Swimming After LASIK
In Southern California, swimming at the beach or in the pool is a favorite activity that can be enjoyed at any time of year. That is why a common question asked among Los Angeles LASIK patients is when it’s safe for them to take a dip once again following their procedure. Even though LASIK is widely known for its quick recovery time, swimming is one of the activities you will need to avoid for a while following your surgery. As one of Los Angeles’ top laser eye surgeons, we want to ensure you understand the risks of doing so before you are ready.
Swimming After LASIK
Even though the summer is long gone, we have the privilege of living in a warmer climate where you can have fun in the sun, even on Christmas Day! With that being said, you will still be required to carefully plan your journey if you consider treading water following LASIK. We recommend waiting at least 1 week after undergoing Los Angeles laser eye surgery before diving back into a pool or any body of water. However, if you are big on hot tubs, you can start enjoying it again a little sooner – an estimated three to five days after LASIK. If you are planning to go on vacation for the holidays, consider scheduling your surgery after you return. By doing this, you’ll avoid rushing into any activities that might hinder your recovery.
When the time comes, be sure to put your goggles on!
Any water, whether it contains salt from ocean water, chlorine, bacteria, or both, can irritate or even infect your eyes. Therefore, for 4 weeks following your LASIK treatment, you will need to wear swimming goggles to protect them. While natural bodies of water may not contain chlorine like pools do, it is still advisable to keep the protective wear on if you plan on swimming in the sea or in a river.
What about taking a shower?
You should to take a shower or a bath 24 hours after your LASIK surgery. Even if you want to take a quick soak in the tub without getting your hair wet, we advise against this before the first day has concluded. Avoid washing your face, as well.
Post-LASIK Procedure Appointment
Most crucial, schedule a consultation with Dr. Moosa before swimming. Before returning to the beach or the pool, you should get advice from your doctor, who can only precisely heal how your eyes are recovering from your Los Angeles LASIK treatment. Although LASIK has an incredibly high success rate, we must ensure that your everyday activities won’t be hindered by any potential obstacles that may come your way!
Swimming is just one of the many activities that have significantly improved since having LASIK! That is unquestionably a great incentive to schedule a complimentary consultation appointment with our Los Angeles LASIK eye surgeon! Call Excel Eye right away to make your FREE appointment for a free consultation! Your queries concerning the operation, including those about your eligibility or the best way to cover the cost of laser eye surgery, can be answered by your trusted LASIK center near Sherman Ooks – Excel Laser Vision Institute!
Why Getting LASIK Surgery is More Affordable Than Wearing Contact Lenses
If you’re someone that dreams of not wearing contact lenses anymore, then you’re not alone. Many people find contacts to be extremely uncomfortable and inconvenient while the common alternative, prescription glasses, is unappealing. Since clarity of vision is so important, people tend to settle with their chosen corrective lenses and limit themselves in their daily lives. However, what if you knew that there was a third alternative that is actually more cost efficient? Doctor Moosa, one of the best LASIK eye surgeons in Los Angeles say that laser eye surgery is more affordable than ever. With numerous financing options available, people can realistically get the procedure without stressing about the cost and even save money over time.
LASIK Eye Surgery Cost
The cost of laser eye surgery depends on the clinic and the surgeon. Typically, you will be spending between $2,000 and $4,000 per eye. The price includes the preoperative exam, in which your LASIK surgeon will assess your eye health and visual acuity. During this time, they will determine if you are eligible for the procedure or if an alternative procedure might suit you better. The cost also covers any postoperative care that may be needed, including check-ups and prescription drops.
The reason that the laser eye surgery cost is on the higher end is because it requires advanced technology and the expertise of a skilled surgeon to complete successfully. You pay for the quality of care that you will receive, which includes an in-depth consultation with your LASIK eye surgeon and the ultimate attention from start to finish. Your surgeon will walk you through the procedure so that you know what to expect and how to best prepare for the day. Once the day of your surgery arrives, you will receive the best care to ensure a safe, efficient, and precise procedure.
Contact Lens Cost
Contact lenses do not require surgery to wear. However, they do require yearly checkups and adjustments in order to accommodate any changes in prescription. In order to maintain your contact lens wear correctly, you must pay for cleaning solutions, cases, and replacement contacts. These expenses can add up over the years, especially with increased dependency. Contact lens maintenance can reach up to $200 a year, which certainly cuts into your budget over a lifetime of wear.
