What to Know Before Getting in the Water After LASIK
It’s almost summertime, which means that many people are already making beach-day and pool-day plans. There’s nothing like a dip in the water to cool you down. If you’ve recently had LASIK eye surgery, then you may be wondering how this will affect your summer plans. LASIK experts in Los Angeles particularly Doctor Moosa are here to answer all your post-surgery questions and let you know the best way to protect your eyes while you’re enjoying the sunshine.
One of the reasons that people get corrective eye surgery is because it allows them to do certain physical activities more freely. Swimming, for example, can be a pain with glasses or contacts. Either you have to swim blindly, with your glasses on the side of the pool, or you run the risk of losing your contacts in the water and developing an eye infection from bacteria and chemicals. Once patients receive laser eye surgery, they are liberated from this summertime struggle.
The best way to approach your life, post-LASIK, is to follow the instructions given by your LASIK surgeon. They know the status of your eyes better than anyone and will evaluate their healing process in order to give informed opinions about how careful you should be. Predictably, you might need to wait a little before you can enjoy certain activities in order to avoid irritating your eyes while they are in the stages of healing. Here are some general guidelines that you may hear from your doctor after getting laser vision correction in Los Angeles:
- After One Week: The corneal incision is likely still recovering. LASIK patients should stay away from pools to avoid developing an infection.
- After 2-3 Weeks: By now, the corneal incision has likely closed up. However, it is still a good idea to avoid any activities that require water submersion (lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc.).
- After One Month: At this point, doctors will typically allow patients to swim again. However, they will suggest wearing goggles and not opening eyes underwater.
Beyond this, LASIK surgeons recommend always wearing sun protection when spending an extended period of time outside. Whether or not it is a sunny day, sun exposure can have a damaging effect on eyes. Sunglasses should have 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays. LASIK experts also recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat, along with glasses, to prevent any irritation or sunburns.
Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy your crystal clear vision from LASIK. So, make sure to follow the recovery steps and exercise caution in order to preserve the work of the surgery. LASIK professionals recommend drinking plenty of water in order to offset any dry eye symptoms. This will support the eye’s tear ducts and prevent extreme irritation. Eye drops may also be prescribed to help alleviate any discomfort. Use your drops every day as directed by your surgeon.
You may need to wait a little bit before enjoying your cold plunges into the pool, but it will all be worth it! Before you know it, you will be splashing away the summer days. To learn more about LASIK recovery or to determine if you are a LASIK candidate, contact Excel Laser Vision Institute at (888) 363-1583.
How Hormones Affect Vision and LASIK
Hormones are responsible for many processes in our body, including growth, metabolism, and even vision. As we age and go through bodily changes like pregnancy, our hormones can shift slightly, altering the quality of our eye sight. It’s no wonder that prospective patients for LASIK are examined closely and consulted on any current physical conditions before their surgeon will move forward with the procedure.
Different kinds of hormones carry out different functions in our body. When levels are unbalanced due to pregnancy or other conditions, this can affect a patient’s natural prescription. Those who are interested in laser vision correction in Los Angeles will be vetted thoroughly to ensure that hormonal imbalance, among other things, is not an issue. Here are some of the critical hormones that can affect our state of vision:
- Testosterone
- Progesterone
- Estrogen
- Insulin
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
- Thyroid hormones: tetraiodothyronine and triiodothyronine
Hormonal changes may happen as a result of age, such as menopause, or from a condition such as diabetes. People may experience slight or drastic changes in their hormones that affect their vision through a variety of life events. Here are some of them:
- During puberty, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone travels to the pituitary gland and begins the release of other hormones. Pre-teens may experience growth spurts that temporarily change the shape of their eyeball, which can cause nearsightedness. Patients must be at least 18 years of age to get LASIK in Los Angeles, which helps eliminate the risk of hormonal imbalance from this stage of maturation.
