Advantages and disadvantages of LASIK Surgery

LASIK laser eye surgery is a good alternative to getting rid of your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. However, not all patients are eligible for LASIK surgery.

Today we are going to look at the pros and cons of LASIK surgery. 

LASIK surgery can correct the visual changes in the refractive media of the eye, so you can stop using glasses or contact lenses.

The eye's refractive medium, such as the lens or cornea, can correctly reflect light rays to the human retina without change. 

However, with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, the cornea deflects light rays.

LASIK is a surgical procedure that provides good results in correcting refractive changes. It's also a great alternative to your existing lenses.

If you need Laser Eye Surgery

LASIK is currently used as a secondary and long-term treatment for light refraction disorders. 

People who need these surgeries typically suffer from visual impairments such as:

• Nearsighted
• Farsighted
• Astigmatism

In general, surgery is recommended after a specialist doctor evaluates the condition and characteristics of the eyeball. 

However, LASIK surgery is not for everyone. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology establishes the following requirements for the selection of patients waiting for surgery.

• The patient must be at least 18 years of age. The ideal age for surgery is 21.
• I have experienced eye refraction in the past 12 months.
• I have a refractive error that can be corrected with LASIK surgery.
• The patient's cornea should be thick and healthy, and the correctable visual acuity should be 0.3-0.4 or better.

Likewise, there should be no eye or systemic diseases that complicate the surgical procedure or impair long-term health, such as cataracts, cornea cones, keratitis, and progressive glaucoma. 

There are also studies establishing a history of strabismus or amblyopia among relative contraindications.

Since LASIK is an operation that a doctor cannot perform on anyone, the criteria for receiving such an operation are specific.

Preparation for LASIK Surgery

LASIK laser eye surgery is an outpatient surgery that is typically performed for 15 to 30 minutes. 

However, it is a body invasion that should not be taken lightly.

Here are some recommendations to consider when choosing LASIK surgery :

• Evaluate your expectations by discussing with an eye care professional who can explain the most likely outcome. Most patients have to continue wearing glasses after surgery to read or drive at night.

• Since LASIK surgery is an outpatient surgery based on the wishes of the patient and is usually not covered by insurance companies, you should prepare for the cost of the operation. In this regard, it is important to understand the costs and fund them.
• Your vision will not be completely corrected or restored after surgery, so visit the hospital with a guardian who can drive you home.
• Do not use cosmetics, creams, or lotions around the eyes on the day of surgery. In fact, your eye care professional may suggest using an eye wash routine and eye attachments the day before surgery.
• Of course, you may feel insecure, but try to organize your worries and keep calm. Instead, focus on the long-term benefits of surgery.
  

The process of laser Eye Surgery

These surgeries are usually performed in ophthalmology or surgical hospital. 

First, the specialist carefully examines the patient's eye to evaluate the refractive factor and establishes a course of action to be followed.

Upon arrival at the hospital, a specialist will explain the surgical procedure and guide you to the operating room. 

When you are ready to go to the operating room, you have to lie down straight on the operating chair. 

If you are nervous, your doctor may give you a pain reliever or anesthetic.

First, anesthetic eye drops are placed to reduce discomfort during surgery The specialist then opens the patient's eyes and places a speculum and a small suction device into the eye to prevent blinking.

The doctor makes an incision by cutting the cornea with a small laser or ultra-precision keratometer. 

Then, the small cut-out plate is folded up to access the structure that needs to be corrected.

The specialist corrects the structure of a part of the cornea with a programmed laser. 

Finally, the tissue plate that was originally incised is returned to its original position. 

The tissue attaches in seconds, so it heals well without stitching.

During surgery, the doctor instructs the patient to fix his gaze on a point where the light is emitted to avoid eye movement as much as possible. 

Likewise, you may get a faint odor when starting to correct the corneal structure. Most patients feel that their hair smells like burning.

If both eyes need correction, the aforementioned surgical procedure is performed individually for each eye. 

Surgery is usually scheduled on the same day.

Recovery

Patients usually experience discomfort such as burning, dry, and itchy eyes immediately after LASIK surgery. 

Because of this, the specialist prescribes eye drops that lubricate the eye and reduce discomfort.

Physicians typically request the use of these protective devices to put a shield over the patient's eyes or to facilitate the healing process during sleep. 

Also, after surgery, you should rest without overdoing it.

Since the recovery and stabilization of vision occur gradually, the actual result can be confirmed only after 2-3 months. 

Therefore, your doctor will schedule several post-surgery visits for re-evaluation and follow-up.

It's especially important to wait two weeks before returning to your daily activities, especially if you're doing extreme sports or swimming. 

Also, avoid eye makeup until sufficient time has passed.

Advantages of LASIK Surgery

The main advantage of LASIK surgery is that you can perform all your daily activities without the use of corrective glasses or contact lenses. 

In fact, 90% of patients achieve a visual acuity of 1.0 or 0.5 after surgery, even without glasses.

LASIK is an effective surgery that has proven to be stable after surgery faster than other surgeries of the same type. 

Complications such as corneal opacity and cataracts are also low.

A successful outcome is inversely proportional to the degree of initial ocular involvement. 

Therefore, the prognosis is better if the degree of refractory damage is low.

According to estimates, the effectiveness of laser surgery is so high that up to 90% of patients experience significant improvement.

Possible risks and disadvantages of LASIK surgery

As with other surgical procedures, LASIK surgery can cause side effects and complications. 

Most of these problems are temporary and usually go away within a few weeks or months.

Some of the most common secondary symptoms associated with LASIK include:

• Eye pain
• Dry eye
• Blurred vision
• Burning or burning eyes
• Symptoms of sensitivity or discomfort to direct sunlight
• Colored round rings visible around light
• Eye redness
• Eye infection

In some patients, even with a magnifying glass, the surgical correction may be inadequate to the extent that the visual results are worse than before surgery.

Likewise, although surgery can cause vision loss or permanent vision changes, it is a very rare side effect.

Elective Surgery

LASIK surgery is one of the surgeries with the highest success rate in refractive error correction. 

However, the pros and cons of having these surgeries need to be evaluated.

Therefore, there is no need to undergo vision correction surgery if the discomfort is not severe when using glasses without any major problems. 

It is important to consult an ophthalmologist who can answer any questions you may have and discuss the option that best suits your individual needs.

How about this article?