Cataracts are clouding of the lens of the eye. The primary cause of cataracts is sun exposure. Air pollution and certain medications have also been linked to accelerated development of cataracts. Trauma and some medical conditions such as diabetes can cause cataracts to develop early in life, and on occasion babies are born with them. Even without any of these factors, cataracts seem to be an inevitable consequence of aging, and most people develop them to some degree by the time they reach 65 years old. Symptoms of cataracts include:

• Blurry vision
• Double vision
• Light sensitivity
• Glare
• Changes in color perception
• Frequent changes in corrective lens prescriptions

Cataracts and refractive surgery
Cataracts do not mean that you are automatically ineligible for LASIK or other refractive surgery. However, your ophthalmologist may recommend cataract surgery, replacing the crystalline lens of your eye with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), instead. A monofocal IOL can resolve nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia) and the cloudiness in one surgery. Now there are advanced IOLs that can allow you to see near and far without glasses. These advanced IOLs include the crystalens, the ReSTOR lens and the ReZoom lens.

Currently, no IOL can resolve astigmatism. In cases where the IOL does not solve all of the refractive error, refractive surgery may be used after cataract surgery to complete vision correction. In some cases an additional IOL will be placed in the eye to correct any remaining myopia or hyperopia.

Most cataracts grow very slowly, and for some people it may be more appropriate to have refractive surgery first, putting off cataracts surgery until it is truly necessary. After refractive surgery it can be difficult to collect the proper measurements for the IOL, so the measurements should be taken prior to refractive surgery for use later in life when and if cataract surgery becomes necessary.

Preventing Cataracts
Cataracts are considered to be a natural and inevitable effect of aging, but like all age-related problems, their development can be slowed down sometimes to the point that symptoms never present themselves at all. It may even be possible to reverse the effects of cataracts through diet and nutrition.

Sun exposure is the most common cause of cataract development. Staying out of the sun whenever possible is the best prevention. Most of us cannot stay indoors all of the time during daylight hours, but even seemingly negligible amounts of time in the sun, such as walking back and forth to your car when shopping or going to work, are enough to do damage to your eyes over the years. Good sunglasses with UV protection and a wide brimmed hat are your best protection when you must be out in the sun.

Nutrition plays a huge role in eye health and can significantly slow down or prevent the development of cataracts. Antioxidants can protect the eyes from UV damage and possibly reverse some of the effects of the sun. Vitamins B, C, and E have been found to significantly slow down cataract development. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, and avocados, can also help prevent cataracts.

Cataracts are difficult to avoid and, over time, they can lead to blindness. For people with mild, slow-growing cataracts refractive surgery may be an appropriate treatment for refractive error, especially astigmatism.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_refractive.html

By Sandra Duke

20/20 vision is normal visual acuity. Visual acuity is the ability to see symbols and objects clearly from a distance. Each line on the eye chart has a different bottom number usually from 20/200 down to 20/10. The top number represents the distance a person being tested stands from the eye chart. The bottom number represents how far away a person with normal vision can be from the chart and still read the letters. So, a person with normal vision can read the 20/20 line from 20 feet away, the 20/200 line from 200 feet away, and the 20/10 line from 10 feet away. A person with 20/10 vision can read from 20 feet what a person with normal vision must move up to 10 feet away to read, and therefore has better than normal vision. Conversely, a person with 20/200 vision can read from 20 feet away what a normal person can read from 200 feet away, so has extremely poor vision. The eye chart at your doctor’s office has been scaled down to fit the room, so while you may not actually stand 20 feet away, the ratios mean the same thing.

Visual acuity tests. The Snellen eye chart, developed by 1862 by Dutch Ophthalmologist Dr. Herman Snellen, is the original and most common eye chart. Other tests have been developed including the Tumbling E, the Broken Wheel, and the ETDRS tests. The Tumbling E and Broken Wheel tests were developed for small children and those adults who cannot read letters. The Tumbling E chart features a capital E facing up, down, left, and right. The person being tested is asked to respond with direction the E is facing. The Broken Wheel test uses cards with pictures of cars, some with whole wheels and some with broken wheels. The ETDRS test was originally developed for the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study. The ETDRS test uses letters, but is considered to be more accurate than the Snellen chart.

