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.
How LASIK Clinics Have Adopted New Technology
Laser vision correction as we know it at Excel Laser Vision Institute, a LASIK clinic in Los Angeles, has quite an extensive history, thanks to the discoveries of many different researchers, scientists, and doctors. We can thank our advanced technology and eye correction methods to their combined contributions to the study of refractive surgery. One of the most recent improvements to the LASIK procedure is the use of the Wavelight EX500 laser. Harvard-trained surgeon Dr. Moosa discusses how this is used at the Excel Laser Vision Institute:
Twenty-first-century vision correction methods have reached new heights of safety, efficiency, and accuracy. However, it took a great amount of trial and error to get to this point. At the end of the nineteenth century, Dr. Lendeer Jans Lans published a paper on correcting astigmatism by making tiny incisions in the cornea to adjust the natural curvature. This information became useful in 1930, when Tsutomu Sato, a Japanese ophthalmologist, started practicing refractive surgery on war pilots. In his time, laser technology was not available, which meant that these procedures were less accurate and less protective of the eye.
Fortunately, the microkeratome came into use in 1963 to better optimize the reshaping of the cornea. This was called keratomileusis, a technique that was adopted into laser vision correction and LASIK. The next big discovery happened when a Russian doctor was treating a nearsighted boy who had an accident. After suffering a great fall, he broke his glasses and got pieces of glass stuck in his eye. The result of this was a happy accident! The glass had cut off parts of his cornea and actually contributed to better vision. When the Russian doctor saw this, he started doing research that led to radial keratotomy.
While all of these doctors made strides in vision correction, the development of laser technology was necessary for moving this practice in the right direction. According to Doctor Moosa, a LASIK eye specialist, lasers were able to make more precise incisions that did not burn organic tissue. Photorefractive keratectomy was first performed in 1981 on a Thanksgiving turkey to prove this point. Laser eye surgery further progressed when Dr. Marguerite McDonald completed the first PRK procedure to correct myopia in 1987 and then performed the first Epi-LASIK surgery in North America in 2003.
LASIK eye surgery is often associated with Ioannis Pallikaris, the Greek ophthalmologist that performed the first procedure on a person in 1989. Within the same timeframe another ophthalmologist named Gholam Peyman received a patent for this type of refractive surgery. Since then, the integration of the femtosecond laser has allowed for bladeless LASIK techniques to arise and wavefront technology has allowed a greater capacity for personalization. Now, surgeons are able to create and follow a digital map of an individual’s cornea in order to increase accuracy and safety.
Thanks to the contributions of many professionals, the world of laser eye surgery has become more exciting and innovative than anyone thought possible. It is also increasingly accessible to people now that LASIK eye surgery cost has been made more affordable. Patients at laser eye clinics can now achieve 20/20 vision or better, regaining their independence and improving their quality of life.
Liberate Yourself from Contacts and Glasses with LASIK Surgery
If you have ever faced the challenges of poor eyesight, then you know how this can affect every aspect of your life. According to eye care professionals at a Los Angeles LASIK clinic, six out of ten people have some kind of vision problem. This is why long-term solutions like laser eye surgery have become more popular over the years.
Clarity of vision matters for many aspects of our daily life and especially in emergency situations. In recent months, people who rely on contacts or glasses have become acutely aware of this fact. Dr. Moosa, a Harvard-trained surgeon at the LASIK eye center in Los Angeles, explains why laser eye surgery is even more desired in a time when corrective lens supplies are low.
In many ways, LASIK provides liberation from the stress, inconvenience, and cost of wearing corrective lenses. Many people view laser vision correction as an investment with life-changing results. Consider waking up in the morning and immediately seeing the beautiful day outside your window or going camping with your family and not having to worry about your contact lens solution or the case for your prescription glasses.
Becoming a LASIK Candidate
There’s no doubt that LASIK can provide invaluable services to your daily life. However, many people believe that they are not eligible for this life-changing procedure. Whether from incomplete information or assumptions about the surgery, people seem to think that they do not qualify for LASIK. The truth is that you will never know if you are an eligible candidate until you have a comprehensive eye examination and consultation with an eye care professional at a LASIK clinic in Los Angeles.
Laser eye surgery has undergone many technological advancements over the years and has one of the highest success rates of any elective procedure. With more precise, customizable lasers and a greater understanding of the human eye, surgeons can now treat higher, more complex prescriptions than before.
LASIK Eye Surgery Cost
Laser eye surgery is an investment, which means that you pay more money upfront to gain a great deal of personal value over time. While the procedure can be costly, the overall cost is comparable to the accumulative cost of wearing and maintaining corrective lenses. If you consider the money that you spend on glasses or contacts each year, then you might start to realize that the micro-purchases can add up significantly. LASIK allows you to shift your money to a more long-term solution. Many clinics also offer convenient financing solutions to make payments more manageable for your income.
