Who Should Not Have Laser Eye Surgery?

Posted on December 16, 2011 by MarthaCook

Who Should Not Have Laser Eye Surgery?Refractory vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism can often be corrected with laser eye surgery. While many people have great results with laser eye surgery, it is not for everyone. Only an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) can tell you if you are a good candidate for PRK or LASIK procedures, and with any surgery, there are possible risks and complications.

Photorefractive Keratectomy

Photorefractive Keratectomy was one of the first procedures using a laser in eye surgery. With this procedure the cool ultraviolet laser reshapes the cornea through ablation (removal) of minute membrane layers from the cornea’s surface. Reshaping the cornea improves vision by allowing light to hit the retina in a more accurate way.

LASIK Surgery

Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis is a newer form of refractive surgery that is utilized to correct the cornea’s contour. As mentioned above, when the cornea is even slightly misshapen, light cannot focus as directly on the retina (light sensitive cells on the back of the eye), and the images are blurry. With a LASIK procedure, the cornea membrane is gently cut, using a blade called a microkeratome. This creates a little flap where the doctor can assess and utilize a computer controlled laser to reshape the cornea. Once the surgery is finished this small piece of membrane is reattached.

Recovery

While initial recovery takes only a few days, it can take up to six months before you have reached the maximum in vision improvement. Your ophthalmologist will schedule several follow-up appointments during that time to check your vision improvement and to make sure your eye is healing correctly.

Most patients are happy with the results of both PRK and LASIK surgery. However, it is important to be a good fit for the surgery and to carefully weigh the risk and benefits of such a procedure before proceeding.

Laser Eye Surgery is Not for Everyone

For one thing you have to be at least eighteen years old to have laser eye surgery. The use of some types of lasers will require you to be twenty-one years old. This is because until you are eighteen your vision will still be evolving.

You also can not have laser eye surgery if you are:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding – these conditions can change eye refraction measurements.
  • Taking Accutane or oral Prednisone – or certain other drugs.
  • Suffering from diseases such as cataracts, diabetes, glaucoma, herpes infections in or around the eye, lupus, retinal disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Suffering from Dry Eye – is a condition that may prevent you from getting laser eye surgery. You will need to talk to your doctor about how dry eye can impact laser surgery if you have this issue.

To have laser eye surgery you must be:

  • Healthy – This includes your eyes, and other physical and mental health. It is also important that your eye prescription be well-established. If you are nearsighted, you should postpone surgery until your refraction has stabilized, because nearsightedness may continue to increase in some patients until their mid- to late 20s.
  • Prepared – Which means you have to weigh the risks and rewards, consider surgery versus your level of ease with glasses or contacts, and have realistic expectations of the results. This can mean that you may need more than one surgery to get the results you desire.

Risks

Although rare, some people lose vision after surgery. This loss of vision may uncorrectable even with glasses, contact lenses, or further surgery. When contemplating this risk, many people are happy to stay with contact lenses or glasses.

A small percentage of people notice unusual vision complications after surgery, including a halo effect, glare, and/or double vision. These complications can all seriously impair vision, especially at night. After having these procedures, some patients do not see as well in situations of low light and contrast. This might be helped with corrective lenses, and may or may not diminish over time.

Severe dry eye syndrome can be another side effect of laser eye surgery. When the eye cannot produce enough tears to keep it moist and comfortable, it can be an acutely uncomfortable symptom, causing intermittent blurring and other visual problems. This condition can be permanent and may require the use of intensive drop therapy and further surgical procedures to correct the problem.

Results Differ from Person to Person

Although many people achieve 20/20 vision after surgery without glasses or contacts, not everyone does. Additional treatment may be required to achieve better vision, but it may not be recommended. Others experience improved vision but still need to wear corrective lenses. It is also likely that if you used reading glasses before surgery, you will still need them after surgery.

Summary

Most people experience better vision with laser eye surgery, but as there are always risks to surgery, it is wise to discuss the risks thoroughly with your eye doctor. People who should not have laser eye surgery include those with certain health problems, if you are under the age of 18, if you are pregnant or nursing. Some serious complications can include irregular healing that may lead to a misshapen cornea, infection of the cornea, improper reattachment of the flap (requiring additional surgery), and uncomfortable severe dry eyes.

