If you wear glasses or contact lenses, chances are you have thought or even looked into LASIK eye surgery. This surgery has taken the optical world by storm, it promises to let you leave your glasses or contacts in the past, or at least to lessen your dependence upon them. As the procedure becomes more popular, it is easier to find a doctor or an office that will perform the surgery for you.

Before you decide that LASIK surgery is right for you, make sure that you know all the facts, and how they might affect you. LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a surgery that changes the cornea shape, this is a permanent change that is made using a laser and a special knife. This is what allows you to become fewer dependants upon your glasses or contact lenses as most wearers suffer from a misshaped cornea.

Before the surgery, you will need to consult with an optometrist that specializes in LASIK surgery. The doctor will conduct a number of tests to determine if you are a good candidate for the surgery. If it is determined that you are a good candidate, the doctor should be able to tell you how much of a change in your eyesight can be expected after the surgery.

Several things are taken into consideration when a doctor evaluates you for the surgery. For example, if you have had a change in your eyewear prescription within the last year, LASIK is not for you. The eyes need to be stable for at least a year, preferably longer to ensure that they aren’t going to change shape on their own. If you have a history of certain diseases, LASIK may not be the right choice for you either. Having a history of Glaucoma, Herpes, eye injuries or thin corneas, are a few of the reasons that would disqualify you for the surgery.

Now you have been checked out by a doctor and are ready to proceed on your road to a future without glasses. It is important that you know what to expect during the surgery as well.

When you go in for the actual surgery, you will be placed in a reclined position. You will receive a numbing solution in the eye that is being operated on. The doctor will use a special speculum to hold the eyelid open and a large machine with a microscope will be aimed at the eye. A ring will be applied to your eye with hard pressure, this is to create a suction affect on the cornea, the doctor will the use a knife to cut the part of the cornea that needs to be reshaped. Your vision will be blurred during this part of the procedure.

After the cornea has been cut the ring is removed, at this point, you will be able to see, although this will come and go during the rest of the LASIK surgery. This is the part of the operation where the laser is introduced, two actually. The first laser is for your eye to focus on; the second is the working laser.

The machine with the microscope is also attached to a computer. This computer is what controls the amount of strength that is available in the laser. Before the procedure, the surgeon will have programmed how much tissue needs to be removed from the cornea, based on the tests in the first visit. The computer then, stops the laser when the exact amount of tissue has been removed.

Your surgery is essentially done! There are a few rules for after the procedure that your doctor will go over with you, but most people are back to daily life within a couple of days.

Lasik can be the answer for many patients with vision problems. As medical advancement paves the way to safer, more precise procedures, laser eye surgery is becoming the preferred choice for vision correction. However, Lasik surgery is not for everyone. Learn more and determine if Lasik is right for you.

Patients who are nearsighted, farsighted or suffer from astigmatism may be appropriate candidates for Lasik. Depending on your overall health, the condition of your eyes and vision correction needs, an alternative laser eye surgery may be more appropriate. In order to determine if Lasik is right for you, schedule a Lasik prescreening exam with an experienced laser eye surgeon.

Risks, Responsibility and Lasik Surgery

Lasik, as with all surgical procedures, carries an unavoidable level of risk. Results vary for each patient and may not last. There is a chance that your Lasik surgery may result in over-correction or under-correction. Additional procedures, if applicable, may be required.

However, there are ways to significantly reduce the risk. Following preoperative and postoperative instructions from your Lasik surgeon is an essential part of your success. The doctor can make an accurate evaluation of your candidacy for Lasik during the screening process.

Your Profession and Lasik Surgery

With Lasik success rates continually improving, many careers and services that previously prohibited laser eye surgery are starting to come around. Pilots and members of the military may now qualify for Lasik. You must first check with your service or employer regarding any restrictions and conditions against laser eye surgery.

Refractive Instability and Lasik Surgery

Patients who experience refractive instability may need to postpone laser eye surgery until vision has stabilized. Common conditions that cause vision to fluctuate are Diabetes, pregnancy and nursing. If you are planning to conceive, wait at least six months after Lasik surgery.