Start Your Journey
Even when times are tough, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you are tired of dealing with the hassle of corrective lenses, then LASIK might be the right option for you. Laser eye surgery supports active lifestyles and careers as well as the spontaneity of life itself. As we deal with the obstacles that life throws at us, it is important to have something we can count on. With LASIK, your vision will be one of them.
Lasik in Los Angeles: The Better Alternative to Contacts for Astigmatism
Astigmatism is one of the most common vision problems in the US, affecting one in three Americans. Most people rely solely on contact lenses to correct the blurred vision stemming from the eye condition, not knowing that there are better alternatives available. Lasik in Los Angeles is one such option.
Lasik surgery remains one of the best ways to correct astigmatism, especially opposed to contact lenses, when you consider the disadvantages of being reliant on contacts for clear vision.
What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is an imperfection in eye curvature, also known as a refractive error. Healthy, normal eyes are curved like a baseball. For people with astigmatism, however, the curve resembles the back of a spoon or an egg. This curvature imperfection can occur in the cornea or the lens, and can manifest in one or both eyes.
Individuals with astigmatism suffer from blurred vision at all distances. If left untreated, this condition can interfere with day to day activities such as driving. Common symptoms include:
- Distorted vision
- Headaches
- Squinting
- Eyestrain
- Impaired night vision
Note that astigmatism doesn’t improve on its own. It generally gets worse over time with age, health decline, and in conjunction with other vision issues such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. Astigmatism can be treated with prescription glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery.
Disadvantages of Wearing Contacts for Astigmatism
For many, contact lenses offer a quick and inexpensive way to correct astigmatism. Prescription contact lenses are readily available and effective in temporarily restoring clear eyesight. Unlike glasses, contacts don’t hide their wearer’s facial features.
However, contact lenses come with significant disadvantages that can make them an unsustainable solution, such as:
- Can slip off the eye center
- Needs to be worn all the time to maintain sight clarity
- Gathers debris and dirt under the lenses
- Requires frequent follow-up care
- Does not correct related vision problems
- May not provide sharp vision
- Difficult to handle, wear, and clean
- Wears out quickly
- Easy to lose
On top of these, it can be too much for some people to reach into their eyes and insert their contacts. Fail to follow the strict lens-wearing and replacement schedule, and you’ll become vulnerable to eye irritation and other serious eye health risks. The costs of buying new contacts as your prescription changes or as a replacement for lost ones can also add up over time.
Advantages of Lasik in Los Angeles for Astigmatism
Lasik surgery presents a more convenient way to correct astigmatism without the hassles associated with contact lenses. Your Lasik surgeon in Orange County will use ultra-precise lasers to reshape the cornea so that the corneal curve becomes more symmetrical. This effectively eliminates eyesight problems related to astigmatism.
Here are some advantages that make Lasik the better choice over contact lenses or eyeglasses when it comes to treating astigmatism:
- No frames or lenses to obstruct your vision
- Does not get splattered by rain or mud
- Will not fog up or collect debris and dirt
- Can correct other vision issues such as myopia
- Long-term improved eyesight
- Minimal complications and fast recovery time
- No risk of loss or misplacement
- Gives you greater freedom when active
- Improves night vision
For the right candidate, there are almost no downsides in choosing Lasik surgery for astigmatism. Better yet, the sooner you can undergo the procedure, the longer you can enjoy clearer vision for years to come. To learn more about Lasik surgery cost, qualifications, and other concerns, call Excel Laser Vision Institute at + (818) 907-8606 to talk to a Lasik surgeon today!
Understanding the Lasik Eye Surgery Cost for Correcting Astigmatism
Laser eye surgery continues to be one of the most effective, long-term ways to correct astigmatism. However, many people still hesitate to undergo the procedure because of the Lasik eye surgery cost and PRK surgery cost. Do not be mistaken. Despite the large upfront cost of laser eye surgery, it remains one of the cost-effective alternatives to eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Plus, it can significantly improve your quality of life through its inherent advantages. If you are looking to make your life more convenient and fulfilling, then laser eye surgery can certainly play a role in that goal.
Why Lasik is More Cost-Effective for Astigmatism
Compared to the initial investment of laser eye surgery, eyeglasses and contact lenses may seem like the cheaper way to correct astigmatism. However, most people are not aware of how much they truly spend over the years with these temporary fixes:
- The cost of eyeglasses includes both the price of frames on top of the prescription. Pricing for contact lenses, on the other hand, includes the type of contacts and the kind of solution you’ll use. Expect to pay for a new set every two years since prescriptions typically change over time.