- During pregnancy, fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen can affect the glands of the eyelids and eyes. This may cause symptoms of irritation such as dry eye. Estrogen may also change the shape of the cornea, which can cause a temporary vision impairment. Usually, this is reversed after pregnancy, which is why doctors suggest waiting for hormones to rebalance before getting your corrective eye surgery.
- During menopause, eyes may become drier and less elastic as a result of a decrease in estrogen. This can lead to a more serious case of dry eye or even blurred vision. Women who have reached menopause may also have a higher level of intraocular pressure that could increase their chances of developing glaucoma. Eye care is especially crucial during this time of life to preserve vision and health.
- Middle-aged men may experience a drop in testosterone levels, which can lead to blurred vision and dry eye. This hormonal shift is similar to the stage of menopause for women. Men who are experiencing issues with creating moisture in their tear ducts should seek out an eye care professional for an expert opinion.
- Anyone with excessively low or excessively high thyroid hormones will also experience vision changes. High levels of the T4 hormone can actually increase a patient’s risk of age-related macular degeneration. Thyroid hormones can also affect the cells responsible for color vision.
- Anyone with diabetes may notice excessive dry eye as a result of low insulin levels. This affects both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. If you are interested in getting laser eye surgery and have diabetes, then you should definitely consult an expert on your condition. Some patients may not be eligible for LASIK, but may qualify for an alternative refractive surgery.
How to Better Care For Your Eyes: From Lifestyle Changes to Cataract Surgery
It’s easy to take our eyes for granted. Every day of our lives we rely on our vision, from the most baseline activities to our passions and work. Very often, people forget how important this is until some part of their eyesight is compromised. Fortunately, technology can help us out when this happens. Procedures like LASIK and cataract surgery in Los Angeles allow people to regain clarity of sight and move forward with their lives.
Since our eyes contribute so much to our quality of life, we have to maintain ocular health in order to maintain ocular function. This is true for almost anyone, regardless of measured visual acuity. Those looking into laser vision correction in Los Angeles need healthy eyes just as much as people who have never worn a corrective lens in their life. Here are some of the ways that we can take better care of our eyes:
Eating a well-balanced diet
Diet affects nearly every aspect of our health, including our eyes. There are certain foods that will promote healthy eyes such as green leafy vegetables and yellow vegetables. Fruits that are high in vitamin C can contribute to healthy blood vessels and combat cataracts. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to improve eye pressure and reduce the risk of glaucoma. These can be found in halibut, salmon, and tuna.
Getting enough exercise
According to corrective eye surgery experts, exercise can play a large role in eye health as well. Many people don’t realize that conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can often lead to chronic eye issues that damage vision. In order to lower your risk of developing these problems, it is imperative that you follow regular health-conscious practices according to your personal needs.
Protecting your eyes from the sun
Many patients who receive cataract surgery in Los Angeles have been told that UVA and UVB protection is the key to preventing cataract development. While spending time outside is great for most people’s health, it is important to limit sun exposure to the eyes. Other eye conditions that can develop as a result of harmful sun rays are corneal growths, keratitis, and age-related macular degeneration.
Filtering blue light
In this digital age that we live in, it’s hard to get away from screens. We are constantly on our phones, tablets, and computers. Then, when we get home, we watch TV. Unfortunately, these screens emit a high energy blue light that can damage eyes over time. The best way to offset this exposure is to take supplements like zeaxanthin and lutein. You can also take frequent breaks to look at something off the screen and blink more often.
Practicing good ocular hygiene
There are certain things that we do without thinking and one of those is touching our eyes. Whether we feel an itch or we are adjusting our contacts, it’s easy to reach up and rub around the area without thinking. However, our eyes are very sensitive and require the utmost care at all times. In order to protect your eyes from any irritants, it is important to always wash your hands before making contact with them and never use rough motions.