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LASIK Eye Surgery Risks of Surgery

Posted on December 9, 2011 by MarthaCook

LASIK Eye Surgery Risks of Surgery People with vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) or even astigmatism, often look to laser eye surgery to correct their vision. Lasik eye surgery is one of the latest versions of laser eye surgery. It has been available since the 1990s and is deemed a safe procedure. However, only an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) can tell you if you are a good candidate for LASIK. And with any surgery, there are possible risks and complications.

After undergoing a complete eye examination, the doctor will give you his or her opinion about whether the surgery will be effective for your vision problem. Now is the time to have a discussion about the risks and possible complications of the procedure. This article touches on both the surgery and potential risks, but is not all inclusive. Have that talk with your eye surgeon before committing to having LASIK.

LASIK Surgery

LASIK, which stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, is a type of refractive surgery that corrects the shape of the cornea (the clear covering on the eye). Simply put, when the cornea is slightly misshapen, light cannot focus properly on the retina (light sensitive cells on the back of the eye), and the images are blurry.

With a LASIK procedure, the cornea is gently pulled back, using either a laser or blade to make the incision, and a hinge is left in one end. This flap is folded, revealing the middle section of the cornea, called the stroma. A computer-controlled laser removes a portion of the stroma to reshape the cornea and the flap is reattached.

While recovery from initial discomfort takes only a few days, it can take up to six months before the patient has reached the maximum level in vision improvement. Your eye doctor will want to have several follow-up appointments during that time to ensure healing is going well and to check the level of correction in your vision.

Most patients are happy with the results of the LASIK surgery. It is important to carefully weigh the risk and benefits of such a procedure, considering your expectations, age, health, and comfort with wearing glasses or contact lenses.

Risks of Surgery

To start with the worst, although rare, some people lose vision in the eye after surgery. This loss of vision may not be able to be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or further surgery. When contemplating this risk, many people are happy to stay with the inconvenience of wearing their contact lenses or glasses.

After surgery, some people notice unusual vision complications, such as a halo effect, glare, and/or double vision. These can all seriously compromise vision, especially at night. After LASIK, some patients do not see as well in situations of low light and contrast, such as on foggy days. These all require wearing corrective lenses, and may or may not diminish over time.

Another side effect of LASIK surgery is the possibility of developing severe dry eye syndrome. This is a condition that develops after surgery where the eye doesn’t produce enough moisture and it feels dry and scratchy. This very uncomfortable symptom can also cause your vision to blur occasionally, and it could also cause other issues with your vision. This condition can be permanent and requires the use of intensive drop therapy, and may lead to further procedures to correct the problem.

Many people achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts, but not all. You may require additional treatment to achieve better visual acuity, but further treatment may not be recommended. While vision may be improved, the possibility of still needing to wear corrective lenses is a possibility. If you used reading glasses before surgery, you may still need them after surgery.

People with farsightedness, even if it is corrected through LASIK surgery, may experience a diminishing of results with age. Make sure to discuss this possibility with your doctor before deciding to have surgery.

Other Complications of Surgery

  • Corneal infection – First treatment would be antibiotics, topically or internally.
  • Decrease in visual crispness or contrast sensitivity – This means that objects may appear fuzzy or grayish, even though you may have 20/20 vision. This is referred to as Lasik 20/20, or 20/40.
  • Flap Issues– After surgery one complication might be a distorted cornea. This occurs when the flap heals unevenly. This problem can only be fixed with a corneal transplant. Other issues can include the growth of extra cells under the flap, having the flap be incomplete or lopsided. These issues may need extra surgeries.
  • Loss of visual acuity – You would not be able to see as well after surgery, even with glasses or contacts, as you did with glasses or contacts before surgery.
  • Over- or under-correction – These problems often can be improved with glasses, contact lenses or another surgery.

Possible Side Effects

Side effects of LASIK typically last for a few days or weeks. Rarely one or more of the side effects can be permanent. Typical side effects include:

  • Blurry or hazy vision
  • Dry eye
  • Glare
  • Light sensitivity
  • Night driving issues, seeing a starburst or halo, you may need glasses to correct this issue
  • Pain or discomfort
  • Red or pink areas on the white of the eye
  • Scratchy Eyes

Summary

Most people experience better vision with LASIK surgery, but there are always risks to any surgery, as well as experiencing possible complications, so it is wise to discuss these thoroughly with your eye doctor. Some serious complications include irregular healing that may lead to a misshapen cornea, infection of the cornea and improper reattachment of the flap, leading to more surgery.