20/20 may not mean perfect overall vision. Since these tests only measure visual acuity, you can have 20/20 vision and still have vision problems. A person with 20/20 vision may have trouble seeing objects close up, poor depth perception, difficulty focusing, or poor peripheral vision. Eyes are tested separately and together. Many people have a different score for each eye.

What is best corrected vision? Your best corrected vision is the best visual acuity you can achieve with corrective lenses. Often people who cannot attain 20/20 vision with corrective lenses have better results with LASIK surgery because LASIK surgery can correct subtle imperfections in the vision system which corrective lenses cannot address.

What vision scores can mean to you. A person with 20/200 best corrected vision or worse (higher) is considered legally blind. 20/40 is the worst vision score you are allowed to have to obtain an unrestricted driver’s license. 20/50 is the limit for many professions.

Attaining 20/20 vision. Some people find that glasses and contact lenses are too uncomfortable and inconvenient, or simply do not want to be dependent on these things. Others find that corrective lenses are not enough and can benefit from a combination of LASIK surgery and corrective lenses. If you do not have 20/20 vision, or if you have 20/20 vision but still experience vision problems, your eye doctor can help you decide if corrective lenses or LASIK surgery is the best option for you. Any of the fine doctors at Professional Eye Associates in Dalton, Georgia can help you acheive your best vision.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_2020.html

Presbyopia (the common age-related condition in which the eye loses its ability to focus on close objects) can be surgically addressed in several different ways, one of which is replacement of the eye’s crystalline lens. In a procedure similar to cataract surgery, the natural lens is removed and replaced by a permanent intraocular lens implant.

Lens replacement surgery (also referred to as clear lens exchange or clear lens extraction) is typically performed in an outpatient surgery center. After the eye is numbed with eye drops, the eye surgeon (ophthalmologist) makes a tiny incision (just large enough to insert a microscopic instrument) at the outer edge of the cornea. The instrument uses ultrasound to gently break the natural lens into small fragments that are easily removed, after which the intraocular lens implant is put into place.

The lens replacement procedure usually is completed in less than an hour, but for most patients it takes from six to twelve weeks for the brain to completely adjust to the news lens. Some patients experience an aftereffect (which typically lessens over time) of seeing halos or glare around lights, but most report that their improved vision far outweighs any visual side effects from the procedure.

Currently there are three types of implantable lenses that address Presbyopia and allow patients to see both near and far without glasses, each with a slightly different design. ReSTOR ® and ReZoom™ lenses are appropriate both for treatment of presbyopia and for use after cataract surgery. The third type, Crystalens™, is also often used for lens replacement after cataract surgery.

ReSTOR Intraocular Lens

Technically known as the AcrySof ® ReSTOR ® Apodized Diffractive Intraocular Lens, ReSTOR is a permanent artificial (soft acrylic) intraocular lens that uses patented technologies for diffraction (the bending of light around corners), refraction (the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another), and apodization (the reduction of fringes that appear around the images of bright points of light). ReSTOR’s special design enables it to accurately focus light on the retina for images at varying distances without any mechanical movement of the lens. Its apodization technology provides an increased range of visual quality with minimal image disturbances. The ReSTOR lens provides good near, intermediate, and distance vision. It is appropriate for adults with presbyopia and is FDA approved for use after cataract surgery. Clinical studies have shown that 80 percent of ReSTOR patients no longer need to wear glasses or contact lenses.

