If you’re tired of losing your eyeglasses or worrying about your contact lens hygiene, then you may be interested in having LASIK eye surgery. Degenerative eye diseases such as myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, or glaucoma can be painful and frustrating. Relying on corrective lenses is expensive with $15 billion being spent each year on eyewear by Americans.
Since LASIK eye surgery was first approved, 9.5 million people have undergone the procedure to improve their vision. Even the US military trusts LASIK surgery to improve the vision of those in specialist jobs, such as pilots or medics.
If you are interested in being more comfortable while driving at night, enjoying the great outdoors with your family or even just boosting your self-image by losing the glasses, you may be a good candidate for laser vision correction.
How Does Laser Eye Surgery Work?
LASIK (Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) eye surgery is the most common refractive procedure in the US. The surgery involves a highly qualified ophthalmologist making a small flap in the cornea of the eye in order to access the inner tissue.
You will have anesthetic eye drops applied before the procedure and have a surgical team with you the whole time. The procedure room will be tranquil and relaxed, and your doctor will let you know what to expect, some ophthalmologists even play a little calming music!
Your vision will be blurry during the procedure, but this is normal and nothing to worry about. The carefully calibrated laser then pulses light into the eye to gently re-shape the tissue and correct your vision.
How Much Does LASIK Surgery Cost?
Knowing the cost of laser eye correction is important when looking at options for your vision. The cost of LASIK does vary from clinic to clinic and depends on three main factors.
- How much your vision needs to be corrected – the worse your eyes are, the more expensive surgery is likely to be.
- The type of laser used – brand new custom mapping LASIK will cost more than the original laser technology.
- Your surgeon’s experience – highly skilled surgeons with many years of experience, may charge more.
The most important thing to remember is that it is best to consider various providers for your surgery in order to get the best fit for you. When visiting clinics and talking to surgeons, check exactly what is and is not included in the cost of your procedure. It is also useful to ask for testimonials or references from previous patients.
How Long Will It Take Me to Recover from Laser Eye Surgery?
When you go in for your LASIK surgery, you will probably be thinking about all the things your enhanced sight will allow to do. It will only take you a day or two though to resume your daily life, and in 3-6 months, your eye should be fully healed.
Immediately after the procedure, when the anesthetic eye drops wear off, there will be some discomfort, but you will be prescribed pain killers to take home. You will find that your vision is blurry and that you are sensitive to light, but that will wear off in a few days.
The ophthalmologist will ask you to rest for a few days to aid your recovery from surgery and you will probably more comfortable staying close to home as a hard shield or patch will cover your eye. Your eye may feel itchy or tear a lot, but it is important not to touch or rub it.
Working with your ophthalmologist through your whole journey from initial eye examination right up to post-operative recovery will ensure that your LASIK eye surgery has an overall great outcome. Remember to ask any questions so that you understand what is happening every step of the way.
