The Top 3 Benefits of LASIK Surgery
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery corrects your vision permanently, whether you're nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. Laser eye surgery is an excellent option for adults who no longer want to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Not sure if LASIK is right for you? Before you make your decision, take a few minutes to read about the key advantages of the popular refractive surgery.
LASIK Surgery Offers Proven Vision Benefits
Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1999, LASIK improves vision by changing the shape of the cornea, the clear tissue that covers the iris and pupil. According to the Refractive Surgery Council, more than 90% of people have 20/20 vision after the surgery, while 99% have 20/40 vision or better. Twenty/twenty vision refers to the ability to see an object clearly at a distance of 20'.
LASIK surgery corrects poor vision due to myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. The surgery can also improve your vision if you have presbyopia, an age-related vision issue. Presbyopia makes it difficult to see near objects and is the reason that many people 40 and over need reading glasses.
During LASIK surgery, your ophthalmologist uses a laser to create a flap in your cornea and reshape the tissue. Reshaping the cornea ensures that light focuses on the ideal spot on the retina. The retina is a layer of light-sensing cells at the back of the eye that sends visual information to the brain. If you're having LASIK surgery due to presbyopia, you may choose to have one eye corrected for distance vision and the other for near vision. These corrections make it possible to see clearly whether you're reading a book or looking at an object in the distance.
LASIK Makes Your Life Easier
There's a good reason that celebrities like Taylor Swift, Tiger Woods, Leighton Meister, Lucy Liu, and Jimmy Fallon chose LASIK. Like the millions of other people who have had LASIK, these celebrities wanted the freedom to leave home without worrying about their eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Although eyeglasses and contact lenses provide crisp, clear vision, both options have a few disadvantages. Glasses tend to slide down your nose when you exercise, fog up on cold days, or scratch if you drop them. Unfortunately, if you decide to leave your eyeglasses in their case, it's difficult to find your blanket on the beach, read important signs, or even recognize your friends and family members. Thanks to LASIK, you'll be able to say goodbye to your glasses.
Contact lenses also have a few drawbacks. Wearing the lenses in pools, lakes, oceans, or streams can increase your risk of eye infections due to exposure to microorganisms in the water. Allergies may also make it difficult to tolerate wearing contact lenses. In some cases, your contacts might not be comfortable no matter how many brands you try.
Contact lenses require careful cleaning to prevent serious eye infections. If cleaning is a hassle, or you've struggled with infections or allergies in the past, LASIK provides a good alternative to contact lenses as well.
LASIK Surgery Is Quick and Painless
LASIK surgery takes about 30 minutes, although you'll spend an hour or two in the recovery area before you go home. Before the surgery begins, your eye doctor numbs your eyes with special drops. You won't feel any pain during the procedure, but you may notice some pressure when your ophthalmologist makes the flaps in your corneas.
Your vision will be blurry after the procedure, but things will begin to look clearer in three or four hours. In the next few days after surgery, your vision will become sharper. Although it may take a few months for your eyesight to stabilize, you can resume your normal activities in a day or two. However, you will need to avoid sports or strenuous activities for a few weeks. You'll also need to avoid eye makeup for a few weeks.
Would you like to find out if LASIK is a good choice for you? Call our office to schedule an appointment with the ophthalmologist.
Sources:
American Academy of Ophthalmology: LASIK – Laser Eye Surgery, 11/9/2022
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/lasik
Refractive Surgery Council: LASIK
https://americanrefractivesurgerycouncil.org/lasik/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: What Should I Expect Before, During, and After Surgery?
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/lasik/what-should-i-expect-during-and-after-surgery
MedlinePlus: LASIK Eye Surgery, 2/17/2022
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007018.htm
All About Vision: Did You Know These 13 Celebrities Have All Had Laser Eye Surgery?, 4/8/2022
https://www.allaboutvision.com/refractive-surgery/lasik/celebrities-who-had-lasik/