By Mike Selvon

About the time that people hit middle age, they start noticing a number of changes in their bodies and one of the changes that will often motivate people to see a doctor is when their vision is compromised. Considering that the baby-boomer generation has hit middle age and beyond, it is no wonder why Lasik laser eye surgery has become increasingly popular in recent years, as a way to counter the effects of vision deterioration.

Lasik vision surgery is a specialized procedure that provides vision correction for certain types of vision problems and conditions. Lasik is the term that is used as a “shortcut” for the full name of the operation, which is otherwise known as “Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis.” Other commonly heard terms for corrective eye surgery that is accomplished through the use of lasers instead of scalpels are: PRK, LASEK, custom Lasik, and Epi-Lasik.

There are three main vision problems that are easily corrected through Lasik laser eye surgery. These are near-sightedness, farsightedness, and forms of mild to moderate astigmatisms. With Lasik vision surgery, people are able to toss their eyeglasses, and the chance of losing or breaking them, into the trash forever. It can also eliminate the need for contact lenses.

A qualified and professional Lasik eye doctor will always make sure that a patient has a full and complete understanding of the process, before it is done. This gives them an advantage of not only being a patient but of being an informed consumer who has made a decision regarding their eye health and care.

While the risks of laser eye surgery are minimal, especially when compared to older methods of corrective eye surgery, it is in the best interest of the person considering such surgery to fully understand the possible complications and potential risks, as well as the cost of Lasik surgery.

The greatest advantage of a laser eye surgery procedure is that it is minimally invasive and does not involve the cutting of the covering of the eye, or cornea, with any type of surgical instrument. Instead, a thin layer of the cornea is cut with a laser beam and then gently pulled back, giving the laser eye surgeon the ability to then “sculpt” the corneal tissue to improve the vision. The thin flap is then replaced and the procedure is over.

After the Lasik laser eye surgery, patients notice an almost instant improvement in their eyesight. They can very quickly get back to their normal, everyday routines in almost all cases. Also, with Lasik there are no stitches to be concerned about and the patient will not even have to wear bandages. With all of this, some recipients of Lasik eye surgery even claim that the whole procedure could even be characterized as a divine wonder.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Safe-Is-Lasik-Laser-Eye-Surgery?&id=1198673

By Kent Pinkerton

People generally get tired wiping sweat off their eyeglasses or cleaning their contact lens. Maintaining contact lenses is a tedious and time-consuming task. Laser eye surgery is used to correct the defects of the eyes such as myopia, commonly called nearsightedness, or hyperopia also known as farsightedness, and astigmatism.

In recent times, medical lasers have become more sophisticated and are complemented by surgical techniques that are less invasive. Laser eye surgery is generally considered safe but it is highly recommended not to misinterpret these as ?risk-free?. This is so because all surgical procedures normally involve some amount of risk.

A substantial number of people have given up their glasses and contact lenses after opting to have laser eye surgery. However, there are many considerations that have to be kept in mind before planning to go for laser eye surgery. Not all individuals can opt for laser eye surgery. Pregnant women, people with diabetes or with binocular vision problem, dry eyes, thin corneas, or very large pupils are advised not to go for corrective laser surgery for the eyes. Aside from complications, there are also chances of side effects. It is often observed that a small percentage of people actually have increased vision troubles after laser eye surgery.

Skills and experience of an eye surgeon accounts for a large part of the success of the surgical technique .A good surgeon certainly helps to make laser eye surgery safer. PRK, LASIK, and CK are mainly three surgical techniques that are used to correct the defects in the eye.

It is advisable for people to decide which technique is safe after accumulating all required information about laser eye surgery. It becomes very essential for individuals to research and investigate the best eye surgeon. Before making any decisions about whether or not laser eye surgery is safe for you, it is always advisable to see an ophthalmologist. A detailed discussion of the pros and cons relating to various techniques can be discussed. It becomes important to have all the necessary details before opting for a particular type of laser eye surgery.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Safe-Laser-Eye-Surgery&id=408951

By Nathalie Fiset

Laser technology has been one of technology’s greatest products that have positively improved the way things work. It has a number of applications and benefits, including in the field of medicine. An excellent example is laser eye surgery.

Laser eye surgery has given hope to people with eye problems, be it with vision or aesthetic aspects. For most people thinking of undergoing it, the first question is of course how laser eye surgery works.

Common problems concerning poor vision can be caused by distortions on the surface of the eye and its components. Light rays may be poorly reflected resulting in poor vision. This accounts for common vision problems such as astigmatism, near sightedness and far sightedness.

