Medical Ophthalmology » Refractive Eye Surgery

How Laser Eye Surgery Works – Lasik and Photorefractive Eye Surgery

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:48:34 +0000

People with eye-related problems are becoming more and more interested in laser eye surgery and its benefits because this is known to be the most exciting ophthalmologic procedure.

To be more precise, this is a refractive eye surgery that can correct all types of refractive errors such as: astigmatism (distorted vision), myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness).

Even if the medicine offers various types of surgical techniques for correcting refractive errors, the laser eye surgery was labelled by the American Academy of Ophthalmology the most technically advanced and precise one.

The excimer laser was the first laser ever approved for eye surgery and it’s used to correct myopia. Now, this laser is used in two different procedures: Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK).

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

The surgeon maps and measures the patient’s eye before the procedure in order to analyse the problem. Then, he uses a few local anesthetic eye drops and reshapes the cornea eliminating tiny amounts of tissue from the outer surface.

Next, the doctor uses an ultra violet beam of light and cuts notches the size of human hair. Each pulse of light can remove a 39 millionth of an inch of cornel tissue in only 12 billionths of a second.

According to same studies, only 5% of the patients still use permanent glasses after the surgery while 15% need visual aids only when driving.

Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

The LASIK procedure is more complicated than PRK but it’s a solution for solving all types of myopia.

The surgeon uses the Microkeratome to cut a corneal tissue flap in order to replace it. Everything depends on the doctor because with LASIK he has to make a very precise incision.

The patient only feels a little discomfort and sometimes an irritation but those won’t last too long. In most cases, the patients returned to their normal life in only two or three days.

With LASIK there can be only one side effect and that is occasional glare at night.

Anyway, everyone should know that even if the results are said to be permanent, the age can influence the final results and in some cases the doctor may even suggested re-surgery.

By: Ricky Lim

Refractive Eye Surgery & Lasik Surgery

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:13:13 +0000

Refractive Eye Surgery & LASIK Surgery – Definition & Overview

Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to reshape curvature of the cornea. Successful refractive eye surgery can reduce or cure common vision disorders such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

LASIK is an abbreviation for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and laser eye surgery is designed to change the shape of the cornea to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses and contact lenses in cases of severe myopia or nearsightedness.

LASIK procedures are conducted in an ophthalmology office or clinic. Initially, numbing eye drops are used and then eyelids are held open to prevent any interference with the laser. The LASIK surgeon then creates an ultrathin flap on the front of the eye with a precise automated instrument. This flap is then lifted and the preprogrammed laser then reshapes the inner cornea to refocus the eye. The flap is repositioned and holds itself in place, healing naturally without the need for any stitches. The laser pulses last on the average between 30 and 60 seconds. LASIK procedures take about 20 minutes to be performed in both eyes. This procedure doesn’t involve much pain and recovery is considerably fast.

Some people do experience mild discomfort and watering of the eyes post LASIK surgery. The extent of discomfort is different in different patients and commonly associated with the sensation of using contact lenses for extended periods. The risks associated with LASIK include a small risk of an infection in the eye, and some patients have reported problems with night driving and ‘halo’ effects. There is no requirement to wear eye patches following LASIK surgery.

LASIK is now used to treat hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.

According to surveys of members of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, approximately 948,266 refractive surgery procedures were performed in the United States during 2004 and 928,737 in 2005.

Selecting an appropriate refractive eye surgery or LASIK surgery treatment plan

There are various refractive surgery treatment plans that one could choose from depending upon your requirement. SmartHealthbuyer.com is an extensive business directory aimed at providing customers in-depth information regarding various refractive surgery treatment plans being conducted by optical surgeons in over 300 cities across the United States.

SmartHealthbuyer.com has details regarding refractive surgery treatments like custom wavefront LASIK, standard LASIK with blade or bladeless LASIK with intralase laser.

In the first option, custom-wavefront LASIK with blade, a blade is used for the purposes of creating a flap on the cornea prior to the laser treatment. The second option does not involve using a blade but uses something called intralase-laser to create the flap. The second option will involve an additional cost. Hence depending upon the various treatment options and the costs involved you can choose the treatment plan that works best for you. http://www.SmartHealthbuyer.com will provide you access to all the LASIK and refractive surgery treatment plans available in over 300 cities located across the United States. You can go through all information available and understand the various options that exist. By providing details of your city, state, and zip code, you an narrow your search down considerably and look at the details of refractive surgery treatment plans available in your area.