Age is another determinant for refractive instability. You must also be at least 18 and without changes to your prescription for at least 12 months. Certain medications can also cause vision to fluctuate. Discuss all medications, including over the counter drugs and vitamin supplements with your Lasik surgeon.

The Health of Your Eyes and Lasik Surgery

As part of the screening, the Lasik surgeon will give you a thorough medical eye exam. Any eye conditions that may aggravate and prolong recovery will be evaluated carefully. The doctor will check for conditions such as dry eyes, conjunctivitis and allergies. You may need to wait until symptoms subside prior to laser eye surgery.

There are certain eye conditions that may disqualify you from Lasik altogether. Glaucoma, Keratonusus and cataracts may not be appropriate for Lasik. In this case, your laser eye surgeon can provide other alternatives to Lasik.

Lasik may not be appropriate for patients with thin corneas. The use of a microkeratome blade during Lasik can cause complications for patients with insufficient cornea thickness. Also, patients with large pupils may be at risk for problems with night vision and sensitivity to light after Lasik. If symptoms do not subside after six months, corrective surgery may be necessary.

Your Medical History and Lasik

In addition to evaluating the heath of your eyes, the surgeon will examine your overall health. Any conditions that lower immunity, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, HIV and other immunodeficiency states can be a serious hindrance to the healing period. Medications like steroids and retinoic acids also affect immunity.

It’s a pretty well-established fact that most people experience a decline in the quality of their vision when they hit their forties. And, with a very large population of baby boomers now in their forties and above, the demand for corrective eye surgery to help improve these common vision problems has been on the rise. But many senior citizens question if it is worth it to have Lasik eye surgery in their later years.

The answer, according to experienced ophthalmologists and laser eye surgeons, is that people are eligible for laser eye surgery at just about any stage of life. Those experiencing problems with their eyesight can enjoy improvement with correction laser vision surgery. The main vision problems that can be improved with corrective eye surgery are astigmatism, far-sightedness and near-sightedness.

Lasik eye surgery in virtually any stage of life is considered a very low risk procedure, overall. But, there are a few precautions that doctors recommend to those who are a bit older. One common condition that the elderly deal with is eye dryness and therefore, after Lasik eye surgery, the elderly are strongly encouraged to take extra care to be sure to keep the eyes well-hydrated and lubricated with eye drops.

Lubrication of the eyes after Lasik eye surgery is not only important for those who are having the procedure done in their later years. Keeping the eyes moist and keeping them from drying out is an important part of aftercare for everyone who has undergone corrective eye surgery, but it is even more crucial for the elderly and for anyone who tends to naturally have dry eyes.

Using eyedrops routinely after the corrective procedure is a very simple, yet very effective way to avoid problems and complications. The laser eye surgery clinic will provide the patient with the proper lubricating eye drops for post-surgery use.

One of the reasons why eye surgery in the later years is still safe and effective is because overall the procedure has proven to have very few complications and has very low risk. This is because the surface of the eye is not cut with traditional surgical instruments, which can cause damage to the cornea.

Instead, the small cut that needs to be made is accomplished with a laser beam. This means the incision will be tiny, accurate and extremely clean. All of these factors result in much less risk of infection and other complications.

However, even with a very good track record of success, eye surgery in general is not completely foolproof. Corrective eye surgery patients experience complications from the procedure or disappointing results approximately 5% of the time. When the procedure does not go well, the patient might end up having fluctuating vision, seeing halos around light sources, having increased sensitivity to glaring light, and possibly experiencing more dryness of the eyes.

Even though most laser eye surgeons are in agreement that Lasik eye surgery in the later stages of life is still a viable and effective option, they also mention that Lasik vision surgery is not the right procedure for everyone. There are conditions, such as glaucoma and presbyopia, which will not be corrected through laser eye surgery. In fact, with glaucoma, such a procedure can even worsen the condition.

When it comes to caring for your eyes and eyesight, regular visits to a good eye doctor are essential. An eye test every 2 years is a good idea.

