Did you know that 195 million people in the United States have undergone some kind of vision corrective surgery? There are usually three reasons why people would go through such eye surgery – to fix their nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
Are you considering undergoing LASIK eye surgery and wondering if it’s worth the money and effort? Before you start looking into how much laser eye surgery costs, let’s look into the three kinds of eye surgeries available and what they are all about.
1. LASIK
This is the most common laser eye surgery performed in the United States. The main benefit of using LASIK eye surgery is that patients do not experience much discomfort during or after the procedure, which is ideal especially since it’s related to the precious visual sense.
In this procedure, a corneal flap is folded back to reveal the corneal tissue below, and then it’s reshaped using a laser. Once reshaped, the corneal flap is replaced. It usually only takes 10 minutes for each eye.
2. LASEK
If you have thin corneas, then LASEK eye surgery would be more appropriate for you. In this procedure, instead of cutting a flap, alcohol is used to lift the top layer of the eye tissue and is folded back. Then the underlying corneal tissue gets reshaped using a laser and replaced.
The healing process is in this laser eye surgery takes longer, about a week, and the patients have to wear a special contact lens while the healing takes place.
3. PRK
PRK had lost favor when LASIK arrived on the scene, but now it’s gaining in popularity again. In this laser eye surgery procedure, the corneal tissue gets reshaped directly from the outside (without creating a flap or removing any outside corneal tissue). Again, if you have thin corneas, this is a preferable form of corrective eye surgery.
But patients will experience discomfort during and after the procedure, more so than LASIK or LASEK, and the recovery time is much longer than both as well. Patients also will notice sensitivity to light and increased glare, especially when in low light conditions.
As there are so many different options available for corrective eye surgery, it’s always a good idea to speak to an ophthalmologist first. Thinking about getting eye surgery done for your child? Click to find the ‘best pediatric ophthalmologist near me‘.
Laser Eye Surgery Isn’t Something to Go Into Lightly
No matter how popular a surgical option might be, it still has side effects and complications included within it. That’s why if you are considering eye surgery, consider all your options with care and scrutiny.
Do not go into it lightly. Of course, you would want to be able to see without glasses or contact lenses, but it doesn’t mean that you gamble with this most important sense organ of yours.
Did you find this article useful? Don’t forget to check out related articles on our website for more insightful topics.