Some people also find wearing eyeglasses cumbersome while some even become self-conscious of it. Some wear contact lenses but still wish to go for a more permanent solution so they wouldn’t have to be so depended on it.

Laser eye surgery can be an option for this problem by helping correct the distortions and improve passing of light rays. Basically, what it does is to use laser beams to change the shape of the cornea to one that is most effective for vision.

So how does laser eye surgery work?

First, the doctor has to have a clear picture of the distortion. He uses an aberrometer. This also works by using a low- energy laser beam that is directed to the cornea, reflected and produces a 3D image on the aberrometer’s screen.

The most common form of laser eye surgery is LASIK or laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis. This laser eye surgery works by making a small cut to excise the top layer of the cornea during the surgery. It is mostly recommended because of faster recovery period.

Another option is photorefractive keratectomy or PRK. In this procedure, a portion of the cornea is scraped away and then laser is used to reshape the tissue underneath it. This was developed earlier than LASIK with LASIK being usually recommended because of its very minimal discomforts.

A fusion of the wonders of LASIK and PRK is Epi-LASIK or Epithelial Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis. This laser eye surgery works by making a thin flap of corneal epithelium using a microkeratome- like instrument. The underlying corneal layer is separated from the epithelium without cutting. It does not use alcohol solution to remove the epithelial layer. After this, the underlying cornea can be re-shaped to correct the distortion by using laser beam. Afterwards, the epithelium is restored to its normal position.

As was mentioned above, this laser eye surgery technique combines the benefits of the other techniques with less complication. After the procedure, the patient will be required to wear a thin, soft contact lens that will act like a bandage until the area heals completely. Healing and recovery is also faster and may only take around 3 to 4 days.

Laser eye surgery also works for more serious eye and vision problems such as diabetic retinopathy. Edema, swelling and leaking of capillaries in the eye that may accompany this complication of diabetes can make a person a potential candidate for laser eye surgery. This is to prevent more serious and permanent damage to the eyes that can lead to blindness.

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) is the more serious and later stage of this disease where laser eye surgery is a more important choice of treatment. The technique for this is known as laser photocoagulation of the peripheral retina. The entire procedure may be completed in as short as 30-45 minutes per session. It may take around 3-4 sessions to fully benefit from this procedure with it being performed at the doctor’s office.

Laser eye surgery also works for age-related vision problems. One such technique is Photodynamic Therapy. This makes use of a light activated dye called Visudyne. This is introduced to the patient’s arm via injection. It enters the circulation and into the area beneath the retina where new blood vessels are formed. A non-thermal red laser is then used to activate Visudyne molecules. The activated molecules begin sealing holes and destroying unhealthy blood vessels.

Laser eye surgery can work miracles and provide new hope for people with vision problems of varying degrees. The key is to diagnose the condition and carefully evaluate which laser eye surgery technique will work best for the patient and you physician will do this for you.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Wonders-of-Laser-Eye-Surgery:-How-It-Works&id=441739

By Tim Gorman

LASIK is a recent laser eye surgery technique which FDA approved for use in 1998. As of now, there are no long term studies about its effects. For this reason and because making decisions regarding one’s eye sight is very important, you must do comprehensive research to be able to judge if the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are manageable risks for your treatment. If you do the research, you’ll be able to select a skilled and experienced eye surgeon. Many experts acknowledge the fact that the success LASIK heavily depends on the surgeon and not on the machine. You’ll also willingly participate in undergoing the tests because you know these are crucial tests to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

What are the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery? The best benefit is easy to enough to identify. Your eye sight will immediately improve. So if you suffer from any of the following conditions, moderate to high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness), low to moderate degrees of hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism associated with myopia, and have thick corneas, you’ll qualify for the operation.

Two other significant benefits you should consider in weighing the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery are its fast recovery time and immediate results of improved eye sight. LASIK patients normally get better eye acuity of 75% to 85% within 24 hours. This compares favorably against the two older surgical techniques, radial keratotomy (RK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), where healing & improved vision takes weeks or months to occur. Also, LASIK operations generally take under a minute to perform on one eye, you walk out of the clinic within hours.

Now that the pros have been highlighted, what are the cons found in the pros and cons of LASIK eye surgery?

If the patients’ eye condition is incorrectly diagnosed, the patient might develop permanent debilitating visual symptoms such as glare, halos, or double vision after the operation.