- You’ll also have to replace your eyeglasses if you lose or break them, something that many wearers are familiar with. Want a specific look for your pair? Designer eyeglasses are even more expensive than their basic counterparts.
- Over a lifetime, the cost of eyeglasses and contacts can run up to thousands of dollars, and all that without fixing your eyesight for good.
Now, the Lasik eye surgery cost and PRK eye surgery cost may look bigger upfront, but factor in the average cost of eyeglasses or contacts, and Lasik comes out as the more cost-effective alternative. Better yet, it often takes only one surgery to get rid of your astigmatism for good and give you perfect eyesight for a lifetime. So, when you think of the cost of laser eye surgery, you must think of it as an investment over time. There are ways to offset the cost with things like flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts; however, you must check your eligibility for these programs through your insurance and through the LASIK eye center.
Many LASIK and PRK eye clinics in Orange County also offer financing packages and payment plans to make the procedure more affordable, so be sure to ask your laser eye surgeon about your options for treating astigmatism.
What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a refractive error that occurs when the cornea, or the front of the eye, has a dual curvature.
The normal eye shape is supposed to be round, similar to a soccer ball. This allows light to enter the eye in only one ray, letting it focus on a single point at the retina (the tissue at the back of the eye that’s sensitive to light). These produce clear images for those without astigmatism.
In contrast, the eye shape of someone with astigmatism is closer to a rugby ball. The light enters in two points instead of one, resulting in fuzzy or blurred vision.
Many people live with some degree of this common condition. For most, however, mild astigmatism does not need correction since it does not cause eyesight problems. Interventions like eyeglasses, contacts, and Lasik in Los Angeles are only warranted when astigmatism causes distorted vision.
There are many LASIK eye surgery patients that come in with both astigmatism and nearsightedness or farsightedness. Prescriptions must be precise in order to fix both these refractive errors in one lens and, even then, can be imperfect. That’s why many patients appreciate the long-term effectiveness of laser eye surgery. Say goodbye to temporary frames and contacts! Say hello to clear vision!
How Lasik Works for Astigmatism
The Lasik surgeon uses a laser to correct the curvature of the eye by removing a bit of corneal tissue. The goal is to make the eye rounder so the light can focus at a single point on the retina, thus restoring clear eyesight.
Who can have laser surgery for astigmatism?
Lasik has a ground-breaking 95% success rate, better than any other elective procedure today. To determine a person’s eligibility for laser eye surgery, Lasik surgeons in Orange County refer to a list of criteria. A good candidate should:
- Have a stable prescription for one year or longer
- Have a sufficiently thick cornea
- Have pupils of the right size
- Not be pregnant
- Be in general good health
- Be 18 years old and above
After a comprehensive examination, your surgeon will be able to tell you if your degree and type of astigmatism can be improved by laser eye surgery and, if so, will be able to discuss LASIK and PRK surgery costs. Aside from astigmatism, LASIK surgery is also an excellent treatment option for myopia and farsightedness.
Benefits of Laser Eye Surgery for Astigmatism
Compared to eyeglasses and contact lenses, the advantages of Lasik eye surgery are unmatched when treating astigmatism and other eyesight issues. They include:
- Restores near perfect or perfect vision for most people
- Fast recovery time with minimal complications
- Permanent clear eyesight
- Removes the need for contacts or eyeglasses
Patients of laser eye surgery often boast having a vision that is better than they’ve ever been able to achieve with their contacts or glasses. It’s truly a life-changing procedure that can allow people the freedom of independent, unimpaired vision. Whether you’re a single parent, a freelancing artist, or a firefighter, laser eye surgery can significantly impact your quality of life. LASIK has allowed many people to follow the career, hobby, or lifestyle that they’ve always wanted to lead at an affordable price.
Are you ready to see the world with clear eyes? Schedule a consultation with one of our eye surgeons here at Excel Laser Vision Institute through our Contact Page or call us at +1 866 923 9235 for inquiries. We use the latest technology available with knowledgeable staff and a Harvard-trained surgeon at the ready. Get the vision you deserve with our LASIK and PRK specialists in Los Angeles.
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.
Can You Undergo a Cataract Surgery After Having a LASIK Eye Surgery?
Cataract surgery and LASIK eye surgery are two different methods to correct the eye, and no matter whether the procedure is performed at the LASIK Orange County clinic or somewhere else in the world, these two procedures will ultimately improve a person’s vision. Nevertheless, their similarity ends there, seeing that LASIK and cataract surgery are two separate procedures that fix two completely different eye health issues.