LASIK vs Contacts
Many people think of LASIK as an investment. While the initial cost may be higher than a single pair of contacts, the overall lifetime value of corrective eye surgery is priceless. Imagine, having crystal clear vision, independent of any corrective lenses. The convenience and joy that you receive as a result of laser eye surgery is immeasurable. Plus, when you tally up the yearly expenses that come with contacts or glasses, you will start to see that LASIK is the more cost-effective option. If you’re looking for a permanent and effective solution to your vision problems, then LASIK could be the answer.
Visit a LASIK clinic in Los Angeles like Excel Laser Vision Institute to learn how you can achieve your vision goals. You will receive a comprehensive eye exam and consultation with an experienced eye care professional in order to determine if you qualify for the LASIK procedure.
LASIK Clinics Provide Clear, Independent Eyesight During Difficult Times
LASIK experts in Los Angeles like Excel Laser Vision Institute have watched the transformation of households and communities during a worldwide pandemic and have noted one common denominator—more than ever, people want to make the best of the situation. The new normal consists of wearing masks in public spaces, which has proven a huge inconvenience for people that are reliant on their prescription glasses. Contact lens wearers have also faced struggles in terms of refraining from touching their eyes and making sure that their lenses stay clean. Everything has changed, causing many people to reevaluate their dependence on corrective lenses. In a time of uncertainty, many people want to control as many factors of their life as they can. This is why the best LASIK surgeons such as Doctor Moosa have been even more sought-after than before.
Wearing masks in public has become a necessity, which is both a blessing and a curse for many people. On one hand, this medical tool is significantly decreasing the number of infections being spread. On the other hand, it is incredibly inconvenient for people who also rely on glasses to see. Many masks are made without consideration of someone that wears glasses. This means that the mask requires constant adjustment, which is dangerous in the sense that the person must frequently touch their face, around their eyes, to shift their glasses around the mask. Then, even with constant adjustment, these masks will cause a person’s glasses to fog up, significantly, impairing their vision.
Since the start of the pandemic, some masks have been tweaked to bend at the nose in order to decrease the amount of fogging; however, it is not one-hundred-percent effective. When someone breathes in a mask, the water vapor becomes concentrated and then seeps out of the edges of the mask, landing on the surface of the glasses. Other solutions to this problem include washing glasses with soap and water in order to prevent the water vapor from attaching to the lenses. Again, this is not entirely effective for every person. Foggy glasses can provide a huge inconvenience for someone who is just trying to buy their groceries or walk down the street. It can lower their self-confidence and cause anxiety in an already nerve-inducing situation.
Contact wearers are not facing these daily struggles. However, they are experiencing a different kind of inconvenience and risk. LASIK surgeons have greatly warned against the use of contacts during this pandemic because they require constant contact with the eye. The danger of touching an unclean surface and then touching your eye is much greater with someone who wears contacts than with someone who wears glasses. So, while you don’t have to face fogged up glasses with contacts, you do have to consider the cleanliness of your hands and your interaction with your eyes at all times. In a time when people are increasingly at home and buying large quantities of things to stock up, contacts and contact lens solutions are less available which can provide another issue for people reliant on this corrective eyewear.
Fortunately, there is a solution to all of these problems that many people are starting to discover. Laser eye surgery is a safe, effective procedure that has been available for decades. Since the advancement of laser technology and more in-depth studies of the eye, LASIK clinics in Los Angeles are now able to provide better results and patient satisfaction rates than ever before. LASIK is a long-term solution to vision problems that can offer patients independence from their corrective lenses. During difficult times like these, having clarity of sight that you can rely on is an invaluable gift. Improve your quality of life by looking into LASIK eye surgery at Excel Laser Vision Institute today.
Why Does The US Military Trust LASIK?
For a lot of people, having LASIK means seeing well without requiring or depending on glasses and contacts. We see a lot of personnel from the U.S. military enquire and receive eye laser treatments especially LASIK in Los Angeles. The U.S. trusts LASIK eye center in Los Angeles like Excel Laser Vision Institute for many laser vision correction procedures.
The military receives laser treatments because service members require exceptional vision for operational success and safety. Although a civilian can appreciate, enjoy, and probably needs perfect vision, for military personnel in combat situations or when landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier, excellent vision can mean life or death.
Some service members have to tolerant harsh environments that have dust, sand, dust, smoke, and flying debris. These conditions make corrective lenses, whether they are glasses or contact lenses, counterproductive and even unsafe.
