Lasik Eye Surgery

Your place for having Lasik Eye Surgery Information

26 September 2006




Custom Wavefront Lasik


LASIK eye surgery has been around since 1995. The outpatient surgical procedure uses a preprogrammed excimer laser to reshape the cornea after cutting a hinged flap in the cornea and then put the flap back into its original position. It has brought benefits to people with refractive errors - nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia), with or without astigmatism - and majority of them no longer depend on glasses or contact lenses in their daily activities.

Wavefront Eye SurgeryAs the technology of refractive eye surgery continues to improve, a new method of laser eye surgery has been found. The new procedure is known as Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK. Some people may also call it Wavefront Guided LASIK. It is a variation of LASIK eye surgery that uses wavefront technology to precisely measure the irregularities in the way your eye processes images. Unlike the conventional LASIK that only uses the eyeglasses or contact lenses prescription to guide the laser in reshaping the coreal tissue, Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK customize all your visual irregularities in a 3-D map (wavefront map) and transfer it electronically to program the laser used in reshaping your cornea. This is because every eye’s focusing ability is unique, just like the fingerprint.

Because Custom LASIK uses a customized map in programming the laser treatment for your eyes, needless to say that Custom LASIK may bring better results compared to conventional LASIK such as sharper and higher quality vision. While traditional LASIK can only correct ordinary vision defects such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, Custom LASIK is capable of correcting those ordinary refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) plus other vision distortions due to higher order aberrations, that can not be corrected with glasses or contacts or even conventional LASIK surgery, such as glare, halos, starbursts, ghosting of images and poor night vision, which are the also the risks of post-LASIK complications.

But actually, not all ophthalmologists agree that Custom LASIK can treat above vision distortions. Some refractive surgeons argue that both Custom LASIK and conventional LASIK may cause these aberrations in some cases. However, research has shown that Wavefront LASIK may less likely to cause such aberrations than conventional LASIK.

New Laser Eye SurgeryThe advent of Custom LASIK has increased the public interest in undergoing the customized LASIK eye surgery. But just like any other laser surgery, Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK may not be suitable for everyone. It is also not a surgical procedure to treat all kind of vision related problems so it is highly recommended to visit your ophthalmologist for a consultation and he or she will determine if you are a good candidate for Custom LASIK or not. Also the cost of Custom LASIK is a worth considerable thing because it is definitely costs more than conventional LASIK because it uses a wavefront scanner, called aberrometer, which is an expensive device.

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21 September 2006




LASIK Eye Surgery Costs


Lasik Eye Surgery CostsThe cost of LASIK surgery may vary and it depends on many factors, such as levels of pre-operative testing and screening, laser used to reshape cornea and technology used for LASIK surgery - whether you choose standard LASIK or conventional LASIK or Custom LASIK (Wavefront LASIK) or bladeless LASIK (IntraLase).

Different LASIK providers may charge different fees for LASIK eye surgery. For example, the average fees per LASIK procedure as reported by TLC Laser Eye Centers in 2002 was $1,800, $1,957 in fourth quarter of 2004 and $2,000 in 2005; while another LASIK provider, LASIK Plus reported its average price per LASIK procedure was $1,344 in the second quarter of 2005, $1,351 in fourth quarter of 2004 and $1,173 in the first quarter of 2003.

The average LASIK Eye Surgery Cost in the U.S. have been rising over the past several years due to additional technology used in LASIK procedure, such as Custom LASIK and IntraLase. In 2002, the cost was between $1,550 to $1,600 per eye and had risen to about $1,700 by October 2003 and continued to rise to $1,800 at the end of 2004 and $1,950 in 2005. For 2006, the cost of LASIK eye surgery was about $2,000 per eye as reported by LASIK industry sources.

As you can now find many advertisements online and offline offering LASIK eye surgery to reduce or eliminate your dependence on glasses or contacts, be aware of advertisements that offer too low price such as $299 or $500 per eye. There might be any hidden costs behind it - cost of LASIK consultation, pre-operative examination fee, follow-up fee, enhancement fee if something goes wrong, post-operative prescriptions, and more. Although there have been rules and guidelines on LASIK eye surgery advertising in certain states, it is suggested to discuss with your doctor what the LASIK price will include.

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17 September 2006




LASIK Complications and Risks (4)


Here's the final post of "LASIK Complications and Risks" list. On our next post, we'll be informing you about LASIK Eye Curgery Costs.

11. Central Islands
Central Islands is a result of a small raised area in the treatment zone that receives less laser beams or does not obtain full ablation compared to surrounding tissue. Central islands may decrease and disappear after several months following LASIK surgery, but in some cases, enhancement surgery is needed as a treatment to this problem, by lifting LASIK flap and targeting a small amount of laser beams onto the small raised area. However, as technology has developed rapidly, this kind of complication has been eliminated by proper screening and tracking and also smoother laser application.

12. Irregular Corneal Flap
This is a condition when the corneal flap shifts slightly and folds or wrinkles (striae) and may distort visions. Enhancement surgery is also needed to treat striae by lifting the corneal flap and ironing the flap using a special device.

13. Keratectasia or Ectasia
An excessive removal of corneal tissue during LASIK eye surgery may lead to eye bulging. This condition is called Keratectasia or Ectasia. However, current LASIK practice using more precise LASIK blades (microceratomes) or Custom LASIK have significantly decrease this complication.

14. Infection and Severe Inflammation
Infection and severe inflammation are very rare LASIK complications. To help avoiding these complications, follow the instructions of doctor to not applying creams, eye makeup and not using hot tub, whirlpool or swimming for a certain period of time (several weeks). Antibiotic eye drops prescribed by your doctor as post-operative medication may also help to prevent infection, pain and redness on eye.

