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Thinking about LASIK eye surgery? There's a lot to think about.
Mike Thompson
Humans are essentially visual creatures. The thought of someone
interfering with our eyes is difficult to bear for any of us.
But millions of people every year have what, at first sight,
seems like a highly invasive technique on their eyes. Why do
they do it? For centuries we've struggled with spectacles for
vision correction. Everyone knows that they're not really the
answer. Then came along contact lenses. And when breathable,
extended wear lenses came along, we thought they were the
pinnacle of ocular technology. Not any more. Now we have LASIK -
Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomilieusis - using a computer
controlled micro laser to remove parts of the cornea and reshape
it for a considerable improvement in vision. But for something
as valuable as our eyesight, it's clearly imperative to consider
all the implications. Here are just a few to think about:
LASIK may not give you perfect vision. The American Academy of
Ophthalmology (AAO) reports that seven out of 10 patients
achieve 20/20 vision, but 20/20 does not always mean perfect
vision. If you have LASIK to correct your distance vision,
you'll still need reading glasses around age 45. You may need
additional enhancement surgery to give you the best possible
vision after LASIK. You should be at least 18 years old (21 for
some lasers), since the vision of people younger than 18 is
usually still developing. You may be a candidate for monovision
(correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye for
near vision). If you can adjust to this correction, it may
eliminate or reduce your need for reading glasses. In some
instances, surgery on only one eye is required. You may
experience a decrease in contrast sensitivity, "crispness," or
sharpness. That means that even though you may have 20/20
vision, objects may appear fuzzy or grayish. Your vision
probably will be blurry the day of surgery, but it will improve
considerably by the next day when you return for a follow-up
exam. If you wear bifocals or reading glasses you will need
glasses for reading after LASIK. LASIK cannot restore the
flexible (back and forth from distance to near) focus of youth.
It's possible, though unlikely, that you may have corneal
scarring, irregular astigmatism and an inability to wear contact
lenses. Your optometrist will measure the curvature of your
cornea and your pupils. You may be rejected if your pupils are
too large. She'll also measure the topography of your eyes to
make sure you don't have an irregular astigmatism or a
cone-shaped cornea and the the pachymetry, or thickness, of your
cornea. You need to have enough tissue left after your corneas
have been cut and reshaped.
As you can see, there's a lot to think about, not least the
cost, which currently is about $1700-2000 per eye. Talk it over
with you optometrist and above all don't feel pressured by
anyone into having LASIK, they are your eyes after all.
About the author:
Mike Thompson writes on a wide range of subjects and runs www.lasik-laser.com he's
been involved with laser eye surgery since it was developed.
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