Getting laser eye surgery
It’s important to understand our limitations when it comes to eyesight. If you are someone who has worn contacts and glasses all your life or most of your life, then you know that having a refractive error can affect your day to day life. Fortunately, advancements in technology and ocular knowledge have allowed us access to procedures like LASIK. This vision correction alternative is a long-term solution that often eliminates the need for contacts or glasses entirely. For people with contact lens intolerance or who often suffer from fogged up glasses, this is life-changing. Contact a LASIK clinic near you to schedule a consultation with a surgeon. You can ask them questions like, “How much does LASIK cost?” and “How long does LASIK last?” They will walk you through every aspect of the procedure and determine whether or not you qualify for this form of vision correction.
LASIK Surgery Versus Cataract Surgery Explained
While LASIK and cataract surgery are probably two of the most popular corrective eye surgeries in Los Angeles, many people forget how to distinguish the two procedures from one another. The fact is that each of these works to solve a problem in the eye and can result in better visual acuity for the patient; however, they require different methods and cater to different eye conditions.
What conditions does each corrective eye surgery treat?
LASIK eye surgery is known for improving the vision of patients with astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. Typically, patients who receive LASIK or an alternative laser vision correction are doing so to fix their natural prescription. Many LASIK patients are able to achieve 20/20 vision or better and become independent from the use of glasses or contacts.
Cataract surgery is a specialized form of corrective eye surgery used to treat cataracts. Many people naturally develop cataracts, which contribute to eye lens clouding, as they get older. This cloudiness can cause blurred or hazy vision that makes it difficult to see. Besides age, some other causes of cataracts include heredity, UV radiation exposure, eye trauma, medications, diabetes, and other eye diseases. If not treated, cataracts can eventually cause blindness. Yearly exams with your eye care professional ensure that cataracts are discovered early and treated when necessary.
How does each corrective eye surgery work?
LASIK eye surgery is completed with state-of-the-art laser technology that can precisely reshape the tissue in the cornea. This laser modification of the cornea allows light to better focus through the eye and thus improves vision.
When you’re receiving cataract surgery in Los Angeles, you will notice a different method. Eye surgeons remove the cloudy natural lens of the patient and replace this with an artificial intraocular lens or IOL. This method eliminates cataracts from further impeding vision and can improve close-up and distance vision, spending on the IOL.
How long does LASIK last compared to cataract surgery?
According to eye care professionals, LASIK eye surgery takes around 10 minutes per eye and both eyes can be performed on the same day. A cataract surgery appointment can as long as 20 minutes, depending on the severity of cataracts, and will only focus on one eye at a time. Many clinics will wait a few days, until the first eye has healed, until performing cataract surgery on the second eye.
LASIK Surgery vs. Cataract Surgery
Both LASIK and cataract surgery are incredible procedures that have helped many people treat their vision problems and achieve their vision goals. Some patients can even have both procedures completed in their lifetime! If you still have questions about these procedures, then make sure to schedule an appointment with your eye care professional to have a comprehensive eye exam and discuss your vision goals. After a thorough analysis of your eye condition and health, your doctor will be able to tell you if your vision qualifies you for one or the other and be able to help you prepare for the surgery.
How To Maintain Strong Vision After Cataract Surgery
Usually, the first thing that happens to people after getting cataract surgery is that they feel relieved. With cataracts gone, their vision is restored and they can see incredibly well. However, this feeling of relief is often followed by a desire to keep their visual acuity at this level. During this time, people are motivated to do what it takes in order to keep their vision strong, including eating well, exercising, eliminating any tobacco, wearing UV protection, and monitoring other health conditions.
Cataract surgery can significantly improve a person’s vision by replacing a clouded lens with a clear, artificial one. This new lens can help light rays better reach the retina and, therefore, achieve clarity of vision. This corrective eye surgery is common for people that are prone to age related macular degeneration. According to eye care experts, macular degeneration can be triggered by cumulative oxidative stress to the macula, which is in the center of the retina. In order to prevent age related macular degeneration from backtracking the success of cataract surgery, a patient must focus on their macula health.
