Alale is the most powerfull center in medical tourism - All you Need to Know about LASIK

Lasik

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is an outpatient refractive surgery procedure used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. A laser is used to reshape the cornea — the clear, round dome at the front of the eye — to improve the way the eye focuses light rays onto the retina at the back of the eye.

With LASIK, an ophthalmologist creates a thin flap in the cornea using either a blade or a laser. The surgeon folds back the flap and precisely removes a very specific amount of corneal tissue under the flap using an excimer laser. The flap is then laid back into its original position where it heals in place.

Candidate

Not everyone is a candidate for laser eye surgery. A series of conditions and anatomical factors can aggravate the risk of undesirable outcomes or limit optimal laser eye surgery outcomes.  You may be unsuitable for laser eye surgery due to the following factors:

• Corneas which are too thin or irregularly shaped
• Heightened refractive error
• Existing unstable vision
• Dry eyes
• Age limitations (must be 18 or over)
• Physiological factors such as pregnancy
• Existing degenerative disorders
• Laser eye surgery side effects and complications

Performance

First, your eye surgeon uses either a mechanical surgical tool called a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser to create a thin, circular "flap" in the cornea.

The surgeon then folds back the hinged flap to access the underlying cornea (called the stroma) and removes some corneal tissue using an excimer laser.

This highly specialized laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to remove ("ablate") microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea to reshape it so it more accurately focuses light on the retina for improved vision.

For nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired.

Excimer lasers also can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape. It is a misconception that LASIK cannot treat astigmatism.

After the laser reshapes the cornea, the flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed. Then the cornea is allowed to heal naturally.

Laser eye surgery requires only topical anesthetic drops, and no bandages or stitches are required.

Risks

As with any surgery, LASIK eye surgery carries risks, including:

• Undercorrections. If the laser removes too little tissue from your eye, you won't get the clearer vision results you were hoping for. Undercorrections are more common for people who are nearsighted.

You may need another refractive surgery (enhancement surgery) within a year to remove more tissue.

• Overcorrections. It's also possible that the laser will remove too much tissue from your eye. Overcorrections may be more difficult to fix than undercorrections.
• Vision returning to pre-surgery vision. Over time, your eyes may slowly return to the level of vision you had before surgery. This may happen due to certain conditions, such as abnormal wound healing, hormonal imbalances or pregnancy.
• Visual loss or changes. Rarely, you may experience loss of vision due to surgical complications. Some people also may not see as sharply or clearly as previously.
• Astigmatism. Astigmatism can be caused by uneven tissue removal. It may require additional surgery, glasses or contact lenses.
• Glare, halos and double vision. After surgery you may have difficulty seeing at night. You might notice glare, halos around bright lights or double vision.

Even when a good visual result is measured under standard testing conditions, your vision in dim light (such as at dusk or in fog) may be reduced to a greater degree after the surgery than before the surgery.

• Dry eyes. LASIK causes a temporary decrease in tear production. For the first six months or so after your surgery, your eyes may feel unusually dry as they heal. Dry eyes can reduce the quality of your vision.

Your eye doctor might recommend that you use eyedrops during this time. If you experience severe dry eyes, you could opt for another procedure to get special plugs put in your tear ducts to prevent your tears from draining away from the surface of your eyes.

• Flap problems. Folding back or removing the flap from the front of your eye during surgery can cause complications, including infections, excess tears and inflammation.

The outermost corneal tissue layer (epithelium) may grow abnormally underneath the flap during the healing process.

Conditions that increase risks

Certain health conditions can increase the risks associated with LASIK surgery or make the outcome less predictable. Doctors may not recommend laser surgery for you if you have certain conditions.

These conditions include:

• Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Immunodeficiency conditions caused by immunosuppressive medications or HIV
• Persistent dry eyes
• Unstable vision due to medications, hormonal changes, pregnancy, breast-feeding or age
• Several eye conditions, such as keratoconus, keratitis, uveitis, herpes simplex affecting the eye area, glaucoma, cataracts, eye injuries or lid disorders

LASIK may not be advisable if you:

• Have fairly good overall vision
• Have very large pupils or thin corneas
• Have a job that may be affected if you have the procedure
• Have age-related eye changes that cause you to have less clear vision (presbyopia)
• Participate in contact sports that may be associated with blows to the face

If you're considering LASIK eye surgery, talk to your doctor about your questions and concerns. He or she can explain how the surgery might benefit you and help put the risks in perspective. Your doctor will discuss with you whether you're a candidate for the procedure.

Side effects

The side effects and complications are rare. However, here are some of the side effects and complications that have been reported:

Temporary visual disturbances and discomfort: Occurs during the first few days after surgery, and manifests in mild irritation and light sensitivity. Patients have also reported halos and glares especially when driving at night, episodes of dry eyes, hazy vision and reduced acuity of vision. Since these problems are not permanent, they usually disappear within three to six months

Flap complications: Laser eye surgery involves procedures such as LASIK whereby a flap is cut on the front surface of the cornea. The flap is lifted during surgery to allow for corneal reshaping and later replaced using natural bandage.