During those check-ups, the eye doctor will examine your eyes not only for acuity of vision, but also for early signs of certain eye problems which can creep up on us quietly and steal our eyesight. As we approach the age of 40, it?s time to pay more attention to these possibilities.

Here are some eye diseases to ask about.

Glaucoma

? Ask your eye doctor for a glaucoma pressure test.

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions related to the pressure inside the eyeball (intraocular pressure). Our eyes need a certain amount of pressure to work correctly, but in glaucoma, that pressure is increased.

The higher pressure causes no discomfort or pain

Without a pressure test done by an eye doctor, we wouldn?t know the pressure had increased. But it works silently to damage the optic nerve, where it leaves the eyeball to carry visual information to our brain.

What increases the intraocular pressure in glaucoma is blocked drainage.

? Normally, the eye fluid (aqueous fluid, unrelated to tears) can drain from the eye back into the bloodstream by seeping through tiny channels in the inside corners of the eyes.

? As fluid is created, some drains out, keeping the intraocular pressure even and steady.

When the aqueous fluid is blocked from draining out enough to balance the new fluid being created, the intraocular pressure rises, progressively damaging the optic nerve, and causing us to gradually become blind.

Detached retina

? Ask for a full eye examination to check on the condition of the retina.

Our eyes are like little cameras and the retina is like the film. It?s the inside back surface of the eye, where images are formed of what we see, and are then transmitted as electrical activity to the brain, by the optic nerve.

If the retina is at all weakened, for example by a little hole or tear, then gradually the eye fluid (intraocular fluid) can leak underneath it and cause it to peel off.

When it?s not smoothly lining the back of the eyeball, it stops functioning well as the film in this little camera. Images deposited on it are now blurry or dim.

Aside from blurriness, you might notice

? A shadow encroaching on your vision on one side;

? Occasional bright flashes; and/or

? Showers of dark spots (floaters).

If these symptoms become more severe and you notice any diminishing of your vision, see an eye doctor immediately, to avoid progressive damage to your eyesight.

This condition can be treated, either by a laser or a freezing treatment, if it?s caught early enough. If not, surgery under general anesthesia will be needed.

Cataracts

? Ask what might be the cause of your visual symptoms.

Just as a camera has a lens which focuses light onto the film, so our eyes have a lens which focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye.

Sometimes, most often as we age, the lens can become cloudy. This will impair our vision, and cleaning our glasses will be of no help.

Symptoms

? Lights may become too bright, dazzling you

? Colors may start looking faded

? Things may look misty or dim

If you find that you?re having trouble with driving, reading, using the computer, or any other activities that require good visual acuity, see an eye doctor without delay.

Uveitis

? Ask what?s causing this inflammation in your eyes and whether it can be cured.

The uvea is the middle layer of tissue around our eyeball, with the outer layer being the sclera (including the cornea), and the inner layer the retina, which is at the back, but also curves around towards the front of the eye.

The uvea can become inflamed in a number of ways that are different in each individual. There are many causes for it, many ways it can affect other parts of the eye, and some other conditions in the body that it can relate to.

The term intraocular inflammation is used to include all the variations. There are many tests that your eye doctor could run, depending on how the uveitis appears in your case.

Treatment goals

? If there?s pain or discomfort, to relieve it

? Preventing loss of eyesight

? To address the cause, if that?s possible

Your eye doctor may prescribe some type of eye drops, or corticosteriods, or some newer drug. Once it occurs, uveitis tends to stay, and must be controlled when it can?t be cured.

Nearsightedness has plagued humanity for centuries, probably since Cave Man days. Attempts to correct it have mostly been the engine driving refractive surgery experiments and leading to our modern LASIK procedures.

Ancient Chinese people are said to have slept with sandbags on their eyes, to flatten the corneas and correct for nearsightedness. Leonardo da Vinci in fifteenth century Italy doodled diagrams of the eye and ways vision might be impaired. Nineteenth century Europe came up with a procedure using a spring-mounted mallet to flatten the cornea. Another procedure used a strong rubber band. Luckily for us, eye surgery has become more subtle in recent years.