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LASIK Eye Surgery Recovery

Posted on December 2, 2011 by MarthaCook

LASIK Eye Surgery RecoveryLasik eye surgery is often used to correct vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. Only an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) can tell you if you are a good candidate for LASIK. After a complete eye examination, including measurements of the eye and a lengthy health history, the doctor can tell you whether the surgery will be effective for your circumstances. Following LASIK surgery, patients can expect a short recovery period.

LASIK Results

LASIK for those who have nearsighted vision issues will typically be able to see fine within twenty-four hours of surgery. It is normal for some patients to have difficulty reading during the first few days; in fact it can take several months for your vision to become constant.

If you have under gone LASIK to treat farsightedness, you should have great results within just a day after your surgery. You can experience some temporary blurriness when trying to see something in the distance.

People with astigmatism may take a bit longer to recover, but results are generally dramatic as well. Astigmatism is believed to be more difficult to correct than either farsightedness or nearsightedness, yet statistics on LASIK surgery show that many astigmatism patients can achieve great results.

LASIK Surgery

Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis is one form of refractive surgery. When the cornea (the clear covering over the eye) is slightly misshapen, the light cannot focus properly on the retina, and the images seen are blurry. With LASIK surgery, the cornea is gently pulled back, using either a laser or blade to make the incision, and a hinge is left in one end. The flap is folded, revealing the stroma, (middle section of the cornea) and a computer-controlled laser removes a portion of the stroma. The flap is reattached and the surgery is finished!

Recovery

You may be required to wear a protective shield over your eyes for the first night or two following the procedure. Your surgeon may prescribe an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or you may be required to use eye drops to keep your eyes moist. Typically you will also need to wear dark glasses for a specified period of time or if your eyes are bothered by bright lights.

Those who have gone through LASIK surgery say there is very little or no pain afterwards. Generally you will be able to go back to work within a day, but make sure you comply with your doctor’s suggestions. Some activities can be resumed within one day of surgery, and others over the next 48 hours to one week. Follow-up care during recovery will help ensure that your eyes heal properly. If you go to sleep right after surgery it will help reduce the pain and upon waking you should be able to see better than before the surgery.

LASIK Post-Op Care

For a full day after LASIK surgery, the patient should lie down, relax, and close their eyes. Watching television, reading, or operating a computer needs to be avoided for the first 24 hours. You will recover much better if you let your eyes relax and don’t use them. Try listening to tapes, napping, talking on the phone with your eyes closed. Your doctor may prescribe pain medicine or suggest specific over-the-counter pain meds.

Do not rub your eyes. At night the doctor may recommend protective eye shields for the first week. A few hours after surgery as the anesthetic diminishes you may experience a mild burning feeling. It may feel like a scratchy contact lens.

Healing Tips

  • No matter the weather, you should wear sunglasses for several days after surgery.
  • Don’t take showers for the first full day, and then keep the shower spray out of your face for the next week.
  • Don’t rub your eyes and use a face cloth to carefully wash your face.
  • Stay away from dusty or smoky places for a week.
  • Don’t wear eye makeup for a week or until your doctor says it is okay.
  • Don’t drink alcohol consumption for two days after LASIK surgery.

Make sure you keep all the follow-up appointments with your surgeon. Your doctor will want to observe your progress, and check for possible problems like epithelial growth. Contact your physician immediately if you experience any complications.

Summary

Even though most people experience better vision with LASIK surgery, there are risks to undergoing the procedure, and possible complications. Some of the complications your doctor will explain to you include extreme dryness of the eye, loss of visual acuity, light sensitivity, the loss of night vision or vision in low contrast situations, like on a foggy day.

Recovery from LASIK eye surgery is very quick. Since it is performed on an outpatient basis, patients are able to return to their home (with someone else driving) after a couple of hours post-surgery. At this point, it is very important to follow all of the surgeon’s instructions, because the next couple of days can affect the outcome of surgery. Rest, avoid any strain on the eyes, and return for your follow-up appointments so the doctor can monitor recovery and progress. Full results of improved vision can take several months.

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