The very center of the macula, known as the fovea, is responsible for five degrees of vision as well as facial recognition and reading. The fovea also holds three macular pigments ( meso-zeaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein) which work to filter short-wavelength blue light and have antioxidant properties. The denser the macular pigment, the more capable it is of protecting retina cells from oxidative stress and harmful blue light. This contributes to overall better quality of vision, especially in low light situations.
The best way to reduce your risk of getting age related macular degeneration is to treat your body with the right nutrients and supplements. You can find zeaxanthin and lutein in foods like corn, carrots, leafy vegetables, and citrus fruits. According to laser vision correction experts in Los Angeles like Doctor Moosa, meso-zeaxanthin is harder to find in a Western diet and, therefore many people are deficient in this macular pigment. Fortunately, there are many natural, food-based supplements that one can take to increase their meso-zeaxanthin. This can improve visual functions and contrast sensitivity.
Visual deterioration is a common symptom of age. This is why so many people face conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, presbyopia, temporal arteritis, and dry eye. However, many people are able to restore their vision through healthy habits and corrective procedures. Eye care experts recommend taking dietary supplements to protect against oxidative damage and getting cataract surgery to replace cloudy natural lenses. As long as people stay on top of their eye health, they will be able to prevent more serious conditions from affecting their vision. One of the easiest ways to maintain eye health is to schedule yearly check-ups and share any occurring symptoms that you may have noticed with your doctor.
Once achieving clarity of vision, people are more equipped to go about their daily lives, chase their passions, and improve their overall quality of life. In order to determine if you qualify for cataract surgery or any other vision corrective procedure, visit an eye care clinic like Excel Laser Vision Institute in Los Angeles and schedule a comprehensive exam.
How to Know if You Need Cataract Surgery
According to eye care experts in Los Angeles, cataract surgery is a procedure that involves replacing the eye’s natural cloudy lens with a clear synthetic lens. This can be performed by experienced surgeons on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Many cataract surgery patients can return to their normal routines within a few days. Fortunately, advancement in technology has allowed this procedure’s success rate to skyrocket and the results are long-lasting. Eye care professionals highly recommend the procedure for people who are suffering from cataracts. However, patients must make a couple of decisions when beginning their journey, including what type of lens implant they want and when they want to have the surgery.
Many people develop eyesight problems over time, which is why laser vision correction procedures have gained popularity in recent decades. Whether its myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, LASIK has a reputation of restoring crystal clear vision to many different kinds of patients. However, cataracts are outside the realm of this corrective eye surgery and require an alternative solution. Instead of manipulating the surface of the cornea in order to allow light to better focus, cataracts are treated by replacing the eye lens completely.
As we age, our eye lenses naturally become thicker and less transparent. This can lead to cloudiness of the lens, which we know as cataracts. According to recent studies, about 50% of people will develop cataracts by the time they reach 80 years old. In many cases, cataracts develop in a slow, subtle manner. Someone may at first experience more nearsightedness and then poor night vision as well as dulled color perception. These symptoms can be evaluated by an eye doctor in order to determine if cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or any other eye conditions are the root cause.
The only effective cure for cataracts is the removal of the clouded lens through cataract surgery. Los Angeles eye doctors say that, in most cases, the procedure is recommended based on how much the cataracts are interfering with someone’s daily life. In the early stages of cataract development, vision may not be significantly impaired. However, cataracts are known to exacerbate other eye conditions like macular degeneration. The best course of action is to have a comprehensive eye exam with a professional in order to determine whether it is the right time for the procedure.
When choosing the synthetic lens implant for cataract surgery, one must speak to an eye care professional in order to hear their recommendations. Monofocal versus multifocal lenses provide different benefits, depending on the patient’s age and lifestyle. Younger cataract surgery patients often choose monofocal implants while multifocal lenses provide relief for patients with detail-oriented jobs and hobbies. The key is choosing the lens that will best satisfy your vision needs in your individual circumstances.
