Lasik Surgery Lasik Eye Surgery Information It is important for patients to be aware of important LASIK eye surgery information, such as Lasik Surgery complications and benefits associated with the procedure. Your sight could depend on it. As with any surgery, there are risks when undergoing LASIK eye surgery. There is a possibility that you could be under-treated or over-treated, requiring additional treatment or the need for glasses or contacts after surgery. In addition, side effects of LASIK can include dry eye, glare, or halos with night vision, and in rare cases, permanent vision loss. However, in the majority of cases, LASIK eye surgery produces excellent results in patients. Many individuals who undergo the LASIK procedure experience 20/20 vision or better and eliminate their need for contact lenses or glasses. This freedom allows patients to swim, play sports, enjoy a day at the beach, and participate in a range of other activities, with no restrictions. The procedure is considered both safe and effective, with more than a million people undergoing LASIK eye surgery each year. Get more information about the risks and benefits of LASIK. Find a LASIK surgeon for more information This LASIK information is intended to provide a brief overview of the procedure. Contact a qualified ophthalmologist for more LASIK eye surgery information specific to your case, or to learn about other laser vision correction treatments that may be right for you. Since LASIK is surgery, it is important that you choose your LASIK surgeon with care. Extensive research and visits to several LASIK surgeons are recommended. Camden Medical Centre, Gleneagles Medical centre & Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre provide Lasik Surgery services. There are a number of reasons why you should do eye laser surgery, but also many reasons why you shouldn't. This article examines those reasons, in order that you can make an informed decision if eye laser surgery (or Lasik) is right for you. To start, we can discuss the conditions which are certainly treatable by Lasik, and mean that you could or you should do eye laser surgery. Myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia farsightedness or astigmatism are all treatable by eye laser surgery. As long as your vision has remained unchanged for at least two years, then you would probably experience benefit from having the procedure done. There are some caveats to these though, and we can start with your age. If you are under 18 years old, then eye laser surgery is most definitely not right for you. The FDA has not approved any laser for the use of LASIK for people under 18, because in all likelihood, your visions prescription will still be changing. There is also the legal argument that minors may not be able to sign a legal consent form.  There are also some other considerations. You should be aware that eye laser surgery, like all other surgical procedures, does come with some risks attached to it, and your vision at the end may be less than perfect. Furthermore, it is possible that you may encounter side effects such as a 'glare' effect. If you are not willing to accept the potential risks, then eye laser surgery is not right for you. Once the Lasik procedure has been completed, there will be a significant amount of time required to recover. In other words results will not be immediate. You will also need to follow a fairly strict regime of medications such as eye drops. If you feel unable to do this, then eye laser surgery is not right for you. If you have any of the following conditions: Diabetes Auto immune diseases If you are Immunocompromised at all Collagen vascular disease Then you should not be considering to do eye laser surgery. If you are taking any medications which might impair or prevent your natural healing, then you should not be considering to do eye laser surgery. The type of medications in question are steroids or immunosuppressants. There are a number of existing eye conditions which also mean that you should not be considering to do eye laser surgery. Some of the conditions in question are as follows:- Keratoconus or other corneal thinning disorder Corneal scarring Glaucoma Cataracts A recent occurrence of ocular herpes. Retinal disease Dry eye Any of these conditions should preclude you from undertaking eye laser surgery. I hope this article has been of use, and you leave better informed about eye laser surgery than when you arrived. If you have doubts or questions, then always refer to your Lasik surgeon or doctor. Camden Medical Centre, Gleneagles Medical centre & Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre provide Lasik Surgery services. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new custom lasik procedure in September of 2005. This new procedure can now treat many patients who were previously ineligible for the surgery. Nearsightedness Nearsightedness occurs when the eye is too long and light rays focus in front of the retina, instead of focusing on the retina. Some of the symptoms of nearsightedness are blurred distant vision, eyestrain, and squinting, along with having a difficult time seeing at night. Although nearsightedness can be easily fixed with glasses or contact lenses (when not too severe), many people don't like to hassle with either one. With this new lasik procedure, folks will now be able to have pure vision. Astigmatism Astigmatism is the effect of the eye being shaped like a football, instead of round like a baseball. This deformity -- where the light rays focus on two points on the retina instead of one -- results in blurred vision, double vision, and shadows on letters when reading. Until recently, this deformity has prevented some people from even getting contact lenses. Breakthroughs in contact lenses have only helped those with slight astigmatism. However, with this new lasik procedure, patients can now have their eyes repaired to normal, or at least be repaired enough to comfortably wear contact lenses.  