In the U.S., eye drop anesthetics appeared in the mid 19th century, and after the Civil War, some surgeries were done to treat cataracts. They developed a device to measure the cornea?s curvature after cataract surgery (called a keratometer). Also in the 19th century, Dr. Snellen in Holland came up with the vision chart which eye doctors still use today, with the large E at the top.

The idea that the shape of the cornea is central in good eyesight has been around for a long time, but no effective action was taken until after a late 19th century Dutch doctor, Leendert Jan Lans, wrote a treatise on how astigmatism could be corrected with certain cuts in the cornea. He did some experiments on rabbits and before long, people in Italy and Germany were doing similar work. Experiments were done in many countries for about fifty years.

20th century progress

? In 1936, Tsutomu Sato in Japan noticed that some people with eye injuries had flatter corneas. Having read Lans? treatise, he followed it up with surgeries that placed tiny incisions in the cornea to flatten it, and thus laid the foundation for the procedure we know as Radial Keratotomy (RK).

? In 1948, an American Air Force physician noticed that when cockpit windscreens shattered and sent slivers of Perspex into the pilot?s eyes, it was not a great problem. In other words, the pilots? eyes were able to tolerate the presence of Perspex. So he began designing plastic lenses that could be implanted in the eye. Thus we have the basis of cataract surgery and Intraocular Lenses (IOLs)

? In 1949, a Columbian doctor, Jose Barraquer, used a microkeratome (still used today) to create a corneal flap. He removed it entirely, rather than folding it back as eye surgeons do today. He froze it and then changed its shape with a device called a cryolathe, which precisely shaved a tiny portion of it off. Presumably that thawed-out flap was replaced on the eye and healed up, much as LASIK flaps heal up today.

? During the mid-twentieth century, several Russian eye doctors experimented with RK and determined that 16 incisions or less was enough to correct nearsightedness, and one of them, named Fyodorov, presented convincing evidence that this could be done with great precision to control the exact amount of correction. RK was begun in the U.S. in 1978.

? In 1980, still trying to correct nearsightedness, two American doctors tried using the heat of a carbon dioxide laser to shrink parts of the cornea and thus change its curvature. Now the progress speeded up. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, various lasers were used in Germany and the U.S. and combined with use of a microkeratome to make the corneal flap. The name laser in-situ keratomileusis was coined for this procedure, abbreviated as LASIK. PRK was also developed during these years.

U.S. clinical LASIK trials in the 1990s led to FDA approvals of the excimer laser in LASIK procedures for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism between 1995 and 1999.

Following the FDA approvals, LASIK surgeons hung their shingles out all over the country, and many people had LASIK who shouldn?t have had it. Patient screening has improved greatly, reducing side effects and giving better results for the good candidates. When choosing your LASIK surgeon, check each doctor?s qualifications and background, and schedule a consultation. Ask how long he or she has been performing LASIK, and how many procedures have been done. With only one pair of eyes, it?s important to trust them only to responsible and qualified eye doctors.

Many people who have the desire for Lasik surgery are worried about getting it, because they also have glaucoma. They become concerned that they will damage their eyes through Lasik or that the procedure will make their glaucoma worse. While it is understandable that a person is worried about his or her eyesight and wants to protect it, many concerns about Lasik can be alleviated by talking to an eye doctor and having one?s questions answered. By doing this, a patient can make the best and most informed decision, leading to the best outcome, whatever the decision is.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes a gradual loss of vision. It is generally caused by high intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the eye). However, it is important to remember that the thickness of a person?s cornea and other factors can affect eye pressure. What is high to one person might not be high to another person, so checking it over time and watching carefully for any damage or risk factors is important. High intraocular pressure that is uncontrolled and not ?normal? for a person — someone with thicker corneas, for example, will generally have higher eye pressure — can cause a deterioration of the optic nerve. A person will notice that their peripheral vision becomes less and less, and eventually, if not treated, the person will be looking ?through a tunnel? before losing vision completely.