If you don’t have dry eye syndrome, you may develop one. You’d be uncomfortable, and permanent. Left untreated, it will be unhealthy for your corneas.

If you are farsighted, as you age, the benefits of LASIK will diminish with age, you’ll need glasses or contacts in the later years.
Many patients experience significant improvement with their vision after LASEK. But remember to have realistic expectations; your age, eye condition and health are serious considerations. You may still need to wear eyeglasses or contacts after the operation.
Educate yourself. If you do, you’ll competently manage the pros and cons of LASIK surgery. You’ll enjoy keener eye sight afterwards.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Pros-and-Cons-of-LASIK-EYE-SURGERY?&id=27423

By Terry Lamb

The eye is a vulnerable and frail organ which provides the brain with data regarding what we see in the world. Many problems can affect the eye, from infections to disabled vision. The iris, cornea and retina make up the components that form images. The latest technological advancement has made Lasik Eye Surgery a simple alternative to deteriorating eye sight and problems involving eye care.

The retina changes images that come into the eye into electrical impulses that the brain understands. When vision gets impaired, it is usually as a result of a problems with the retina. When the length between the retina and cornea is shorter than normal, the individual suffers from a condition called long sightedness. That basically means that the individual will have a difficult time focusing on objects close up. If the distnace between the retina and cornea is longer than normal or curved excessively, the eye will have problems seeing object that are far off. That condition is called short sightedness.

Astigmatism is one vision disorder caused by the eyeball not being round. The eye cannot properly focus if the eye is not shaped correctly for proper focusing of the image. Contact lenses or glasses can correct this. See your ophthalmologist to have your eyes tested and to get the proper prescription to correct this issue.

Many people do not like to wear prescription glasses because they are a hassle for those with active lifestyles and they tend to become an eyesore in social situations. For people looking for an alternative to wearing glasses, lasik eye surgery is a fantastic option. Lasik eye surgery, also known as laser in-situ keratomileusis, lifts a section of the cornea allowing a laser to remove any exposed tissue before the cornea section is replaced.

Lasik eye surgery is a painless procedure with a short recovery time. An ideal candidate for the procedure is one who has a thick cornea. Individuals who are short sighted or suffer from mild long sightedness will experience the best results following the surgery.

Consistent eye exams are recommended to prevent complications after a patient has undergone lasik eye surgery. It is crucial that vigorous rubbing of the eyes be avoided after the lasik procedure is completed. This approach is most certainly an asset for people who wish to not wear glasses, but need to have their vision corrected.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Lasik-Eye-Surgery-For-Vision-Improvement&id=1262932

By Al Falaq Arsendatama

All those considering laser eye surgery would be wondering how laser eye surgery works and what its benefits are. Laser surgery is the most exciting procedure in ophthalmology - the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, and treatment of the eye, among others. Laser eye surgery is a refractive surgery, a procedure that corrects refractive errors, such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (distorted vision).

There are several different surgical techniques performed to correct refractive errors, and according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the laser eye surgery is the most technologically advanced procedure today, for the simple reason that it allows the highest degree of precision.

The first laser approved for eye surgery was the excimer laser, used for correcting mild to moderate myopia. Today, the excimer laser has been approved to be used in two laser eye surgery procedures - Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) and Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK).

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

Before the laser eye surgery, the patient’s eye is mapped and measured. After determining the degree of problem, the corneal change is measured and fed into the laser’s computer. The PRK refractive surgery procedure is done with local anesthetic eye drops. It reshapes the cornea by removing microscopic amounts of tissue from the outer surface. The ultra violet beam of light can precisely cut notches in a strand of human hair and each pulse can remove about a 39 millionth of an inch of cornel tissue in 12 billionths of a second.

Studies show that about 5 percent of those who underwent PRK procedure had to use glasses for their myopic condition and about 15 percent occasionally, while driving.

Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

This procedure is more complex than the PRK procedure. LASIK is performed on all types of myopic conditions. In it, a device known as a Microkeratome is used to cut a flap of corneal tissue, remove the targeted tissue beneath it with the laser, and then replace the flap. In this procedure, the skill of the surgeon matters as he/she is the one making an incision, as compared to PRK where the machine does most of the work.

During laser eye surgery, there is a very little discomfort, and the minor irritation, if any, goes away after a short time. Generally, people can return to their normal routines between one to three days. The only side effects may be glare at night. Normally the laser eye surgeries are permanent, but with age, the eyes change and one may require re-surgery.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Laser-Eye-Surgery-Works&id=446621