A Guide To Laser Eye Surgery

Laser eye surgery is performed by an optometrist to correct the vision of certain near and far sighted patients. Only about 10% of patients who are near or far sighted are ineligible for this surgery. Laser eye surgery is popular in today's society because it is fairly pain free and it has a fast recovery time.

Most patients will only need 2 days to recover from this surgery. Many patients elect to do the surgery on a Friday so that they can go back to work after a short weekend of recovery. The fast recovery time makes it nice for those who have busy schedules.

To determine if a patient will benefit from laser eye surgery the eye doctor may need to do a series of eye exams. During the exams the doctor will be able to establish the health of the eyes. He or she will also be able to tell the amount of laser ablation that will be needed as well as how much correction is required for each eye. In addition to a general eye exam the doctor is likely to use a wavefront mapping device to make a map of each cornea. The map will be used by the eye surgeon. With this map he will be able to determine which parts of the cornea need corrected.

One of the most frequently asked questions by laser eye surgery patients is, is it safe? The FDA has said that the surgery is effective and safe. A cool beam of light is used when the surgery is performed. The beam is computer operated. A qualified surgeon will stand by during the procedure. The LASIK surgeon has the ability to stop the surgery at any time he feels that it has become unsafe.

The risks associated with laser eye surgery are small. Less than 5% of all LASIK patients experience a glare after the surgery. The numbers are about the same for those who experience dry eyes. These are minor side effects of laser eye surgery. More serious side effects, like vision loss, affect a very small percentage of all patients who have had laser eye surgery. There are no reported cases of the surgery causing blindness in patients.

Laser eye surgery can be very expensive. The median price is about $5000 depending on the location of the surgery. There are some doctors that offer a heavily discounted laser eye surgery. These places are generally not reputable companies. Most people who have had "discount' LASIK have been extremely unhappy with their experience. When it comes to something as important as vision it's worth paying a little more for a higher quality of service will not hurt. People should shop around and set up consultations with several different optometrists before making their final decision.

Teenagers will have to wait until they are adults to have laser eye surgery done. No optometrist will perform this type of surgery on someone who has not finished growing.

Since insurance companies don't usually pay anything for laser eye surgery, many doctors offer financing options. These options should be discussed with the patient's doctor at the initial consultation.