Lasik Eye Surgery | Find Lasik Eye Surgeons or Doctors

If you're tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses, you may be considering Lasik eye surgery, which is one of the newest procedures to correct vision problems. Before you sign up for Lasik surgery, get a clear picture of what you can expect.

Lasik eye surgery is an outpatient procedure. The only anesthetic is an eye drop that numbs the surface of the eye. The surgery takes 10 to15 minutes for each eye. Sometimes, both eyes are done during the same procedure; but sometimes, Lasik eye surgeons wait to see the result of the first eye before doing the second eye.

The Lasik Surgical Procedure: A special device cuts a hinged flap of thin corneal tissue off the outer layer of the eyeball (cornea) and the flap is lifted out of the way. The laser reshapes the underlying corneal tissue, and the Lasik eye surgeon replaces the flap, which quickly adheres to the eyeball. There are no stitches. A shield — either clear plastic or perforated metal — is placed over the eye to protect the flap.

Healing is relatively fast, but you may want to take a few days off after the Lasik eye surgery. Be aware that:

You may experience a mild burning or sensation for a few hours after surgery. Do not rub your eye(s). Your Lasik eye doctor can prescribe a painkiller, if necessary, to ease the discomfort.
Your vision probably will be blurry the day of Lasik surgery, but it will improve considerably by the next day when you return for a follow-up exam.
If you experience aggravating or unusual side effects, report them to your doctor immediately.
Do not drive until your vision has improved enough to safely do so.
Avoid swimming, hot tubs and whirlpools for two weeks after surgery.

Before the Lasik eye surgery, your surgeon should explain to you the risks and possible complications, and potential side effects, including the pros and cons of having one or both eyes done on the same day. This is the "informed consent" process. Some risks and possible complications include:

Over- or under-correction. These problems can often be improved with glasses, contact lenses and enhancements.
Corneal scarring, irregular astigmatism (permanent warping of the cornea), and an inability to wear contact lenses.
Corneal infection.
"Loss of best corrected visual acuity" — that is, you would not be able to see as well after Lasik eye surgery, even with glasses or contacts, as you did with glasses or contacts before surgery.
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.
Problems with night driving that may require glasses.
Flap problems, including: irregular flaps, incomplete flaps, flaps cut off entirely, and ingrowth of cells under the flap.
The following side effects are possible, but usually disappear over time. In rare situations, they may be permanent.

Discomfort or pain
Hazy or blurry vision
Scratchiness
Dryness
Glare
Haloes or starbursts around lights
Light sensitivity
Small pink or red patches on the white of the eye

Generally Lasik enjoys a high level of success. Failure rates are recorded at about one percent per eye. However, there may be additional complications affecting your vision which are not ‘counted' as failures. For example: your vision may be recorded as 20/20, but you could experience such visual disturbances as ‘ghosting' or ‘haloing'. The patient and surgeon may have different ideas of what ‘success' means and unreasonable expectations could cause disappointment. Lasik is still a relatively new medical procedure which is constantly being developed to ensure ever better results.

Before having lasik eye surgery, ask your physician these questions:

What operation are you recommending?
Why do I need lasik eye surgery?
Are there alternatives to surgery?
What are the benefits of having the operation?
What are the risks of having lasik eye surgery?
What will happen if I don't have this operation?
Where can I get a second opinion?
What has been your experience in doing the operation? How many have you performed?
Where will the operation be done?
What kind of anesthesia will I need?
How long will it take me to recover from lasik eye surgery?
How much will the operation cost?

Botox Injections | Breast Augmentation | Breast Lift | Brow Lift | Butt Lift | Cellulite Treatment | Collagen Injections | Chemical Peel | Chin Augmentation | Ear Surgery | Eyelid Lift | Face Lift | Forehead Lift | Hair Replacement | Laser Skin Resurfacing | Lasik Eye Surgery | Lip Augmentation | Liposuction | Nose Job | Varicose Veins | Thigh Lift | Tummy Tuck | Upper Arm Lift | Weight Loss Surgery