ReZoom Multifocal Intraocular Lens

ReZoom is a permanent artificial (soft acrylic) intraocular lens that uses Balanced View Optics™ technology to enable patients to see clearly at varying distances in a broad range of light conditions. The lens distributes light over five visual zones that are carefully proportioned for different light and focal distances. Each zone then focuses light onto the retina to provide clear vision at close, intermediate, and far distances. ReZoom is appropriate both for adults with presbyopia and for cataract patients. Clinical studies have shown that about 92 percent of ReZoom patients never or rarely need to wear glasses or contact lenses after the procedure.

Crystalens

Crystalens is an artificial intraocular lens formulated from a special type of solid silicone called Biosil™. Originally approved for use as a cataract replacement lens, Crystalens works naturally with the patient’s eye muscles to provide intermediate and near focusing ability. A special feature of the lens is its ability to move (accommodate) to focus on objects at varying distances, which is an improvement over earlier cataract replacement lenses. Now, a number of ophthalmologists are using the Crystalens for clear lens exchange on older patients (when a cataract is not present) as an alternative to LASIK because of its ability to allow patients to focus at both near and far distances.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_presbyopialens.html

Presbyopia (pronounced prez-bee-OH-pee-uh) is a condition in which the crystalline lens of the eye does not easily adjust to focus on objects at varying distances. This condition is also known as “loss of accommodation” because the eye loses its ability to accommodate, or move to focus. Presbyopia (which literally means “aging vision”) affects most people sometime after about age 40, making it difficult to focus on close objects or read small print.

Theories about the cause of presbyopia vary. Presently, most vision experts believe the condition is due to loss of elasticity of the eye’s lens, continued growth of the lens, or weakening of the muscles controlling the lens—or possibly a combination of these causes. Other theories exist as well.

Traditionally, people with presbyopia have used corrective eyewear—reading glasses, bifocals, or progressive lenses—to see things clearly at a close distance. Reading glasses (used only for reading and close work) simply magnify whatever the person is looking at. Both bifocals and progressive lenses include two prescriptions, typically one prescription to improve near vision and the other to improve distance vision. In bifocals the prescriptions are separate; in progressive lenses, one prescription gradually leads into the other.

Three types of contact lenses also are used to temporarily correct presbyopia: bifocal contact lenses, multifocal contact lenses, and monovision contact lenses. Bifocal lenses work very much like bifocal glasses. Multifocal lenses (of which numerous variations are available) provide multiple points of focus for a natural transition from very close to far distance vision. Monovision lenses work on a different principle from bifocal and multifocal lenses. Monovision uses the patient’s dominant eye for distance vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision. (Typically right-handed people are right-eye dominant and left-handed people are left-eye dominant, but it’s best for an eye doctor to make this determination.) While there is always an adjustment period for patients new to monovision lenses, usually the brain becomes accustomed to processing the two different images in an appropriate manner.

While LASIK procedures have greatly helped many people with vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (curvature of the cornea), conventional LASIK will not correct presbyopia. In fact, patients who have successful LASIK surgery may develop presbyopia later in life. Conventional LASIK neither protects against nor predisposes the patient to presbyopia.

The good news is that surgical options for correcting presbyopia do exist. Current alternatives include LASIK Monovision and Conductive Keratoplasty (both of which adjust one eye for near vision and the other eye for distance vision), Surgical Reversal of Presbyopia with Scleral Expansion Bands, Anterior Ciliary Sclerotomy, Laser Presbyopia Reversal, and lens replacement options such as the crystalens™, the ReSTOR ® Intraocular Lens and ReZoom™ Multifocal Intraocular Lens.

PRK is a type of laser eye surgery that corrects refractive error by reshaping the surface of the cornea, rather than sculpting inside of the cornea. During PRK a corneal flap is not created. The recovery period for PRK is longer than for LASIK, and the procedure is rarely recommended, but for some it is the only realistic option. It is a safe and effective method for improving vision.