Dry Eyes: Often reported by patients who have undergone LASIK laser surgery as a result of decreased tear production culminating in eye irritation and vision blurring. Up to half of laser eye surgery patients experience varying levels dry eye syndrome. Being a temporary problem, dry eye syndrome can be corrected by application of eye drops to lubricate the surface of the eyes. As healing continues, dry eye syndrome also disappears.

Remarkable undercorrection, overcorrection or regression: In many instances, side effects of laser eye surgery manifest in the perception of objects in the long term. After laser eye surgery, not all patients will achieve 20:20 vision, and it may still be necessary to use glasses and contacts in some cases. In case the laser removes too much or too little tissue from the cornea, or your eyes’ healing is disturbed, the eventual visual outcome may not be optimal as expected. The less-than-perfect surgical are often as a result of your eyes failing to respond appropriately to laser eye surgery as predicted. Similarly, your eyes may work optimally a few weeks after surgery, but over time you develop regression due to over-healing. Is directly related to

Eye infection: Although rare, laser eye surgeons attest that the likelihood of infections occurring is high in surgeries that use surface ablations such as PRK. By using a natural bandage after surgery, a more sterile environment is created that foster proper healing after eye laser surgery.

Advantages

• It works! It corrects vision. Around 96% of patients will have their desired vision after LASIK. An enhancement can further increase this number.
• LASIK is associated with very little pain due to the numbing drops that are used.
• Vision is corrected nearly immediately or by the day after LASIK.
• No bandages or stitches are required after LASIK.
• Adjustments can be made years after LASIK to further correct vision if vision changes while you age.
• After having LASIK, most patients have a dramatic reduction in eyeglass or contact lens dependence and many patients no longer need them at all.

Disadvantages

Despite the pluses, there are some disadvantages to LASIK eye surgery:

·  LASIK is technically complex. Rare problems may occur when the doctor creates the flap, which can permanently affect vision. This is one reason to choose a surgeon who is very experienced at performing these surgeries.

·  LASIK can rarely cause a loss of "best" vision. Your best vision is the highest degree of vision that you achieved while wearing your contacts or eyeglasses.

After Surgery

Immediately after the procedure, your eye may burn, itch, or feel like there is something in it. You may experience some discomfort, or in some cases, mild pain and your doctor may suggest you take a mild pain reliever. Both your eyes may tear or water. Your vision will probably be hazy or blurry. You will instinctively want to rub your eye, but don't! Rubbing your eye could dislodge the flap, requiring further treatment. In addition, you may experience sensitivity to light, glare, starbursts or haloes around lights, or the whites of your eye may look red or bloodshot. These symptoms should improve considerably within the first few days after surgery. You should plan on taking a few days off from work until these symptoms subside. You should contact your doctor immediately and not wait for your scheduled visit, if you experience severe pain, or if your vision or other symptoms get worse instead of better.

You should see your doctor within the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery and at regular intervals after that for at least the first six months. At the first postoperative visit, your doctor will remove the eye shield, test your vision, and examine your eye. Your doctor may give you one or more types of eye drops to take at home to help prevent infection and/or inflammation. You may also be advised to use artificial tears to help lubricate the eye. Do not resume wearing a contact lens in the operated eye, even if your vision is blurry.

You should wait one to three days following surgery before beginning any non-contact sports, depending on the amount of activity required, how you feel, and your doctor's instructions.

To help prevent infection, you may need to wait for up to two weeks after surgery or until your doctor advises you otherwise before using lotions, creams, or make-up around the eye. Your doctor may advise you to continue scrubbing your eyelashes for a period of time after surgery. You should also avoid swimming and using hot tubs or whirlpools for 1-2 months.

Strenuous contact sports such as boxing, football, karate, etc. should not be attempted for at least four weeks after surgery. It is important to protect your eyes from anything that might get in them and from being hit or bumped.

During the first few months after surgery, your vision may fluctuate.

• It may take up to three to six months for your vision to stabilize after surgery.
• Glare, haloes, difficulty driving at night, and other visual symptoms may also persist during this stabilization period. If further correction or enhancement is necessary, you should wait until your eye measurements are consistent for two consecutive visits at least 3 months apart before re-operation.
• It is important to realize that although distance vision may improve after re-operation, it is unlikely that other visual symptoms such as glare or haloes will improve.
• It is also important to note that no laser company has presented enough evidence for the FDA to make conclusions about the safety or effectiveness of enhancement surgery.

Contact your eye doctor immediately, if you develop any new, unusual or worsening symptoms at any point after surgery. Such symptoms could signal a problem that, if not treated early enough, may lead to a loss of vision.

Sources

fda.gov, lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk, mayoclinic.org, aao.org, webmd.com, allaboutvision.com,