Frequent eye exams are the best way to ensure that your eyesight is monitored and preserved. Whether you need cataract surgery, LASIK eye surgery, or some other corrective procedure, experienced ophthalmologists can help you reach your vision goals.
Cataract Versus LASIK Surgery
While many people have heard of LASIK and cataract surgery, there seems to be a general confusion about whether or not these two procedures can work together to achieve vision goals. Some of the confusion stems from the fact that many Los Angeles clinics offer both cataract surgery and LASIK. Many eye care patients find themselves asking how these two methods of vision correction are different from one another and if they can be utilized in tandem for certain individuals. Fortunately, the answers are rather straightforward and simply require the expertise of an eye care professional.
How is cataract surgery different from LASIK?
LASIK eye surgery involves the reshaping of an individual’s cornea to help refocus light properly, thus correcting a previous refractive error. Cataract surgery, on the other hand, is a treatment that involves the replacement of an individual’s natural lens, which has become clouded with cataracts, with an artificial lens (IOL or intraocular lens).
Each surgery is performed within a different timeframe. LASIK is usually a bit quicker and both eyes can be completed in the same surgery. Cataract surgery usually requires a separate day for each eye. Another difference between the two procedures is that cataract surgery can be covered by insurance (unless choosing premium add-ons) while LASIK offers a flexible savings account (FSA) but no insurance coverage.
How is cataract surgery similar to LASIK?
In the most basic sense, both LASIK and cataract surgery are a form of corrective eye surgery that require laser technology. Cataract surgery utilizes the femtosecond laser to extract the natural lens of the eye and bladeless LASIK utilizes the femtosecond laser for the creation of the corneal flap.
Each procedure seeks to improve a patient’s vision and offers a very quick recovery time. Patients who receive LASIK or cataract surgery at a Los Angeles clinic such as Excel Laser Vision Institute are typically given local anesthesia and both surgeries can be performed while patients are awake.
Can you get cataract surgery and LASIK surgery on the same eye?
The short answer is yes. Both procedures focus on different areas of the eye (the cornea for LASIK and the lens for cataract surgery) which is why this combination would not likely pose any interference. However, this answer may differ depending on a person’s specific eye condition and the recommendations of their surgeon. The best way to find out if you’re eligible for cataract surgery after receiving LASIK (or vice versa) would be to ask an eye specialist at a laser vision correction clinic in Los Angeles like Excel Laser Vision Institute.
Can cataract surgery and LASIK be used in tandem?
The answer to this is sometimes. In circumstances where an individual’s natural lens is replaced, but their visual acuity is still not at the right level, a surgeon may recommend a version of LASIK for a full correction. Usually, instead of using traditional LASIK methods, an eye specialist will perform an alternative refractive surgery called PRK.
Final Thoughts
Cataract surgery and LASIK are both vision correction methods that offer incredible benefits to certain individuals. If you would like to see if you’re eligible for either of these procedures, then you can visit the Excel Laser Vision Insitute for a full eye exam and consultation with a laser eye specialist.
Can Laser Vision Correction Los Angeles Treat Double Vision?
Double vision, or diplopia, is an eye complication that has an entire range of underlying reasons why someone might experience it. It’s like waking up with a dull headache and wondering how you got it. So, before you book laser vision correction Los Angeles, read the list of causes for double vision. However, we must warn you, there are so many possibilities to consider that after reading this you might be seeing things in twos!
What Is Double Vision?
Unfortunately, many of us take for granted that when we open our eyes we see, and view our surroundings clearly and in one single image. Normal eyesight happens through a complex process that requires many parts within your eye to work harmoniously without any hitches.
A person can have double vision in just one eye or both. If you notice that you are experiencing double vision in one eye when the other one is closed, there is very little to worry about. It is still something you should point out to your doctor when you visit laser vision correction Los Angeles. However, if double vision is occurring when both of your eyes are open, it could be caused by a serious disorder.