PRK is great option for patients who are not good candidates for LASIK because they have one or more of the following conditions:

• Thin corneas
• Corneal scars from trauma or infection
• Corneal dystrophy
• Recurrent corneal erosion
• Large pupils

PRK can treat nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. Your ophthalmologist will use a corneal topographer to create a map of your cornea revealing irregularities and the steepness or flatness which needs to be corrected. The map created by the corneal topographer is used to guide the laser during surgery. If you wear contacts you will be asked to stop wearing them for a period of time before your eyes are mapped. You will need to refrain from wearing soft contacts for a few days and hard contacts for a few weeks. Refraction must be stable when your eyes are evaluated to determine how much correction is needed.

PRK is day surgery. It only takes a few minutes. You can choose to have surgery on both eyes during one procedure, but most people choose to have surgery on one eye first and return after a few days or a week to correct the second eye. Anesthetic eye drops are used to numb your eyes, and some patients may take a mild oral sedative. A speculum holds your eyelids open so that you do not blink, and a suction ring keeps your eye in position during the procedure. An excimer laser is used to remove tissue from the outside of your eye. You will be asked to stare directly at a target light during this part of the surgery.

As with LASIK, PRK can now be performed using wavefront mapping similar to Custom LASIK. This means that the procedure can treat higher order aberrations, which means that after a Custom PRK procedure, your vision may be even sharper and clearer than it was before with glasses or contact lenses.

After surgery, a bandage contact lens is placed on the eye and you will be given anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops. Although you can leave a few minutes after the procedure, you will need someone to drive you home. The bandage contact is removed when the surface epithelium has healed, normally two or three days after surgery. You will have multiple follow-up visits, usually one day, three days, one week, one month, three months, and six months after the procedure. One drawback of PRK as compared to LASIK is the length of time before vision is fully improved. It can take six months to see the full results.

PRK has a longer recovery period, and carries a greater risk of scarring or corneal haze, as well as a somewhat increased chance of infection when compared with LASIK. Like other refractive surgery there is a risk of halos, glare, and loss of best corrected vision. Complications are rare.

PRK has been around since the early 1980’s but was not approved by the FDA until 1995. Superior refractive surgery methods have since been developed, but for some patients, PRK is still the best option. It is the oldest laser refractive surgery, and has proven to be a safe and effective way to improve vision.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_prk1.html

Intralase is the advancement many have been waiting for.

Since LASIK was first approved in 1999, it has proven to be a remarkably safe and successful method of vision disorder correction. Even so, many potential LASIK candidates are hesitant to move forward with surgery in anticipation of what future advancements may hold. For these patients, LASIK surgery using the IntraLase ® Method—also known as all-laser LASIK or IntraLASIK—could be the advancement they’ve been waiting for.

The IntraLase Method is a sophisticated, bladeless approach to creating the corneal flap, or thin layer of tissue that the surgeon folds back to expose the part of the eye that is reshaped during the LASIK procedure. With the IntraLase Method, LASIK is not only 100% blade free, but safer than ever and able to provide more patients with vision that is 20/20 or better.

Traditionally, LASIK surgeons have relied on an instrument called a microkeratome for the creation of corneal flaps. The microkeratome is a fine, oscillating, hand-held steel blade that creates a cut as it travels across the cornea. While effective, the microkeratome has not changed significantly in 30 years of use in refractive surgery. In addition, while LASIK complications are extremely rare, when they do occur they may be associated with the use of the microkeratome.

The IntraLase Method, by contrast, eliminates the need for eye doctors to use a blade at all. Instead, this computer-controlled blade-free lasik technology works by delivering rapid pulses of light, a quadrillionth of a second each, to a pre-programmed depth and position within the cornea. Each pulse forms a microscopic bubble. As the IntraLase laser moves back and forth across the eye, the bubbles are connected so they form a corneal flap. Just prior to LASIK surgery, the eye doctor gently lifts the flap where these bubbles have created a smooth surface.

Also in contrast to a microkeratome, which simply delivers a one-dimensional cut, the blade free LASIK IntraLase Method enables the doctor to precisely design and control many aspects of the flap itself, such as its thickness, its circumference, and the angle of its edges, effectively tailoring the flap to the eye. This is of particular benefit to patients with steep, flat, or thin corneas, some of whom are not eligible for LASIK surgery performed with a microkeratome.