Because of this, the U.S. Department of Defense carried out its own research into the growth of laser vision correction procedures, such as LASIK, to assist their personnel in attaining the outstanding vision required to perform their duties no matter where they have to serve.
Studies On LASIK Surgery For The Military
Eye surgeons performing LASIK in Los Angeles have read some studies that analyzed the military’s readiness of 360 active duty service members before and after eye laser correction surgery.
The study assessed factors, such as, “weapons sighting ability” and “ability to function at night.” In all instances, performance indicators enhanced after surgery. The following is what data revealed after laser vision correction surgery:
- Fifty percent of the study’s participants got better performance scores on “overall individual readiness”
- Eighty-six percent improved their scores concerning the “ability to utilize night vision goggles”
- Forty-one percent claim that they had a better ability to contribute to the unit’s mission
- Over ninety-eight percent of the study’s participants said they would have the surgery again.
- Further study revealed that pilots landing on aircraft carriers at night saw better with less glare than they did with glasses.
Nowadays, the U.S. military is one group that highly requests laser vision correction procedures like LASIK in Los Angeles. Furthermore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration partnered with the Department of Defense in the first division of the Patient-Reported Outcomes with LASIK, or PROWL study to scientifically certify a questionnaire that provides patients an accurate and complete method to report their experience with LASIK to researchers. Most importantly, the military division of the PROWL study reported a very successful satisfaction rate with LASIK, around ninety-eight percent.
Similar to military personnel, a majority of emergency responders such as police officers and firefighter are requesting laser vision correction, for instance, LASIK eye surgery. They are asking for laser eye surgery because they want to perform their jobs more safely and effectively. Even though normal civilians may not have the same requirements to protect and serve their communities, if you are considering laser vision correction, check out the commonly asked question about LASIK eye surgery down below.
What Is LASIK?
LASIK is an abbreviation for Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK). It is an innovative technology that reshapes the cornea to reduce and even eliminate the visual irregularities that result in nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and/or astigmatism.
The LASIK procedure helps light to enter the patient’s eye so they can properly focus onto the retina for clearer vision. Many patients have reported that they see better after a LASIK procedure than with their glasses or contacts.
Typically, LASIK surgery is pain-free and only takes about 15 minutes for both eyes. As a result, the eyesight is improved without the dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses. As soon as the procedure is complete, the vision is noticeably improved and will stabilize over the next few days. If your eye surgeon feels that you are not a good LASIK candidate, there are other vision correction surgeries, such as PRK and LASEK eye surgery.
Is LASIK Surgery Safe?
If you want to do LASIK surgery, but are afraid to, you shouldn’t be. LASIK is a very safe and effective vision correction option. As a matter of fact, contact lens wearers will probably freak out when they find out that LASIK is safer than contact lenses. Some clinical data has revealed that the risk of vision loss because of infection is a lot higher with contact lenses than LASIK.
Over 19 million LASIK procedures have been carried out in the United States alone with immense patient satisfaction in visual results. The successful rate of patient satisfaction, which is over ninety-six percent based on recent clinical data, is because of the extremely low risk of complications from the surgery. According to research into the clinical experience with LASIK, the ratio of complications from LASIK eye surgery is about less than one percent, which makes LASIK the safest elective surgical procedures available.
Here are a few more facts from studies that patients find comfort in when considering LASIK surgery.
From 1993 to 2005, over 9,000 patients have participated in FDA clinical trials testing LASIK safety and outcomes.
Ever since then, a massive quantity of clinical research into LASIK has been implemented. Currently, more than 7,000 peer-reviewed published studies have confirmed that LASIK is not only effective but also safe. Also, they have delved into the important aspects of LASIK.
This broad scientific evidence includes studies that help improve what makes a patient a suitable or unsuitable candidate for a LASIK procedure and techniques and technologies that can lessen the possibility for side effects such as dry eye, glare, and halos.
What Type Of Surgeon Is Good For Me?
Obviously, a surgeon who is highly qualified such as Dr. Moosa at Excel laser Vision, who has over 25 years of experience in performing eye laser treatments such as all-laser LASIK, SMILE, PRK, Contoura-Topo guided LASIK and wavefront-optimized all-laser LASIK.
LASIK is the most popular laser vision correction surgery for the military, and even civilians can benefit from the safe and effective results LASIK surgery can provide. If you want further information about LASIK eye surgery, give Excel Laser Vision Institute a call at + (818) 907-8606 today.