There is Good News

There is some good news on two fronts. First, glaucoma is treatable. Once vision is lost, it cannot be recovered. However, the vision that has not yet been lost can be saved through prescription medications that stop or drastically slow the progression of the disease. Second, there is no evidence that Lasik surgery either causes glaucoma or makes it worse. The Lasik procedure deals with the cornea of the eye, as opposed to dealing with the inside of the eye. Since the intraocular pressure is inside the eye, it is not affected by it. The only ?concern? is that the pressure in the eye after Lasik may read lower than it actually is, so an eye doctor should be made aware of this. Beyond that, however, there are no other concerns when it comes to Lasik and glaucoma.

The Lasik Procedure

The procedure that takes place during Lasik is a relatively simple one. The patient is given a sedative if needed, and anesthetic drops are placed in the eyes to numb them. The eye is held open with a gentle restraint and a flap is cut in the corner. Sometimes this is done with a blade, but more and more people are offering bladeless Lasik, meaning that the laser is used to cut the flap. After the flap is cut and folded back, the laser is used to reshape the inner layers of the cornea. When the laser is done, the corneal flap is put back into place and begins to heal almost immediately. Medicated eye drops are given to the patient to put in his or her eye, and specific after-care instructions are also given, so that the chance of any kind of complication will be reduced. The entire Lasik procedure takes about 15 minutes, and is considered to be extremely safe.

For more and more people, Lasik is becoming the option that they choose to correct their vision. It is much safer than it used to be, and there are fewer complications as well.

Recent studies indicate that laser eye surgery has now surpassed contact lenses for safety, which means more people will likely be getting the surgery. For example, for someone who has glaucoma, there is no need to worry about Lasik making it worse or causing any kind of problem.

For those of us who deal with the ramifications of less than perfect vision on a daily basis, we know how much our routines can center on maintaining our eyewear; from uncomfortable glasses that get in our way, to contact lenses that dry our eyes and always seem to go missing at the most inopportune moments. And when you add to that the expense of vision treatment for those who wear glasses or contacts, it can be downright frustrating. But what most people have come to discover is that corrective laser eye surgery - a procedure that takes less than an hour and costs considerably less than a lifetime of vision correction prescriptions - can not only perfect your vision but address a number of eye conditions with which many people suffer.

Corrective laser eye surgery can allow you to finally have the vision you have always wanted; most patients are able to achieve 20/20 vision even immediately following the procedure. For those who have suffered with poor vision their entire lives, this can be a miracle procedure. And for those who suffer from such degenerative conditions as dry eye - wherein sufferers experience itchy, burning eyes, glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, corrective laser eye surgery can be a saving grace.

When most people think of corrective laser eye surgery they immediately think of Lasik surgery - a popular procedure that is used to correct vision. But the truth is that corrective eye surgery is rather like an umbrella phrase under which all manner of corrective procedures fall. Lasik is indeed one of the procedures that falls under this umbrella and is considered to be an excimer laser procedure - through which the cornea of the eye is reshaped by laser. Lasik - and the procedures like it - correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The difference between the various excimer laser procedures is the type of laser that is used and the technique that is followed depending on what particular procedure is likely to bring you the most success based on the condition and shape of your eyes.

Non-excimer laser procedures are another group that falls with corrective laser eye surgery. Such procedures involve one of three things: the insertion of permanent lenses into the eye, the reshaping of the eye using laser energy or radio waves instead of lasers themselves, or the actual cutting of the eye. These procedures are meant for those who experience severely compromised vision or cataracts.

Other corrective eye surgery may include more complex and comprehensive procedures such as cornea transplants during which healthy tissue from a donor eye is transplanted into the eye of someone whose own cornea has been compromised due to injury or illness. There is also a procedure that is used to treat Keratoconus - or the bulging of the corneas; during this procedure the surgeon places plastic inserts (Intacs) onto the corners of the cornea to flatten them.