To understand how the eye malfunctions, here is a brief and simple biology lesson on the parts of the eye and how they work as one.
You are experiencing double vision when the injured eye is open:
Cornea: Think of it as the clear window into your eye. Its primary job is to focus light. If your double vision disappears when you cover one eye, this could be a sign of a damaged cornea in the uncovered eye.
If only one cornea is distorted, you may see only double in that eye. Damage can be brought about by:
- Scars
- Dryness
- Infections, such as shingles or herpes
- Keratoconus, when the cornea turns into a cone shape
Lens: Located behind your pupil, these help focus light onto your retina.
The most common lens complications at the laser vision correction Los Angeles are cataracts, which can usually be treated with surgery.
You are experiencing double vision when both eyes are open:
Muscles: They manage eye movement and help control them so they are aligned with each other. Whenever you notice a person’s eye is not moving in sync with the other, that is due to weak muscles in one eye unable to keep up with the other. When this happens, looking into a direction that the weak muscle is controlling will lead you to see double. Eye muscle issues can be caused by any of the following:
- A complication with the nerves that control them.
- Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition that disturbs eye muscles. This can result in vertical diplopia, which is when the person sees one image on top of the other.
- Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that prevents nerves from telling muscles what to do. Early symptoms are double vision and drooping eyelids.
Nerves: These are the messengers that convey information from your brain to your eyes. Any issues with them can create double vision:
- Multiple sclerosis can negatively influence the nerves in your brain or spinal cord. If the illness damages the nerves that manage the eye, you may start to see double.
- Guillain-Barre syndrome is a nerve condition that results in paralysis. The initial symptoms are usually in the eyes, including double vision.
- Diabetes can bring about nerve damage to the muscles that are responsible for moving your eyes. This could also result in double vision.
Brain: The nerves that manage your eyes link straight to your brain, where images are processed. Many reasons for double vision begin in the brain. Here are some examples:
- Brain tumors
- Migraine headaches
- Strokes
- Aneurysms
- Extreme pressure inside the brain caused by trauma, bleeding, or infection
What Are The Symptoms Of Double Vision?
The symptoms for double vision really depend on the cause, but if you have it, you may notice the following:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Droopy eyelids
- Weakness in your eyes or elsewhere
- Pain around your eyes, such as your temples or eyebrows
- Pain when you move your eye
- Misalignment of one or both eyes, such as a wandering eye or cross-eye presence
Since there are so many reasons for seeing double, it’s important to find out why you can’t see just one image.
As is standard procedure, your doctor might use several methods to determine what is causing your double vision. This can be done through blood tests, a physical exam, or imaging tests like computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Also, another effective tool the doctor has on hand is you! Be honest when answering your medical practitioner’s questions which could include the following:
When did you begin to see double?
Were you involved in a car accident?
At any time recently, have you hit your head, fallen or been unconscious?
Do you feel the double vision is worse after a long day, or when you are exhausted?
Are you experiencing other symptoms besides double vision?
Do you find you have to tilt your head to one side to view objects properly?
Do you have double vision in both eyes or just when one eye is open?
Can Lasik Surgery Fix Double Vision?
When you start to experience double vision, it’s important to try to eliminate any potential causes. For instance, stop drinking excessively, walk away from your computer screen every hour to refresh your eyes, or use drops to lubricate dry eyes.
When all is said and done, there are restricted cases in which LASIK can be used to correct double vision. It isn’t a straightforward issue and a consultation from an experienced, board-certified ophthalmologist and respected Lasik surgeon such as Dr. Ferzaad Moosa is necessary. If you are seeing double, contact Excel Laser Vision Institute at + (818) 907-8606 now to schedule a FREE evaluation and see if you’re a good candidate for LASIK treatment!
