For many people who suffer from either near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or even astigmatism, using eyeglasses or contact lenses is usually the first choice to correct someone’s vision that may have been ailing due to a variety of reasons, ranging from genetics to lifestyle. Refractive vision problems are quite common among people who wear contact lenses or glasses.
Most people who are unaware of the term refractive vision problems know them as astigmatism or near or farsightedness. But wearing glasses or contact lenses isn’t the solution for everyone. You may feel uncomfortable wearing glasses all the time. Or maybe you don’t look good in glasses. Moreover, you need to spend a significant amount of money every year on eye checkups and glasses if your prescription changes.
Fortunately, a particular surgical procedure has been gaining popularity more recently for the so-called “four-eyed” people. LASIK, Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis is a procedure approved by the Food and Drug Administration or FDA since 1997. While this procedure is usually used to treat myopic (near-sighted) or hyperopic (far-sightedness), more recent developments in the procedure’s technology mean that it could treat people who have astigmatism.
Here are some of the refractive problems that a LASIK surgery can correct:
- Myopia – This happens when you have a steeper cornea, and you can’t see the things in front of you.
- Hyperopia – It happens your cornea is too flat, thus preventing you from seeing things far away from your sight.
- Presbyopia – This happens due to age-related changes within your eyes’ natural lens, leading to refractive errors.
- Astigmatism – Astigmatism means your cornea becomes like a football instead of a soccer ball. It starts refracting light, and you can’t see things clearly.
As its name suggests, LASIK treats these three common eye problems using a laser to create a thin flap on the cornea and reshape it, which helps correct the vision. LASIK has been praised by many patients and even medical professionals for being a painless, effective eye treatment. However, LASIK benefits more than restoring your clear vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses. Here are some of the benefits of LASIK for people suffering from eye problems:
1. No stitches or bandages are involved
Most surgical procedures need stitches, bandages, and other similar equipment to fasten the wound in the body created during surgery. However, since LASIK uses lasers to create a thin flap in the cornea and then reshape the cornea itself, no bandages, stitches, or any kind of healing materials are needed after this procedure. Most patients are guided to a post-operative room or space where instructions will be given to them on how their eyes could recover properly after the procedure.
Furthermore, most patients are advised to sleep for four to six hours after the surgery since this is the time when most of the recovery happens. Patients will then have to come to the clinic again one day after the procedure for a postoperative examination that seeks to check the patient’s progress and condition. While this may seem like a lot of work to do, LASIK does not require patients to stay in the hospital bed for days or wear bandages, therefore ensuring that the entire procedure is less intimidating.
2. Recovery and results are quick
Choosing to use glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision would mean that you would have to use them for most days in your life, if not every day. With LASIK, however, patients could see results in just a few days, with some experiencing clearer vision only 24 hours after the surgery! This means that most patients could return to their regular schedule right after the surgery, especially if the clinic’s postoperative instructions were followed correctly.
3. Results are long-lasting
With eyeglasses or contact lenses, patients might need to change them regularly, especially if they notice that their glasses or lenses no longer show clear vision. This means additional costs and occasional visits to the ophthalmologist for eye checkups and eyeglass replacements. This is not the case with LASIK. After a stabilization period of around three months, the procedure’s results will be permanent, which means no more visits to the doctor after the process and the postoperative tests. There will be no follow-up operations after the procedure. This will save you a lot of time, and it means that you can enjoy having improved vision after the procedure.
4. Offers flexibility to older patients
Your vision may change as you age. That doesn’t mean you need to go for a new LASIK surgery again. Instead, you can ask your ophthalmologist to adjust your vision accordingly. It’s a minor procedure that hardly takes time to perform. Most importantly, you don’t experience any pain during this procedure. The doctor will make you sit in front of a LASIK machine and make necessary changes according to your new vision problems.
Flexibility is crucial for older patients. A new LASIK operation means spending significant money again. Instead, correcting the vision after a few years resolves the problem for many more years.
5. Low dependency on contact lenses or glasses
Many statistics prove that people who have already undergone LASIK surgery don’t usually need to depend on contact lenses or glasses anymore. This laser operation dramatically reduces the need to wear glasses. In fact, many people don’t require contact lenses for the rest of their lives. It also means that once you invest in a LASIK surgery, you don’t need to spend on any eye-corrective instruments later.
6. Safe technique
A LASIK surgery is the safest of all the eye-correction procedures. It doesn’t come with any complications, thus making it a safe process for people of all ages. Your doctor will use numbing drops around your eyes to ensure you don’t experience pain during the surgery. Since a LASIK surgery doesn’t take much time, you can expect to walk out of the operation theatre within a few minutes.
As mentioned above, you don’t need to wear bandages or stitches after the surgery. It is one of the safest procedures that can correct your eye problems quickly without taking too many risks. This is ideal for patients with a low grade of near and farsightedness.
According to suravision.com, LASIK eye surgery is an excellent procedure that could help people with common eye problems reduce their dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses. If you wish to get a consultation to see if LASIK is right for you or if you want to try this procedure for yourself, you can visit kraffeye.com to schedule a consultation with a qualified professional and learn the necessary preparation to ensure you’re all set.
Kim Marks