LASIK surgery has advanced steadily over the years; the technology used to measure a patient’s visual error prior to surgery has become more powerful and corrections can now be customized to a patient’s individual needs. Until the IntraLase Method, however, the creation of the corneal flap was the one step that lacked the technological sophistication of the rest of the LASIK procedure. As it turns out, that step is an important one in terms of providing patients with the best possible LASIK experience. For this reason, IntraLase training is part of the curriculum at most of the ophthalmic teaching institutions and is being adopted by eye care practices around the world.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article01.html

Rosacea and seborrhea are disorders which involve inflammation of the oil glands. Although they are similar in nature, and often occur together, rosacea is a more severe condition which is much more likely to prohibit LASIK surgery.

Seborrhea
Seborrhea (seborrheic dermatitis, seborrheic eczema, dandruff, cradle cap) is an inflammatory skin condition which affects the oil glands (sebaceous glands), causing the skin to be oily and flaky at the same time. Due to this combination, people who suffer with the condition often pursue a frustrating series of remedies which only make symptoms worse.

The cause of the condition is uncertain, but it is thought that hormones or a fungus may be responsible. It is more prevalent in people with neurological conditions including head injuries, strokes, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as those with HIV. Stress seems to worsen the symptoms.

Seborrhea most commonly affects the scalp, showing up as dandruff or cradle cap, but can affect other parts of the body including the face (particularly the eyebrows, eyelids, creases of the nose, lips, and around the ears), chest, and in the folds of the arms, legs, and groin. Symptoms can include:

• Oily or greasy areas of skin
• Flaky skin or scales
• Raised red patches (plaques)
• Skin lesions
• Itching
• Mild redness
• Hair loss in extreme cases

Your doctor may simply refer to seborrhea as eczema, but there are many types of eczema, and it is important to know the underlying cause of the condition when considering eye surgery. Seborrhea is often mistaken as a symptom of allergies.

For most people with seborrhea, LASIK is a safe procedure, but seborrhea can cause dry eye which can cause LASIK complications. It can also cause inflammation of the eyelid (blepharitis). If blepharitis is present you should not undergo surgery until it has been successfully treated.

Rosacea
Rosacea is a neurovascular disorder which affects the sebaceous glands and the blood vessels. It is a much more serious condition than seborrhea, but the two are sometimes confused, and often occur together.

Anyone can develop rosacea. People with fair skin are more prone to the condition. It is more common in women, but more severe in men. There are many theories on what may cause rosacea, but at this time no one is sure. Sun exposure, stress, and hot weather trigger or aggravate symptoms. The symptoms of rosacea can include:

• Flushing of the face
• Persistent redness
• Bumps and pimples
• Visible blood vessels
• Eye irritation
• Burning or stinging skin
• Skin that appears dry
• Raised red patches (plaques)
• Skin thickening (rhinophyma, often occurs as a bulbous nose)
• Facial swelling

Rosacea that affects the eyes is called ocular rosacea. Symptoms of ocular rosacea include:

• Red, dry, or irritated eyes or eyelids
• Foreign body sensation (feeling of grit or sand in the eyes)
• Itching
• Burning

LASIK is not safe for people with active ocular rosacea. There is no cure for the condition at this time, but there are effective treatments. Steroid eye drops are often used, and in some cases oral antibiotics are prescribed. If the condition is well under control LASIK surgery may be safe, but there is some risk should a flare-up occur.

Seborrhea and rosacea can both cause LASIK complications, but under the right circumstances those who suffer with either or both conditions may, under the proper conditions and with the advice of your ophthalmologist, safely have LASIK surgery. While it is not the only consideration, the common sense question, “Are your eyes or eyelids irritated or inflamed?” is going to be a huge determining factor, which applies whether you have these conditions or not.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_rosacea.html

Which is better for creating flaps for Lasik?