Either way, their vision is enhanced and many are happy just to get rid of the glasses and finally be able to wear contacts, or possibly nothing at all. Farsightedness Farsightedness happens when light rays focus behind the retina instead of on the retina, resulting in blurred near vision. Some patients with severe farsightedness have to step back from what they are reading and others require magnifying glasses to see something that is right in front of them. People with farsightedness can see you 30 feet away, but when you get right up close they can't see you! This can be embarrassing and cause the afflicted person much insecurity along with the feeling that they are going blind. Farsightedness is easily remedied by wearing glasses to read and see things up close, but it's very inconvenient to constantly be taking your glasses on and off. Not only is it inconvenient, you take the chance of leaving your glasses behind. Some patients keep their glasses on a chain so they won't lose them, but this makes them feel old. Now, lasik surgery is another option for these patients. New Laser Technology The FDA recently approved the new Visx STAR Excimer laser system. This fantastic breakthrough in technology allows doctors to do more than they ever could before, giving them the ability to reshape the eye to correct astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness. Before this marvelous breakthrough these patients were not good candidates for lasik eye surgery. They now can join the rest of the vision impaired and have the option for lasik. Recent FDA studies show that over 98% of all patients receiving these new procedures were seeing 20/40 or better 6 months after surgery. Over 84% were seeing much better than 20/20 after 6 months. Now that's reason to celebrate! New breakthroughs in lasik eye surgery technology are happening all the time. Now people don't have to be inconvenienced by the hassle of glasses or contacts. All they want to do is to be able to get up in the morning and see normally. These breakthroughs in lasik technology are giving them an improved quality of life that once was unattainable. Cosmetic Surgery Eyes Certain factors such as stress, exposure to sunlight, cigarette smoke and pollution and age can all affect the way our eyes and the area around it look. Heavy eye bags, wrinkles and loose or droopy skin around the eyes can be unsightly and may make you look older than your real age. For these, the application of creams around the area may not simply work. Blurred vision due to conditions like astigmatism, near sightedness and far sightedness can be a burden to a lot of people too. Wearing eyeglasses or being highly dependent on contact lenses can be cumbersome. If you are serious about changing these problems, you might want to try laser cosmetic eye surgery. A common problem is drooping eyelids. An option for this is blepharoplasty or eyelift. This is one of the most common cosmetic procedures done on the face. It can be done on the upper or lower eyelid, depending on where the patient needs it. Most commonly addressed problems involving the upper eyelids are droopiness and puffiness. For the lower eyelids, the common problem is the presence of fat deposits. These make the eye look tired and in some cases, people even find it difficult to apply make up on these problem areas. They can also have an effect on vision since drooping eyelids can block the eyes. It can also lead to further development of wrinkles around the eyes. These procedures however, do not correct crow's feet or wrinkles around the eyes. These may require separate surgical procedures. Laser eye surgery is also not just performed for aesthetic or cosmetic reasons. They also work in correcting eye problems involving vision. Common vision problems arise from distortions on the surface of the cornea affecting the way light is refracted. To correct this, laser eye surgery is formed, usually in the form of LASIK, which stands for laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis. Another procedure is photorefractive keratectomy or PRK. These procedures involve lifting the cornea and using laser beams to re-shape the tissue underneath it. These procedures are quick and patients have reported only minor stinging during the procedure. After this, the patient will have to wear soft and thin contact lenses for protection. The recovery period is also shorter and the person can go back to his normal activities in a matter of days. Laser cosmetic eye surgery is considerably low risk and can be done in a very short time, sometimes even at the doctor's office only. However, the eyes are such sensitive parts of the body so better ask the doctor for possible side effects and after effects once the procedure is done. Some common complaints after laser cosmetic eye surgery procedures are increased sensitivity to light and some pain. These normally clear up in a matter of days and should they persist for more than 4 days, the doctor must be consulted. Medication is often given to counter potential infections. These medications can be taken orally or in the form of eye drops. Scarring is also a potential problem and should be addressed immediately since it can also lead to loss of vision. People of ages 20 to 50 are good candidates for laser cosmetic eye surgery. Younger people have eyes that are still undergoing development and people older than 50 may have developed more serious eye diseases. Do not hesitate to ask your physician how many times he has performed the same procedure, and ask everything from benefits to potential risks. Remember that what is at stake here is not just how good your eyes look but also how well they will function later on. Laser cosmetic eye surgery has a lot to offer and to better understand it means healthier and more beautiful eyes.