Not surprisingly, as technology continues to advance, corrective laser eye surgery continues to make similar advancements. More and more people have come to discover that it is no longer necessary to live with permanent vision impairment. If you feel that you may be a candidate for such procedures, see your eye doctor for a thorough examination.

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Trabeculectomy Eye Surgery

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What Is Trabeculectomy ?

When glaucoma continues to progress despite the use of medication regimens and possibly laser treatments, a glaucoma filtration procedure (trabeculectomy) may be recommended. In general, a glaucoma filtration procedure is recommended when these other methods of glaucoma management have failed or have insufficiently controlled the progression of glaucoma…

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The Procedure

Once the decision is made to proceed with a glaucoma filtration procedure, the surgery is scheduled. The procedure is completed in the operating room, usually under local anesthesia. Some ophthalmologists will complete the procedure under topical (eye drop) anesthesia. On the day of surgery, one should expect to have several eye drop medications applied multiple times to the eye for approximately one hour prior to the procedure…

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Diagnosis/Preparation

The procedure is fully explained and any alternative methods to control intraocular pressure are discussed. Antiglaucoma drugs are prescribed before surgery. Added pressure on the eye caused from coughing or sneezing should be avoided. Several eye drops are applied immediately before surgery. The eye is sterilized, and the patient draped. A speculum is inserted to keep the eyelids apart during surgery…

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After Your Operation

In most cases, a patch and shield will be placed over your eye on the day of surgery. This is usually removed later that day or the day after surgery and eye drop medications are begun. Your surgeon will usually want to evaluate your eye on the day of surgery or on the first post-operative day. At that time, depending on pressure in the eye, your surgeon might elect to cut sutures on the flap of the filter to modulate the filtration process. This is often done with a laser while in the office…

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Alternatives

Physicians will first try to lower IOP with glaucoma medications. Several types of eye drops are effective for this use. Sometimes a patient must instill more than one eye drop, several times a day. Compliance is very important when using these eye drops; missed dosages will raise IOPs…

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Lasik eye surgery is used to cure three main types of eye conditions-myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. myopia, also know as nearsightedness is the problem of not being able to see what is far away without glasses. hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is the other way round. Astigmatism is something different where the patient has irregularities in his cornea which as a result distorts the image formed on the retina of the eye.

This surgery has been embraced by many a patient over the last decade to correct some specific eye defects. It has caught the imagination of people and has been gaining popularity every year. But this surgery does have its own effects and it varies from one patient to another. So before you actually decide on getting a eye surgery done, you should always consider the pros and the cons.

Operation comes with its own set of risks and they should always be considered seriously before you actually sign-up for an operation. Problems that might be caused due to this eye surgery are double vision, glare, and halo. One’s nighttime vision can also be affected, especially for certain operation procedures. Even permanent blurry vision and diminished contrast may be the effects of this operation.

There are a few basic things that any optometrist will look for before a this surgery. That would primarily include your eye health history. In case of a particular few diseases the chances of you undergoing a surgery will significantly decrease. These would include glaucoma, herpes, eye injuries or thin corneas. Any of these conditions can disqualify you as a suitable candidate for this operation. Another important criterion is whether there has been an alteration in your eyewear prescription over the last year. Before a operation of your eyes should be steady. If they are not then the optometrist might just postpone the surgery for a few months until he is satisfied that your eyes are ready to undergo that surgery.

As more and more people opt for this eye operation, the costs for the same are going down every day. But still the price might be a bit too high for many to bear. On an average one needs to pay around $1800 for the surgery of a single eye.

Laser eye surgery essentially falls into two categories: photorefractive keratectomy, and lasik, or laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis. These two types of laser surgery have been modified to create variations on the same theme. Lasek as opposed to lasik is a more modern version of pkr. All these procedures are conducted with the patient fully conscious, and drops are used to dull any sensations in the eyes.

Not everyone with eye defects is the ideal candidate for laser surgery. The risks involved are many, and serious enough not to ignore. An educated choice is always the best way to proceed.