About two or three percent of children have amblyopia, or “lazy eye.” Left untreated, amblyopia can cause poor vision or blindness in the underused eye. Most people have seen the classic signs of lazy eye, where one eye seems to wander or point off in the wrong direction, but most cases of amblyopia are not visible. Amblyopia is the most common cause of vision problems in people under 45 years old.

Amblyopia can occur anytime in life, but usually starts during childhood and must be treated before the child is seven or eight years old, when vision is fully developed. Children should have vision tests early in life to prevent permanent vision loss.

Causes
Everyone has a dominant and a non-dominant eye. When there is a large discrepancy in the images sent to the brain from each eye, the brain will only use the best image and the eye which produces the poorer image will continue to weaken.

• Strabismus or misaligned eyes. When your eyes do not point at the same target your brain ignores one of the images to prevent double vision. Strabismus in itself is often mistaken for amblyopia, by observers. It can cause amblyopia, but they are not the same condition.
• Unequal refractive error. If one eye produces a blurry image due to nearsightedness farsightedness or astigmatism, the brain will choose the clearer image and ignore the fuzzy one.
• Trauma. An injury or disease can cause loss of vision in just one eye, causing your brain to adjust to using the healthy eye.
• Cataracts. Cataracts sometimes affect one eye more than the other and your brain will choose the best image.

Treatments
There are many approaches to treating amblyopia. The goal is to encourage the brain to recognize and use the image from the poor eye, which will encourage development of and better vision in that eye. Treatment options include:

• Vision therapy – exercises which strengthen the weak eye and teach the brain to use both images together
• Patch – worn over the dominant eye, stimulating use of the weak eye
• Drops – blur the vision in the dominant eye so that the brain chooses the image from the weak eye
• Corrective lenses – glasses or contacts with a different prescription for each eye
• LASIK surgery – used to correct the poor eye and bring vision into balance, or if vision is poor in both eyes, both eyes can be corrected to an equal level of vision

Adults often prefer LASIK over corrective lenses or wearing a patch. LASIK is not appropriate for all children, but may be the best option for children who do not respond to other therapies. Because the eyes continue to develop and vision continues to change into young adulthood, surgery is not an appropriate solution for most vision problems in children, but when in children who have amblyopia, LASIK surgery can ensure that both eyes develop properly and save their vision.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_micro_intra.html

Preexisting medical conditions can affect your vision and the safety and efficacy of LASIK and other vision correction surgery. Some may rule out any type of refractive surgery, others will affect which type of surgery you should choose, and some which may seem as if they would impact refractive surgery actually make no difference at all.

Acoustic Neuroma

Acoustic neuroma is a non-cancerous growth on the eighth cranial nerve, a nerve which runs from the brain to the inner ear. Balance and hearing problems develop with this condition, and it can result in loss of sensation in the face and reduced ability to make facial expressions. In most cases it does not affect a person’s candidacy for LASIK vision correction surgery.

Asthma
Asthma does not interfere with LASIK surgery, but some of the medications prescribed for asthma may cause complications. The most common problem that asthma suffers encounter with LASIK is dry eye, due to taking antihistamines. Some asthma patients take steroids or use steroid inhalers which should not cause a problem, but may be in conflict with medications that your ophthalmologist would normally prescribe. You should inform your ophthalmologist of any prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal remedies you use for asthma well in advance of surgery.

Diabetes
Having diabetes does not mean that you cannot have LASIK or other vision correction surgery. However, if you have diabetic retinopathy, refractive surgery should be avoided. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in Americans under the age of 65. It damages the blood vessels that supply the retina. Most refractive surgeries involve applying suction to the eye, which is dangerous if the blood vessels are already weakened. PRK and LASEK do not involve suction and may be safe in some cases.

