LASER EYE SURGERY

Laser Eye Surgery

By Teresa Ambord

Are you considering laser eye surgery?   Freedom from glasses and lenses is tempting, and many laser eye surgery patients are thrilled with the results. Before you decide to pursue laser eye surgery, find out if it is the right choice for you.

First, since most insurers consider this cosmetic surgery, your health insurance will not likely cover laser eye surgery, and the cost could amount to $1500 to $2000 for one eye.

You can shop around, but if it turns out you are a good laser eye surgery candidate and you decide to go for it, don’t let the best price be the key factor in your choice.

Beware slick advertising such as “20/20 vision or your money back.”  According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is the agency that regulates laser eye surgery, there are no guarantees in medicine.  Though most experience drastic improvements in vision, nothing is guaranteed.

Laser Eye Surgery Procedures

There are several laser eye surgery procedures, the most popular being LASIK and different types of LASIK eye surgery, such as regular LASIK, Epi-LASIK, LASEK, Custom LASIK and PRK.  Your laser eye surgeon will advise on which is the best procedure for your situation.

Laser Eye Surgery Considerations

Here are some points to consider from the FDA to help you determine whether or not laser eye surgery is for you:

• Generally you must be at least 21 years old, depending on the type of laser eye surgery. There is a type of surgery doctors can perform on 18 year olds if they otherwise qualify.
• You must fully understand the risks and the benefits.
• Your eyes must be healthy, without retinal problems, corneal scars, or eye disease.
• You may qualify for the surgery if you are mildly or moderately nearsighted, within the range of treatment (as determined by your doctor).

Assuming you pass these tests, here are some other key points you may want to consider.

Laser Eye Surgery Pain

There may be minor discomfort, since your eyes are anesthetized with drops during the surgery.  Some patients also report a feeling of scratchiness.   Once the anesthetic has worn off, the level of discomfort varies by patient, but in general it is minor and lasts only a few hours.  Your eyes may also be sensitive to light for a few days.

Laser Eye Surgery Recuperation Time

The FDA recommends waiting one to three days before returning to work though most of your normal activities can be resumed within a day.  A good rule is to just wait until you feel up to returning to work or your other activities.

Laser Eye Surgery Risks and Side Effects

• Glare/halos: The most common side effect is nighttime glare from lights. Some patients are bothered by halos in dim light, a condition that could interfere with night driving for some.
• Under or over-correction:  There is a possibility, though small, that your vision will not be properly corrected.  If that happens, you may need to have a second surgery, or continue to wear corrective lenses.  There is also a slight chance that your vision could be worse after the surgery.
• Haze:   Most patients experience some corneal haze during the healing process. But some have excessive haze that interferes with their vision.  The haze is generally only visible to the examining doctor. Again, a second surgery may be necessary if this happens.
• Infection:   A very small number of patients (.1 percent) experience corneal infection after the surgery.  This could mean discomfort and slower healing time.

It should be noted that the risk of serious, vision-threatening complications is tiny.  James Salz, M.D. and clinical professor of ophthalmology states on the FDA Web site that there have been no reported cases of blindness following laser surgery, though the FDA does say there have been a few incidences of severe eye injury that required corneal transplants.

Laser Eye Surgery Extras

• The laser eye surgery treatment takes only seconds, depending on how much correction is needed. The entire process may be over in 30 minutes. Recovery time is minimal. And generally, your sight is improved in 3 to 5 days.
• The treatment appears to be permanent, though normal aging does cause the eyes to change and may require having another surgery down the road.
• Other than rubbing your eyes and any specific instructions from your doctor, there are generally no activity restrictions after the surgery.

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