LASIK repairs vision issues such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism by reshaping the cornea of the eye. On the contrary, cataract surgery enhances vision by replacing the eye’s lens that has become cloudy because of aging or other factors.
What would happen if you both have these vision issues? Due to the fact that both surgeries would change the eyes dramatically, someone might believe that they only have to select one of the above to avoid any future complications.
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Can You Undergo Cataract Surgery After LASIK Surgery?
You are probably dying to ask a LASIK surgeon like Doctor Moosa if you had LASIK surgery as a young adult, are you eligible for cataract surgery later in life? And the answer is yes, you can. If you are someone who has had LASIK, you can indeed have cataract surgery, if needed, in the future. However, this can only happen in this order. However, someone who has had cataract surgery, in many instances, is no longer eligible for LASIK or other refractive surgeries.
The Differences Between LASIK Surgery And Cataract Surgery?
To get a better awareness of the reason behind the fact that someone can have cataract surgery after LASIK surgery, it’s important to understand how both procedures work.
LASIK eye surgery and other refractive surgeries are carried out on the cornea, which is the dome-shaped, clear tissue that is on the front of the eye. During LASIK eye surgery, a laser changes the shape of the cornea so it refracts, or bends, light waves more accurately onto the retina (the light-sensitive tissue lining the back inner portion of the eyeball), giving the outcome of clearer vision.
On the other hand, cataract surgery is performed on the eye’s natural lens, which is positioned just behind the iris (the colored part of the eye). The lens’s job is to focus the light that goes through the eye onto the retina to create a sharp, crisp image.
A healthy lens should be transparent and clear. Patients who have cataracts experience a clouding of the lens which disrupts normal vision. When a cataract surgeon performs cataract surgery, the cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a synthetic lens, enhancing the clarity of a person’s vision.
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Cataract Surgery Without Having Had LASIK
During cataract surgery, an artificial replacement lens is created to correct vision and replace prescription glasses. For patients who have not had refractive surgery, vision correction through cataract surgery is usually very straightforward and has a foreseeable outcome.
Once cataract surgery is completed, many patients experience clear distance vision without requiring eyeglasses, even though many will still require their reading glasses.
Cataract Surgery After LASIK Surgery
Nowadays, LASIK surgery is performed using modern equipment that takes precise measurements of the eyes. Nevertheless, it is still highly advisable for individuals who have had LASIK surgery to let their eye surgeon know all of their previous eye health history so that the correct lens implant be used for cataract surgery. If you don’t have any records of your previous eye health history, you can request them from the doctor who performed your LASIK surgery. If you can’t get these records, cataract surgery is still an option, however, the postoperative refractive error may not be as certain.
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What Is LASIK Surgery?
Many people know LASIK surgery as a laser refractive surgery that helps to correct vision problems. LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a common alternative to wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses.
During LASIK surgery, an eye surgeon uses a special type of cutting laser to precisely reshape the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of the eye (cornea) to enhance vision.
When eyes have normal vision, the cornea bends (refracts) light accurately onto the retina at the back of the eye. However, with nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism, the light is bent the wrong way, and as a result of this, a person experiences a blurred vision.
A person can wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct their vision, but changing the shape of the cornea will also give the refraction needed for better, clearer eyesight.
Why Is LASIK Surgery Performed?
When a person asks for LASIK eye surgery cost, they may be looking into correcting one of these vision problems:
Nearsightedness (myopia). When a person’s eyeball is slightly longer than normal or when the cornea curves too strongly, light rays focus in front of the retina and blur distant vision. The person can see objects that are close very clearly, but not those that are far away.
Farsightedness (hyperopia). When a person has a shorter than average eyeball or a cornea that is too flat, light focuses behind the retina rather than on it. This makes near vision and in some instances distant vision, blurry.
Astigmatism. When the cornea curves or flattens unevenly, a person experiences astigmatism, which interrupts the focus of near and distant vision.
What Are the Risks Of LASIK?
It is very rare for someone to experience loss of vision because of LASIK surgery. However, there are specific side effects of LASIK eye surgery, especially dry eyes and temporary visual issues such as glare are pretty common.
These side effects usually go away after a few weeks or months, and very few people think of them as being a long-term issue.
Here are a few side effects to expect after LASIK surgery.
- Dry eyes
- Glare, halos and double vision
- Under corrections
- Overcorrections
- Astigmatism
- Flap problems
- Regression
- Vision loss or changes
If you are thinking about LASIK surgery, you most likely wear spectacles or contact lenses. Contact the professional eye care team at Excel Laser Vision Institute, which will guide you through LASIK surgery, cataract surgery, and any other type of refractive procedure that will work best for you.