Arriving at the best price available for the chosen refractive or LASIK surgery

After identifying a specific refractive or LASIK surgery treatment plan, you would most certainly be interested in finding out about the costs involved. The price of LASIK surgery varies depending upon the location and technique involved. The general perception sometimes could be very misleading especially with regard to prices. We often assume or even conclude expensive products are of superior quality, but this is not necessarily true; please remember price is not an indicator, measure, or hallmark of quality treatment and expertise. Rather than focus on price, focus on the ability of the practitioner, the right refractive surgery for your eyes, reviews and the training and experience your practitioner brings to the table. In general beware of the headline pricing of “Lasik from $499 per eye”. This will typically be an older non-customized blade procedure, and may not include all the extra follow-up and care that you may need. Hence it pays, literally and otherwise to do a little research and find out more about various specialists and their expertise and experience before judging them by the price they charge. Costs could vary depending upon the follow up options you choose. The total price involved for a treatment plan that includes lifetime follow up could be different fro the one which involves a six-month follow-up treatment plan. Hence considering all available options is very important before arriving at the best available price. Please also factor in the cost of contact lenses or glasses that you won’t need to buy in the future, before taking your decision.

http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/ can provide you with details regarding price lists and rates charged for all the available refractive surgery treatment plans offered by various surgeons listed in SmartHealthbuyer.com database. SmartHealthbuyer.com will not only provide you access to information and rates but also help you determine the average cost per treatment. SmartHealthbuyer.com price comparison engine has the facility to compare available costs and calculate average costs for specific refractive surgery treatment plans. By providing details of your city, state, and zip code you can determine the average cost for treatment in your specific area. By comparing costs and determining the average cost for refractive surgery plans available you will be at and advantage while finalizing your decision.

Locating the best refractive or LASIK surgeon

Entrusting your eyes to a surgeon for LASIK surgery is not an easy decision and you can’t settle for anything but the best. It is therefore advisable that you first find out as many details as you can about various practicing surgeons. SmartHealthbuyer.com has all the details that include but are not limited to educational background, qualifications, certifications, licenses, and customer feedback for refractive surgeons located over 300 cities in the United States. You can further narrow your search by providing details of your city, state, and zip code at SmartHealthbuyer.com.   By doing this you will be accessing information and details for various surgeons in your chosen area. You can then go through each and every detail including reviews, recommendations, references, feedback regarding the experience and expertise for particular refractive surgeons in your area.

SmartHealthbuyer.com database will help you go through credentials and other information for specific surgeons in your area and if you are interested in further information, you can also do your own research on the internet and confirm available details.

What to look for in a LASIK surgeon?

While it is important to check the credentials, experience, educational background and certification/license information, you must know how to verify this information. An ophthalmologist who specializes in performing refractive surgeries such as LASIK is referred to as a refractive surgeon.

Surgical procedures require immense skill, expertise and experience and this hold good for LASIK surgeons as well. Some key factors that one needs to bear in mind while selecting a LASIK surgeon are as stated below:

a)     Does refractive surgery or laser vision correction form the main part of his or her practice.

b)     Find out if he or she will counsel you prior to and post surgery explaining all the risks and benefits involving LASIK.

c)     Confirm his or her availability before and after LASIK surgery for the purposes of follow up.

d)     Find out how many LASIK surgeries he has performed throughout his or her career.

e)     Find out if he is a member of the American Association of Ophthalmology and is part of any affiliated center and is aware of the latest technological advances in laser.

f)      Also, there is no harm in taking a second opinion.

http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/ will provide you information regarding the educational qualifications and background, patient feedback, reviews, recommendations, references, and experience. All this information is extremely important in verifying the credentials, licenses, certifications of various refractive surgeons available. By providing details of your city, state, and zip code, you can start locating refractive surgeons located in your area and based on reviews and other details available, you can finalize your decision.

http://www.SmartHealthbuyer.com is an easier, faster, and efficient tool that will assist you in assessing treatment plans, costs involved, and in locating the best physicians in your area!