Wavefront Optimized LASIK Eye Surgery can Result in Sharper Vision
If you are a person who suffers from nearsightedness or farsightedness, you can correct your vision with a corrective eye surgery. Generally speaking, this outpatient LASIK eye surgery procedure utilizes a laser to change the shape of the patient’s cornea, enhancing the way the eyes focus light rays onto the retina. It’s a very sought-after laser vision correction procedure that has helped millions of people with eye issues worldwide.
Recently, LASIK has gone through modifications that massively improved its reliability. To get the sharpest vision after a LASIK Los Angeles procedure, think about having a Wavefront Optimized Laser Vision correction procedure. Wavefront Optimized Laser technology provides a more accurate and personalized evaluation of the one-of-the-kind characteristics of your eyes to achieve better results.
What is Custom Wavefront LASIK?
Some people who ask about LASIK eye surgery cost also want to know about custom wavefront LASIK, also known as LASIK or wavefront LASIK. Eye doctors tell us that custom LASIK or wavefront LASIK adds a significant level of precision and personalization to LASIK vision correction surgery by using advanced wavefront technology to assess the unique characteristics of a person’s eyes.
Although eyeglass prescriptions are not uncommon, millions, even billions, of people can have similar eyeglass prescriptions. Due to the unique characteristics of every person’s eyes that can’t be measured with traditional techniques used to ascertain refractive error during an eye exam, people who have the same eyeglasses prescription will see with various levels of clarity compared to individuals with the same prescription lenses.
On the other hand, custom LASIK uses more detailed information rather than just conventional eyeglasses prescription to program the excimer laser that reshapes the eye during the vision correction procedure.
The wavefront technology used for custom LASIK makes the procedure a cut above a conventional LASIK procedure in two ways:
Custom Wavefront LASIK is More Accurate
While your eye doctor gives you a routine eye exam, he or she will bring in various lenses in front of your eyes as you look at an eye chart and ask you which lens lets you see the letters clearer? Is it lens 1 or lens 2? Occasionally the lenses will look similar, and it’s difficult to select which one makes you see the chart clever. Perhaps it’s a lens in between the two?
Your eye doctor uses a dial instrument that requires them to click through to find out a person’s eyeglasses prescription using the smallest unit of power – 0.25 diopter (D). That’s why eyeglass prescriptions have numbers such as -1.25 D and -1.50 D, but not 1.3 D.
The power of lenses needed to correct a person’s vision is measured in 0.01 D units when it comes to wavefront LASIK. Essentially, during your eye exam, rather than your eye doctor giving you “lens 1” and “lens 2” to select from, you have twenty-four extra lenses in between these two to choose from.
Fortunately, choosing the lens that precisely corrects your vision for a custom LASIK procedure is carried out right away by a computer, rather than you making the decision.
When assessing the refractive errors within the eyes in 0.01 D increments (instead of 0.25 D increments, as in a routine eye exam), measurements used for custom wavefront LASIK are 25 times more accurate than lens powers used in an eyeglasses prescription.
Custom Wavefront LASIK is More Individual
When your eye doctor ascertains your eyeglass prescription during your eye exam, they determine your eye’s ability to focus light as a complete whole. One lens prescription is worked out for the whole eye.
Measurements collected for custom LASIK are accumulated from hundreds of separate reference points on the eye’s front surface. All these data points are used to produce a detailed map of refractive error and focusing imperfections known as higher-order aberrations throughout the entire cornea.
Afterward, this map is used to program the excimer laser to give a personalized vision correction for your particular requirements.
What are the Types of Custom LASIK?
There are three essential types of custom LASIK eye surgery procedures:
- Wavelength-Guided LASIK: This procedure involves detailed, wavefront-generated measurements based on how light waves travel through your eyes and fall on the retina, to produce a laser treatment that is entirely personalized for the eye anatomy and vision requirements. Besides, correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, wavefront-guided LASIK lowers irregular higher-order aberrations that can lessen visual clarity even after all significant refractive errors are corrected.
