Things to Know Before Getting LASIK Surgery lasik durham nc, nearsightedness and astigmatism, Existing eye

Millions of Americans wear glasses or contacts to correct vision problems like farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. However, both options do have downsides: glasses can fall off during strenuous activities, while contacts can be complicated to put on. Many of those who suffer from some degree of vision impairment certainly welcome other ways to get vision correction.

In recent years, LASIK surgery has become the answer to that need. In this procedure, lasers are used to remove tiny parts of the cornea to correct the latter’s shape, thus leading to improved eyesight. Before getting the procedure, however, you need to check if you meet the conditions of a suitable candidate.

Good Health

As in all surgeries, even minor ones like LASIK, patients should ideally be in good health to avoid complications. If you have untreated diabetes, autoimmune diseases or collagen vascular ailments, LASIK surgery might not be for you.

Other Eye Problems

Existing eye problems like strabismus (muscle imbalance) or amblyopia (lazy eye) can affect the surgery’s success and impede healing, so make sure to disclose all eye conditions to your doctor before the procedure.

Break from Wearing Contacts?

Prior to surgery, your doctor will map out your cornea’s shape to determine how much to remove. However, wearing contact lenses for prolonged periods can change your cornea’s shape and throw off the measurements. To avoid this, you’ll be asked to stop wearing contacts and allow your cornea to return to its original shape prior to the surgery.

When Blurred Vision Gets in the Way

Nearsightedness defined

Myopia is an eye condition where the eyeball is too long for the cornea’s and the lens’ ability to focus, making it difficult to clearly see from afar. The condition can also happen when the eyes’ cornea and lens are too curved relative to the eyeball’s length. Myopia can be inherited and generally starts in childhood, particularly between ages 8-12.

What are the symptoms?
Nearsighted persons have blurred distance vision and are likely to squint their eyes frequently. More often than not, someone afflicted with myopia also experiences frequent eye strains or headaches.

How to treat myopia

A professional eye doctor will diagnose the degree of nearsightedness by means of a comprehensive eye exam. The blurred vision can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.

Eyeglasses and contact lens prescription will typically be preceded by a minus sign to indicate the degree of nearsightedness. Essentially, a higher number means that you are more nearsighted and you may need to wear your glasses or contact lenses all the time.

While surgical procedures are deemed to be more expensive, they can lessen the need for contacts or glasses. Laser technology or manual incisions are used to remove small amounts of corneal tissue to allow light rays to better focus on the retina.

What is Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis?

If you think that your eyesight is not as good as it used to be, then you should consider undergoing a LASIK treatment from a reputable ophthalmologist. It involves applying a special laser to your eye in order to correct any discrepancies in its focusing power. With LASIK treatment, any nearsightedness or farsightedness you’ve encountered before can be eliminated and you may no longer need to use glasses and contact lenses to see clearly.

The laser used in a LASIK treatment is known as an excimer which emits a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light using halide gases. It is designed to alter the shape of the cornea by removing some parts of it, and a doctor will need to exercise extreme caution to avoid inflicting any permanent damage to the eye. Choosing the best ophthalmologist for the treatment is highly recommended because an inexperienced practitioner may fail to correct your vision or worse, render you completely blind.

To improve your chances of a successful treatment, you should avoid wearing your prescription glasses and lenses for at least two weeks prior to the surgery to help your eyes adjust. Applying makeup, especially on your eyelashes, is also discouraged a day before your treatment to prevent the laser from triggering any unwanted chemical reactions in your skin. Finally, give your eyes plenty of rest, so you may want to avoid staring at the TV or the computer for a while. 

A Look into Cataract Surgery

When asked, most people will say that they want to grow old gracefully, but this means different things for different people. For some, it means resorting to cosmetic surgery to change their looks or make them look younger. For others, it means living life as they've normally done, without assistance from anyone. However, the latter is not possible if they suffer from the eye condition known as cataracts.

Cataracts occur when the eye lens begin to cloud, and vision becomes impaired. This condition is mostly age-related and is common in Americans age 65 and above. Since cataracts lead to impaired vision, those suffering from the condition are likely to experience difficulties in accomplishing household tasks on their own, like cooking or gardening. It can pose safety risks if a sufferer still insists on driving a vehicle himself.

Having someone help out with household tasks and someone to drive him to the places he needs to go to can provide a cataract sufferer relief and peace of mind in these situations. However, a better solution would be to see an eye doctor who can treat the condition and improve the vision, typically through prescription eyeglasses. In extreme cases when eyeglasses are barely any help in vision enhancement, the eye doctor will most likely recommend cataract surgery.