Links: http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/

By: Derridian

What is Refractive Eye Surgery?

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:31:10 +0000

Any surgery that is used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease the need for glasses and contact lenses is referred to as refractive eye surgery. Refractive eye surgery is most often used to treat the common vision disorders myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. There are many determining factors in choosing which refractive procedure is best for your vision needs:

• Age
• Type of refractive error
• Degree of refractive error
• Concern for reversibility

Types of Refractive Eye Surgery

The most popular types of refractive eye surgery are:

• Radial Keratotomy (RK)
• Photoreactive Keratectomy (PRK)
• LASIK (Laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis
• LASEK
• Epi-LASIK
• Bladeless LASIK
• Wavefront LASIK
• Wavefront PRK

Unfortunately, not everyone is a good candidate for refractive eye surgery. What is Ophthalmology?

Ophthalmologists are specially trained to provide the full spectrum of eye care from prescribing eyeglasses and contact lenses to complex eye surgery. Many eye doctors are also involved in research of the eye and its conditions and diseases. • Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery: This specialty includes orbital surgery, eyelid and upper facial reconstructive procedures following trauma, tumors and cosmetic lid surgery. • Vitreoretinal Diseases: This involves both the medical and surgical treatment of retinal and vitreoretinal disease (retina and vitreous diseases).

Good Eye Surgeon for Lasik

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:12:10 +0000

Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, LASIK is the most popular eye surgery today. Is your surgeon competent to do Lasik

What you should know about your Surgeon is:

Education: Look for a surgeon who has specialized in refractive eye surgery. Experience: Find out about the surgeon’s experience. Price: Most eye surgery clinics will be competitive on price. Dr. Robert Selkin has taught advanced Lasik techniques to refractive surgeons across the United States.

Boulder Laser Eye Surgery- Everything you Need to Know

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:46:41 +0000

The inconvenience of having to use eyeglasses, as well as contact lenses is only one of the negative ramifications of having visual problems. If you are one of those who are dead tired of patting the floor in search of your lost contacts or blindly looking for your constantly misplaced glasses, then you should perhaps do something about it like undergoing laser eye surgery. In so far as medical procedures are concerned, laser eye treatment is one of the safest and most effective ways of correcting visual impairment and there is a very good chance for those who will undergo it that they will gain much better eyesight afterward.

The United States is home to some of the best ophthalmologists and ophthalmological surgeons and Boulder County in Colorado is one of the most sought after places where laser surgeries take place. There are eye centres specifically dedicated to performing Lasik surgery on patients who are looking to rid themselves of their visual afflictions. Boulder Laser eye surgery has become very popular to the good people of Colorado as well as to the neighbouring States because of its positive and permanent effects, as well as the level of safety involved.

Those who have undergone Boulder laser eye surgery can attest to the renewed ease in their lives and the activities that they now can partake in. Freedom and unrestricted movement is what every patient who wants to undergo laser eye treatment wishes for and there is a great chance of this happening just as long as the proper post operative care is observed and no complications arise from the procedure.

One of the most crucial things that you, as well as every post operative patient should understand and pay close attention to is the required care for newly operates eyes. The operation itself does not take very long and is not as precarious as other types of refractive eye surgery but what happens afterward is very important in determining whether or not the procedure will actually take. There are post operative procedures that you must observe to the letter in order for the full effects of the surgery to take completely.

After a Boulder laser eye surgery, you will need to be extra careful with the use of your eyes. In fact, it is highly recommended that post laser eye surgery patient has to be on bed rest just for a little while in order to prevent any untoward complication. You should also stay indoors and away from any harmful elements such as pollutants (dust, smoke, etc) to prevent the onset of infection and unnecessary pain. You will also need to regularly put on eye drops as prescribed by your attending physician and/or the surgeon/s.

Laser eye surgery is yet another feather in the cap of modern medicine and it certainly is one of the procedures worth undergoing. If you happen to be reluctant at going through with it, you can always solicit the appropriate medical advice that will reassure you of its merits.

By: Rob Johnnson