Can Lasik Fix Your Eyes Permanently?
LASIK eye surgery is the best option for treating laser refractive surgery to correct vision problems. Laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) can be an alternative to glasses or contact lenses. During the LASIK eye treatment, a special cutting laser accurately changes the shape of the cornea at the front of your eye to improve vision.
Before you receive a LASIK eye surgery, it’s always advisable to visit a well-experienced eye expert for the best recommendation. For instance, you can see Dr. Allyson Tang, Optometrist – Scarborough, since she has vast experience treating eye problems. Although she does not do eye surgery, she can always refer you to reputable eye surgeons. She deals with eye care in Scarborough.
LASIK effectively treats eye problems, so you don’t have to wear eyeglasses or lenses once the eyes heal. However, you should note that most people’s vision deteriorates as they age. LASIK cannot stop this natural process; thus, your vision may become blurry as you age.
Eye experts use LASIK surgery to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism. It helps in vision correction since these conditions have the light entering the eye bent incorrectly.
Benefits of LASIK Surgery
- Treats Nearsightedness (Myopia) – a condition where you see objects that are near clearly, but those at a distant place appear blurry. It usually occurs when your eyeball is slightly longer than average or when the cornea has sharp curves towards the edges. This condition causes you to see objects that are near you clearly and not to see those that are far away.
- Treats Farsightedness (Hyperopia) – a condition where you see far objects clearly, but those closest to you appear blurry. It happens when you have an overtly flat cornea or an eyeball smaller than the average. When you have this condition, light focuses behind the retina instead of on it causing a blur in near vision and sometimes in distant vision.
- Astigmatism – it’s a condition that causes overall blurry vision. It happens when the cornea flattens or curves unevenly, disrupting the focus of near and distant vision.
Traditionally, blurry vision was corrected using refractive glasses or contact lenses to bend light lays. Currently, LASIK makes it possible to reshape the cornea to regain the standard functionality of providing the necessary bending of light as it enters the eye. If you have any of the three conditions discussed, visit an optometrist near you for assistance.
According to feedback from people who have received laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), eye surgery reports a 100% vision correction. Furthermore, they also indicate that their enhanced vision works well for most activities. However, glasses are necessary for some situations like driving at night or as you age.
How to Prepare For a LASIK Eye Surgery?
Have an idea of the cost estimates. You should ensure you know the total costs of the eye surgery since it’s considered elective surgery and thus not covered by insurance companies. Therefore, you will finance the procedure from your pocket, and it’s advisable to know the cost range beforehand.
Arrange your transport home. Since you cannot drive after the surgery, you should organize how you will get home afterward. You might get someone to go you home or use a taxi.
Avoid eye makeup. In the days adding up to the eye surgery, avoid using eye makeup., creams, lotions, or perfumes. Your doctor may also advise you to clean your eyelashes frequently before the day of the surgery to remove any foreign materials that may trigger an infection after the surgery.
Before the surgery, you must visit an eye doctor for evaluation. During the review, the eye doctor evaluates your medical and surgical history, then gives you a comprehensive eye examination to check your vision and determine the extent of the damage and whether the procedure will be safe. The doctor looks for signs of dry eyes, large pupils, eye infection, high pressure, and inflammation. Sometimes, the doctor may measure your cornea and note any irregularities.
The procedure takes not more than 30 minutes and is not painful since they place numbing drops in your eye. You lie on your back to relax as the eye surgeon reshapes your cornea using a cutting laser.