- Wavefront-Optimized LASIK: This procedure involves detailed measurements of the curvature of the eye’s front surface to maintain the natural aspheric shape of the cornea. Maintaining the cornea’s natural shape lowers the risk of a specific type of higher-order aberration known as spherical aberration, which can happen naturally in an eye or result from other types of laser vision correction procedures. Typically, spherical aberration is brought about by halos around lights and other night vision problems.
- Topography-Guided LASIK: This procedure involves detailed measurements of the cornea’s surface to program the laser to tackle vision issues caused by corneal irregularities (including corneal scars) besides refractive errors. Topography-guided LASIK is not a wavefront LASIK procedure, but it provides a more personalized vision correction than conventional LASIK.
Does Custom LASIK Provide Better Results than Traditional LASIK?
Custom LASIK delivers the most precise form of LASIK available today. Individuals who go through custom LASIK achieve more significant vision results, with a higher possibility of achieving 20/20 vision and better overall vision.
Who are the Ideal Candidates for Wavelength?
The main reasons why people choose to undergo LASIK is because they are fed up with wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses, for cosmetic reasons, for social or marriage, or for lifestyle activities that are inhibited by eyewear such as outdoor sports such as golf, football, water sports or hiking.
Some people don’t believe eyeglasses are attractive. Frequently, there is some level of distortion when looking through the periphery of the glasses, the field of vision is lowered, and sometimes when leaving a cold room, moisture can fog the glasses which can be unsuitable for particular careers such as the Army, Merchant Navy, Airlines, Air Force, Railways and professional sports.
On the other hand, contact lenses need a lot of attention to hygiene when inserting removing them since lack of hygiene can result in infections.
Wavefront LASIK gets rids of all these disadvantages. Wavefront-guided LASIK has made it possible to treat a larger spectrum of patients. This procedure especially helps people with eye issues to have a clear vision, which would have otherwise been difficult with the older procedures. Furthermore, those unhappy with any form of vision correction are candidates for Wavefront-guided customized treatments.
What are the Advantages of Wavefront-Guided LASIK Over Standard LASIK
Recently, studies have shown these advantages of wavefront-guided LASIK compared to traditional LASIK:
- 100% patient satisfaction with very few side effects or complications.
- 70% of these patients achieved one to two lines of visual acuity more than what was anticipated from this treatment before the procedure.
- 16% of wavefront-guided LASIK patients got a post-procedure uncorrected visual acuity of 6/3 [3 lines smaller than normal].
- Wavefront treatment results were found to bring stable, accurate post-operative results.
- The incidence of postoperative symptoms such as glare, halos, lessened contrast sensitivity, and poor night vision as with standard LASIK are overall absent or significantly reduced with wavefront treatments.
- Wavefront-guided treatment has applications in complicated post-refractive surgery (RK, PRK, LASIK) patients (with considerable symptoms, decentred treatments) as well as in patients professionally needing acute vision.
What are the Features of a Wavelength Laser?
The WaveLight is unsurpassable for wavefront procedures using the quickest and most sensitive eye tracker in the world [500 Hz] to ensure perfectly accurate and well-centered treatments.
This laser has the fastest treatment time, about [500 Hz], which is a vital factor in ensuring uniform treatment over the entire surface of the cornea by minimizing dehydration of the cornea and other external influences during the procedure. Plus, it manages to customize the corneal shape to improve visual acuity and improve contrast, especially in dim light conditions.
The highly advanced WaveLight laser utilizes a ‘Flying Spot’ of 0.9 mm, a requirement to provide accurate placement of laser treatment. This specific treatment leaves nothing to chance. Wavefront procedures very often leave patients with eyesight better than expected. As a matter of fact, some may say patients are left with super–vision or eagle vision.
At Excel Laser Vision Institute, LASIK surgery improves your vision. However, you should consult with the experts about which eye correction surgery is best for you. If you want to know more about LASIK surgery, please do not hesitate to call us at (866) 923-9235.