Is LASIK Surgery Right
for You?
Understanding LASIK Surgery Part II
Most of the patients are very satisfied with the improved
quality of life which they experience after LASIK Surgery.
Now, continue this article to decide whether LASIK Surgery
is right for you.
Types of LASIK Surgery
Basically, there are two types of surgery, which are the
Standard LASIK and Custom LASIK. With either type, the preparation
work and post-operative procedures are similar. The difference
between the procedures typically involves the customization
of the laser.
Standard LASIK
Before the scheduled procedure date, the eye surgeon will
meet up with patient to re-test for certain eye problems and
diseases. When it's confirmed that the patient qualifies for
the requirements, a procedure date is set.
On the day of the procedure, the eye doctor may perform another
corneal topography to verify that nothing has changed which
would require changing the procedure. Three types of eye drops
are then administered. The drops anesthetize the eye, in order
to protect the eye from post-operative inflammation and protect
the eye from infection.
Next, the patient reclines and the laser is positioned overhead
with the eye surgeon above it. In order to remove the flap,
the patient's eye must first be stabilized. The eye is kept
from blinking by placing it into a restrainer. Suction is
then administered to the eyeball and the microkeratome makes
one swift slice across the top of the cornea. The resulting
flap (which should still be hinged to the eye) will be pulled
away with tiny tweezers.
The laser will emit a pre-determined number of laser pulses
to remove the excess tissue, a process that takes only seconds.
The flap is pulled back into place and saline solution clears
the eye of any debris. The eye will be covered and the procedure
is finished unless the other eye is receiving a LASIK Surgery
treatment.
Custom LASIK Surgery
In standard LASIK, the computer inside the laser will determine
the number and location of laser pulses based only on the
patient's prescription. With custom LASIK, the eye surgeon
will create a three-dimensional image of the eye. The image
results are then fed into the laser's computer and the patient
receives a laser treatment which is truly customized to that
eye.
Risks and complications
Just like surgical procedure, there are risks related to
LASIK Surgery. The procedure may under- or over-treat the
eye. Under-treatments will be corrected with additional surgery
however over treatment usually results in the patient needing
to continue wearing corrective lenses. Loss of vision or compromised
vision, especially at night, is other risks and you might
even develop dry eye syndrome. And vision which has been surgically
corrected may decline over time. Another serious risk involves
using an inexperienced ophthalmologist.
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