Lasik Eye Surgery Reviews

The eyes are amazing organs of the body. In an instant, they can take in the world around us, as long as they function properly. But, if something goes wrong, what we see can appear distorted, blurry, or disappear altogether. Modern medicine has made it possible to correct many of the most common vision problems, or a least make them a little better.

In the past, glasses were the only treatment available to bring life back into focus for people who were nearsighted, farsighted, or had astigmatism. Generally, people with cataracts could only hope that their sight would not deteriorate any further. But, optical procedures like laser surgery has helped thousands of people see more clearly. However, before deciding if it is right for you, it might be a good idea to read Lasik eye surgery reviews.

What is Lasik Surgery?

Before reading the reviews, it is important to understand what the procedure is, and what it did/should have done for those who have already had the surgery.

The cornea is the part of the eye that is shaped to let light, pictures of what we see, into the eye. That picture reaches the retina, and you see what is within the line of vision. The eye works much like a camera. The lens and cornea see the world. Instantaneously, it works like snapping a picture. Once the light enters the eye, the retina records the information. It is like the film in a camera. Once recorded, the developed scene goes immediately to the brain and you see the final picture. Of course, this process happens so fast that it is impossible to comprehend, and people tend to take it for granted.

However, if something goes wrong with the cornea or the lens, the shape of the eye is distorted. Then, the light is refracted incorrectly. When the retina develops the picture taken by the eye, it is out of focus, much the same as photographs would be, if your camera was in need of repair.

Lasik surgery is used to do the repairs on the human eye. In very simple terms, a laser is used to peel back the cornea and reshape and repair it. Then, it is placed back over the eye. For some people, the procedure means they can donate their glasses to good will. For others, it means only having to use them when they read or a reduced prescription. But, like any other surgical procedure, there are also those that will not realize the outcome expected.

Therefore, it is good to go online and read what other people have to say. Learn about their experiences, good or bad. Talk to your ophthalmologist. Ask for references. Talk to friends and family who also had Lasik surgery. Read the Lasik eye surgery review. Then, make an informed decision regarding whether this medical procedure is right for you.

Reviews

A quick search of the Internet will yield review on just about anything you are interested in, including Lasik surgery. However, you should always consider the source. If you go to the site of an eye physician, the reviews are likely to be skewed in favor of Lasik surgery, especially if he/she performs the operations. On the other hand, the worst case scenarios will be the only thing you read about on a site dedicated to Lasik disasters. Also, unhappy patients tend to speak out more than those that are glad they had the Lasik surgery. Thus, it’s up to the reader to use his/her best judgment, knowing that the review is often biased.

Words of Warning

A very satisfied patient writes a very thorough review of her experience with Lasik eye surgery. She is very excited about the results after the procedure. But, she still had advice for others who are thinking about having surgery on their eyes:

1. Know your surgeon. Ask questions. Feel confident that he/she will take care of you and your eyes.
2. Listen for what to realistically expect, so you aren’t disappointed if you don’t have perfect vision after the procedure. Don’t expect miracles. Lasik is not a guarantee of perfect vision for the rest of your life, even if the results couldn’t be better today.
3. Follow the Pre-operation directions. Failure to do so could negatively impact the success of Lasik. For example, you will probably have to avoid wearing contacts for a period of time before the surgery.
4. Do not deviate from the post-operative instructions. You need to take care of your eyes while they heal. You don’t want to get an infection or develop some problem that would negatively impact your ability to see.

Another Lasik patient, who has had more trouble with her vision since the procedure, also had a good piece of advice: If your gut tells you this procedure is not right for you, listen. She had very dry eyes and thin corneas before the surgery. Now, both of those problems have gotten progressively worse, since.

So, if you are considering a surgically procedure to correct or improve your vision, you may want to read the Lasik Eye surgery reviews and make an informed decision.

Lasik Eye Surgery Pros and Cons

Advancements in medical science have improved the health and longevity of citizens across the globe. What once caused people permanent disability or serious illness can now be corrected with medication or operations. The eyes are no exception.

Today, individuals with greatly impaired vision have experienced the benefits of laser surgery; and, in some cases, put away their glasses. However, as with any invasive procedure, patients considering options for better vision should understand Lasik eye surgery pros and cons.

The Pros of Lasik Eye Surgery

For many patients, the benefits of Lasik eye surgery far outweigh the risks. After years of wearing coke-bottle glasses, fumbling for their eyewear every morning, being blind in the shower, and even needing both contacts and glasses or bifocals, the potential outcome looks too good to pass up.

The idea of being able to put their glasses away in a drawer seems too good to be true. Even if they will still have to wear corrective lenses to read or do close work like needlepoint, their vision would be so much better.

Although there is no guarantee, Lasik has also been used as a temporary treatment for macular degeneration. While there has been no cure for this progressive and incurable disease, some ophthalmologists are hoping it will at least slow down the progression of this blinding illness. When patients know that blindness is virtually around the corner, the idea of salvaging their sight for any extra length of time is definitely worth any risks associated with Lasik.

The Cons of Lasik Surgery

Anybody who has dealt with severe impairments to their vision, or even struggled with the hassle of wearing corrective lenses, the potential benefits are so alluring that they are blinded to the cons of Lasik surgery. They don’t even want to think about what might go wrong. Hopefully, their eye health care providers will make sure they know the realistic view of such an invasive procedure to correct refractory errors in their vision.

The biggest potential drawback of Lasik surgery is a negative outcome. Although it doesn’t happen very often, there have been cases where the patient’s vision has been greatly impaired after the surgery. Instead of seeing better, they end up no longer able to drive or work, because they cannot see well enough.

Unfortunately, after electing to have laser eye surgery, there is no going back. Any improvement or damage to the eye is irreversible. So, even though the percentages are low, it’s necessary for patients to know the worst case scenario, as well as the best.

Despite the fact that Lasik eye surgery has become more popular, it is still an expensive medical procedure. In addition, because it is generally an elective operation, medical insurance may not cover the expense. So, anyone considering Lasik should contact their carrier and know what out-of-pocket expenses they will incur.

For most patients, they will know whether Lasik has achieved the expected outcome within 24 hours. Many will get rid of their glasses and be totally sold on the virtues of Lasik. In their excitement over the ability to see better, they will tell all of their friends and family just how awesome Lasik is, and how they would do it again in a heartbeat, regardless of the expense.

But, there will be those few that would do anything, if they could just go back to the way their vision was before the operation. They are experiencing new vision challenges that make it impossible to drive, work, or function as normal in daily living. These potential impairments include:

• Blurry vision – Everything is now out of focus. Even with corrective lenses, the problem is still present and driving is no longer possible.
• Double vision- is like when you are really dizzy. You may know there is only one object in front of you; but, your eyes see two. They may appear fuzzy or almost in motion, as your eyes try, and fail, to focus properly.
• No contrast vision – is when everything looks almost the same shade and color – like when a camera receives to much light and the film is overexposed. Unfortunately, this condition also makes it impossible to drive, because lack of clarity is a safety hazard.
• Severe Astigmatism – is when vision is distorted. After laser surgery, this may become a severe problem that corrective lenses can no longer help.
• Halo vision – is when the light hits objects or people, and everything appears to have a halo around it.
• Starburst vision – happens at night. Instead of seeing headlights on cars, people see lights almost like big bursts of stars. The impairment can make it impossible to drive, especially at night.

While many of these visual symptoms will subside after a period of time for many laser patients, some will continue to experience problems indefinitely. So, while it is absolutely marvelous to put those glasses away for good, it’s also important to think about all Lasik eye surgery pros and cons, befo