery is advertised all around us and many of our friends and family have elected to have the procedure performed on their eyes. However, not everyone is a candidate for laser eye surgery but may qualify for alternative methods to correct vision. It is important to schedule an appointment with one of our Optometrists to discuss your particular needs and prescription. |
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THE MOST COMMON PROCEDURE PERFORMED |
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The LASIK procedure is the most common procedure performed. LASIK stands for laser assisted in situ keratomileusis and requires that the front surface of the eye, called the cornea, be cut and lifted before the laser is applied. The most recent LASIK procedure approved by the FDA is the Wavefront-Guided Custom LASIK. Custom LASIK corrects aberrations of the eye that are present naturally. Aberrations occur because of the curvature of the cornea which leads to distortion, halos, and night vision problems. If aberrations are corrected this may lead to better vision than experienced before surgery through glasses. |
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THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF LASER EYE SURGERY |
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Depending on the laser surgery performed patients may experience some side-effects. However, only about 1% of cases experience side-effects, many of which are treatable. Side effects may include, dry eyes, mild discomfort, unstable vision, night vision problems, aberrations, tissue displacement, swelling, and in rare cases infection and permanent loss of vision. Custom LASIK minimizes many of these side-effects and if side-effects do occur they can usually be treated with drops or additional procedures. |
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IS LASER EYE SURGERY MAJOR SURGERY? |
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The surgery only takes a few minutes to perform on each eye. Only a small amount of tissue is cut during LASIK and no injections or stitches are needed. Numbing drops are used to avoid any discomfort. Patients are able to return back to work 1-2 days after surgery. |
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ALTERNATIVES TO LASER EYE SURGERY |
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Many patients are not ready to have laser eye surgery and want an alternative that will correct their vision. There are contacts now available that you can sleep in for 30 days without taking them out. These lenses are made from a special soft material that allows the cornea to breath. There are also special gas permeable contact lenses designed to change the shape of your cornea while you sleep for nearsighted patients. When you wake up and take the lenses off, the vision is corrected for the entire day. For patients with farsightedness there is a non-invasive procedure called Conductive Keratoplasty that uses heat to alter the structure of the cornea correcting vision. |
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