Keloid
There is some disagreement within the medical community as to whether vision correction surgery is safe for keloid formers. It is generally believed that internal procedures such as LASIK are safe, but procedures such as PRK which scrape the outer surface of the eye may pose a risk, and CK should be avoided altogether.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is transmitted by deer ticks. Among many symptoms, including fever, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and rashes, Lyme disease can cause inflammation of the cornea (keratitis). Of course, vision correction surgery should be avoided when there is a likelihood of keratitis, due to increased risk of post-operative complications, and the inability to take accurate pre-operative measurements.

Pregnancy and Nursing

Women who are pregnant, nursing, or intend to become pregnant within the next six months should postpone vision correction surgery until at least two months after they have finished nursing.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy, and while nursing, cause drastic fluctuations in vision. It is impossible to take accurate refractive measurements during this time and, of course, inappropriate to perform the surgery while these fluctuations are occurring even if the measurements were taken beforehand.

Becoming pregnant during recovery can make it impossible to tell if fluctuations in vision are due to the surgery or to hormonal changes. In the rare case that complications arise from the surgery, it may be necessary to take medications which are not safe for the baby during pregnancy or nursing.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_medical.html

LASIK can give you freedom from glasses and contacts allowing you to participate in many activities which would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Some of these activities, however, can elevate post-LASIK risks, especially during the healing process. Depending on how large of a role these things play in your life, you may even want to consider alternatives to LASIK. At the very least, it is important to keep in mind how LASIK will affect your ability to participate in certain activities before scheduling surgery. For instance, if you are planning an island vacation, you probably want to wait until after you return to have the procedure Sunlight and tanning booths
You should always wear UV protection sunglasses to protect your eyes, with or without LASIK surgery. After LASIK, however, it is critical that you protect your eyes from UV rays for at least six weeks to several months. UV exposure can reverse the effects of LASIK and cause late-onset corneal haze. This includes exposure to natural sunlight and tanning beds. UV rays are known to cause cataracts and retinal damage. Even clear glasses and some contact lenses provide some amount of UV protection. If you wear eye glasses you may not be in the habit of wearing sunglasses because of the inconvenience. If you do not already have a good pair of sunglasses with UV protection, purchase sunglasses that are comfortable and that you will enjoy wearing as part of your preparation for surgery.

Swimming and water sports
One of the benefits of LASIK, for many people, is the ability to go swimming and enjoy other water sports, such as water skiing and scuba diving, as they never have before. That doesn’t mean you can rush right out to the pool, lake, or beach after surgery. You will need to refrain from water sports for at least one to two months. After LASIK your eyes will be very vulnerable to infection. Natural water, such as sea and lake water, is full of bacteria and organisms which can easily invade your eyes. Swimming pools and hot tubs are chlorinated, but that does not mean that they are contaminant free. On top of the bacteria which can still be found in chlorinated water, chlorine causes dry eye. More aggressive water sports, such as water skiing or even diving, may cause flap complications, due to the impact involved.

Skiing, mountain climbing, and other high altitude activities
Pressure changes and lack of oxygen can affect your vision at very high altitudes. This can happen whether you have had LASIK surgery or not. The effects are temporary, but can be dangerous at the time they are occurring, not to your eyes, but because you can’t see. It is normally only an issue at extremely high altitudes, well over 10,000 feet. A more common problem is dry eye. Even at less extreme altitudes, mountain climbers and skiers usually encounter high winds which can contribute to dry eye. Dry eye can cause complications after LASIK.

Contact sports
You absolutely must refrain from playing contact sports for at least one month after LASIK surgery. This includes, but is not limited to, hockey, football, tennis, racquet ball, martial arts and boxing. A blow to your eyes during the recovery period can cause flap complications. Even after this period, and really, whether you have had LASIK or not, you should wear protective eyewear when playing contact sports.

If you participate in any of these activities, or if you wish to but can’t because of your eyesight, LASIK surgery may greatly enhance your life. There are precautions to consider, and your ophthalmologist can help you determine if LASIK is right for you, based on your unique situation.

Source: http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/article_lifestyle.html