Is LASIK Eye Surgery For Me?

If you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, you may have considered having LASIK eye surgery performed on your eyes.

But before having any time of surgery, whether it’s for your eyes, or another part of your body, it’s important to remember that surgery is an invasive procedure that brings with it risks, as well as rewards.

In this post, we’ll review what LASIK is, as well as the pros and cons to help you understand the procedure a little bit more. It’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor about the risks and dangers of any procedure before making up your mind. Sometimes these procedures aren’t for everyone so it’s a great idea to get a second opinion if you have to.

Let’s begin.

So What Is LASIK Anyway?

LASIK is an eye surgery that helps to fix a few of the most common eye disorders around: astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness. These problems are a result of a misshapen cornea and can be fixed with a special laser that helps the surgeon reshape the cornea. Within a few months, the patient will slowly start to have improved eyesight.

You should also be aware that you should only ever consider receiving LASIK surgery from either a medical doctor who has been specifically trained to use a laser during eye surgery or an ophthalmologist. Anyone else should not be trusted as this is still considered an invasive surgery and you want to make sure you’re trusting your vision to the experts.

Why Should I Get LASIK?

First and foremost it’s important to note that not everyone is a viable candidate for the LASIK surgery. It’s important to speak with your doctor to see if you are eligible for the surgery before even going further.

Though it’s not guaranteed that you will come out of surgery with 20/20 vision, LASIK is said to dramatically improve your vision so that you aren’t as dependent on your glasses or contact lenses. This means you won’t have to worry about packing a second pair of glasses when going away, you won’t need to worry about removing your contact lenses before bed, breaking your glasses, and so forth.

Many people opt to have LASIK surgery because it means they won’t need glasses or contact lenses to fix their vision problems anymore. For some, having to wear glasses or contact lenses is seen as a hinderance on their everyday lives and they would much prefer to do away with them.

What Can I Expect During Surgery?

The procedure is virtually painless. That is the first thing you should know. So that’s a good thing! What we describe next isn’t for the faint of heart, and you should remember that the surgery only actually takes a few minutes to perform.

*Read With Caution*

Excerpt taken from Lasik.com [http://www.lasik.com/articles/what-is-lasik/]

To reshape the cornea, a LASIK surgeon creates a protective flap of tissue in the outer layer of cornea and uses a laser to remove microscopic cells in the layer beneath. After just a few minutes, the surgeon is done and puts the flap back in place, which acts like a bandage as the patient’s eyes heal.

So What Are The Risks?

As with any invasive procedure, there are definitely risks associated with having LASIK. Some of the risks include dry eye, floaters, halos, double vision, infection, over- or under-correction, vision complications, or even regression (going back to your pre-surgery vision).

Please speak with your doctor to learn more about the procedure and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more you know, the more confident you will be in your decision to either have the surgery or not have it.