15. Unattached corneal flaps or free caps and buttonholes or partial flaps
Both vision-threatening complications are caused by abnormal cutting of corneal flap using microkeratome blade.

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LASIK Complications and Risks (3)


6. Regression
Patients with severe myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism are more likely to experience regression. Regression is gradual decrease in visual acuity over time after LASIK. If significant regression occurs, enhancement surgery may be needed to achieve permanent results.

7. Epithelial Ingrowth
Epithelial Ingrowth happens when the epithelium (corneal surface cells) grows beneath the corneal flap created during the LASIK surgery and causes blurry vision, irritation or swelling. This problem is treated easily by gently lifting the flap and removing the ephitelial cells.

8. Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis (DLK)
DLK is also popular with the name of Sands of Sahara. It is a general inflammation caused by the appearance of dead cells underneath the LASIK flap. It can be prevented by maintaining a clean interface between corneal flap and the underlying corneal stroma. If DLK does occur, steroid eye drops are used to suppress inflammation. However in severe DLK cases, an eye surgery is needed to lift the corneal flap and remove the inflammatory cells. DLK potentially leads to permanent vision loss if not treated promptly.

9. Central Lamellar Keratitis (CLK)
CLK is a different form of lamellar keratitis that appears within the first 24 to 48 hours. Its treatment is similar to DLK, but additional enhancements are needed after recovery.

10. Loss of Best Corrected Vision
Only a small number of patients may experience a slight loss of visual sharpness following LASIK. It means that even with glasses, you are no longer to be able to read the 20/20 line on the eye chart, but can still read the 20/30 or 20/40 line without glasses or contact lenses. Losing more than two lines of vision is a very rare condition - less than 1% in statistical result.

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16 September 2006




LASIK Complications and Risks (2)


Here's the beginning of LASIK Complications and Risks List :

1. Undercorrection and Overcorrection
Undercorrection is a result of not enough corneal tissue is removed during the surgery, while contrary to undercorrection, too much tissue removed during the LASIK procedure may caused an overcorrection result. Undercorrection is more common than overcorrection in any refractive surgery. Both problems are often temporary and decreases as the cornea stabilizes, but sometimes can be permanent. However, enchancement surgery may likely resolve permanent undercorrection or overcorrection, while temporary conditions of undercorrection and overcorrection can be treated with glasses or temporary contact lenses until they resolve.

2. Irregular Astigmatism
Irregular astigmatism may happen if the laser correction is not centered properly on the eye or if the microceratome results a less smooth corneal surface. This condition can be treated with second LASIK procedure (enhancement surgery).

3. Dry Eye
It is normal if you feel dry, itchy or scratchy on eye after LASIK surgery. This temporary problem lasts for about 4 weeks and decreases as your cornea has healed properly. That is why your doctor will give you lubricating eye drops or maybe artificial tears to treat dry eye.

4. Corneal Abrasion
Corneal abrasion is a small breakdown in the epithelial surface caused when microkeratome makes the corneal flap. This happens in a small percentage of LASIK procedures because in some eyes, the surface cells may not adhere well. But don’t worry, as the epithelium grows back quickly within one to three days. To improves comfort and promotes healing, doctor will give you a very thin bandage contact lenses if this problem occurs.

5. Night Glare, Halos, Sensitivity to Light and Hazy or blurred vision
Most of LASIK patients experience these temporary complications for one week up to one month after LASIK eye surgery. However, some patients may experience these kinds of refractive errors due to the presence of higher order aberrations, which can be treated with Custom LASIK or Wavefront-guided LASIK. Oversize pupil also could cause the night vision problems due to LASIK treatment zone is smaller than pupil’s larger size.

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15 September 2006




LASIK Complications and Risks (1)


Choosing the best LASIK surgeon - the one who is fully experienced with LASIK procedure and its technology - is not a guarantee of 100% success in LASIK surgery. Recent research on complications of LASIK surgery shows that less than 1% of LASIK patients experience serious side effects or complications from the surgery performed by experienced and competent refractive eye surgeon.

However, the risks and complications may increase if you undergo LASIK eye surgery with a less experienced eye surgeon. That is why choosing the right LASIK surgeon is important in determining the success of surgery.

Many of the complications are just temporary problems and decrease as time goes by, while some patients may experience permanent complications, but most of the permanent problems can be resolved through enhancement surgery (second LASIK procedure or touch-up). If you have heard that LASIK can cause a permanent vision loss, actually it is a very rare problem as a result of this procedure.

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What is LASIK ?


LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. You may hear people calling it "LASIX or "LASIC"," but the name is actually short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis."

Why is it so popular? Lasik Eye Surgery has advantages over other procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision is usually achieved almost immediately, or at least by the very next day.

An instrument called a microkeratome is used in LASIK eye surgery to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Another, newer way of making the flap is with a laser. [The recently developed IntraLase laser that is used for this purpose.]

The lasik eye surgeon folds the flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it. When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.

Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from the LASIK procedure. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism, by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

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Lasik Eye Surgery - The Opening


If you're considering Lasik Eye Surgery, you should know that it's one of many surgical options for correcting your vision. Our articles will cover Lasik Eye Surgery Information and its variations such as Custom Lasik Surgery, Bladeless Lasik and many more. We will also be informing you about some local surgery centers such as Lasik Eye Surgery in Connecticut, Kansas, NY, Manhattan and etc.

All aspects of Lasik will be covered:

*How it works
*Lasik Eye Surgery Costs
*Risks
*Best Lasik Surgeons

We will be updating this place as frequently as we can so stay in touch.
You are all WELCOME...

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