Health Chats
Eye Care: LASIK Surgery
Tuesday May 19, 2009, 05:00PM - 06:00PM (EST)
Dr. Omar Awad is a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist who is certified in VISX, Bausch & Lomb, Alcon LADARVision, VISX CustomVue, Bausch Zyoptix and Alcon Custom Cornea.<br><br>
At Lasik<b><i>Plus</b></i> we know your vision changes throughout your life. But the importance of caring for your eyes and maintaining your sight never goes away. With constant advances in technology, more people can now be considered excellent candidates for laser vision correction than ever before. Whether it’s the hassle and expense of glasses or contacts, health issues, or the desire to focus on what’s most important to you, you have your own unique reasons for considering laser vision correction. <br><br>
Everyone’s eyes are different, and not every procedure is appropriate for everyone. Having helped a million people nationwide through this process, we at Lasik<b><i>Plus</b></i> have a lot of information to share with you. <br><br>
If you are considering LASIK surgery, or just want to learn more about the procedure, join Omar E. Awad, MD as he answers your questions regarding laser eye surgery. You can also call one of our Lasik<b><i>Plus</b></i> specialists anytime at 1-866-921-2179 or visit us on the web at <a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/CHI/go/147163270/direct/01/" target="_blank">www.LasikPlus.com</a>. We look forward to hearing from you!
discostew:
How much does LASIK cost? I have seen a lot of differrent prices but what is the real average cost of the procedure for both eyes?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
The price advertising can be very confusing.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
As you can imagine, a place doing LASIK for $299/eye or $499/eye might not be doing the same thing as a place that charges $1500-2000/eye. In fact, I know they are not the same thing!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
A very low price provider is usually trying to break into an established market, and these providers often are out of business within a few years.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
A very high price center, or "boutique" type practice,will usually give a very high level of service, but not have really high volumes of patients.
Med Help:
We have time for one final question.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
At LasikPlus, we strive to make LASIK affordable to all, without cutting corners on ANYTHING.
Med Help:
We had a lot of questions today. If you have more questions or your question was not answered, please join us for an upcoming chat on LASIK surgery with Dr. Mitchell Jackson on June 16th. http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/register/22
Sylvian1984:
I have heard halos are common for a few weeks post op as your eyes are still healing then the halos go away, is this true?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Haloes are common for the first few weeks and then usually resolve. True!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Thank you all for submitting your questions!
UKSpark:
Can Lasik help if my vision is getting worse over time? Can it stop the problem? Also, what if you have to wear glasses for far and near vision, eg: bi-focals, can it correct both?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
I'll keep going as long as the window is open!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If your eyes are changing significantly, you might not be a candidate for LASIK. You should get an examination at your local LASIK center.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
To correct for far and near vision in someone who is presbyopic (over 40 usually), we can do what is called monovision. With monovision - we correct the dominant eye for far vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision.
mlb1234:
I have read that if you are nearsighted and have lasik you will still probably need reading glasses over age 40. Is that something you can have lasik again for later to correct? (i.e, can you have it twice, once now for nearsightedness and once later for farsightedness?)
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Yes. You can do this.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If you are a decade or more away from presbyopia (less that 33 years old now), there is a good chance that there may be a procedure to correct it. And having a previous LASIK should not affect your candidacy.
sk123:
My prescription is - 4.00 in the left eye and - 5.00 in the right eye. I have slight astigmatism, but I don't know how much. I wear contacts almost all the time and when I wear glasses, I feel like my eyes dry out. If LASIK makes dry eyes worse, is this still an option for me? Also, I do some amateur photography and find that I cannot manually focus the camera because my eyes are not sharp enough. If I have LASIK, will this correct my vision to the point where I can manually focus?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
You will need to see your local LASIK center to determine if you are an appropriate candidate. Usually LASIK will only correct your vision as much as your glasses or contacts can, although I have seen patients who can see better after LASIK than they did with glasses/contacts.
Med Help:
Thank you, Dr. Awad for joining us today and answering all of our questions. We learned a lot about LASIK and look forward to the next chat on June 16th. http://www.medhelp.org/health_chats/register/22. Don't forget to check out the chat archives.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Thank you!
