Eye Care: LASIK Surgery
Tuesday Sep 15, 2009, 05:00PM - 06:00PM (EST)
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!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
It depends on how severe the myopia is and on the shape and thickness of your cornea. I suggest a visit to your local Lasik center to see if you are a candidate.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Myopia itself carries a risk for retinal holes, tears, detachments - this is because a myopic eye is usually longer and the retina is stretched out over more area making it thinner. LASIK surgery only reshapes the front of the eye - the cornea - so you would still have the same retinal risks even if you were no longer myopic thanks to the LASIK.
jCube:
Hi, I know one possible consequence of Lasik is glare/halos at night, and I know that sometimes these symptoms can last several months, sometimes longer. Does this mean generally the patient will be unable to drive in this time?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Glare and haloes certainly can happen after LASIK, but I believe this was more common with previous generation of LASIK lasers. The newest generation of lasers work amazingly well, and we have see the incidence of glare/haloes drop significantly. Ten years ago I used to see and hear of people who could not drive for a few months after surgery due to the glare, but I have not seen this in the recent past. I believe this is due to the improvements in the newest generation of lasers.
meyerm123:
I suffer from acute astigmatism and have worn glasses from the age of four. I changed to hard contact lenses, which is much more convenient, when I was 18 years old. I am now 24. If I get LASIK eye surgery, and the operation is not successful, will it prevent me from wearing contact lenses again? I have heard that even with a successful surgery, your eyes may revert back to their original state, or get worse!! Is this true?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
One myth about LASIK is that you can't wear contacts afterwards - this is not true. You could wear a contact lens if needed, but most people should not need to.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If you are wearing hard contact lenses, you will need to remove them and wear glasses until your eyes and prescription stabilize. The hard contacts themselves will change the shape of your eye. Once your eyes are stable, you may be a candidate for LASIK. I suggest visiting your local LASIK center to find out.
sfkaos:
I've heard the words Wavefront, CustomVue, Lasik PLus and IntraLase Lasik. What are the differences between them? Is there one that is more preferred than the others?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Wavefront is a method of measuring and treating your refraction. Lasers can treat your eyes with wavefront-guided treatments, or wavefront-optimized treatments. Both are probably superior to a "traditional" LASIK treatment, in my opinion.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
CustomVue is the trademark name for the wavefront-guided treatments with the AMO/VISX laser. And Intralase is the method for creating a flap which uses an all-laser technique.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
LasikPlus is the largest national provider of LASIK laser vision correction in the US. LasikPlus is a publicly-owned corporation, and is committed to providing the highest quality LASIK. I recommend visiting your local LasikPlus center to check it out!
pauljr:
Thanks for your answer- I actually see your ad on the left hand side of the page that offers 0 down 0 interest for 24 months LOL- I guess that is an option- I will check with my insurance company first.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
You are welcome!
sfhikerdrew:
Which is the best surgery to go for if you are near-sighted with a vision of -2.75 on both eyes. I am afraid of eye complications and want to know which procedure will have the least risk, especially going blind. I've heard of PRK and LASIK. Are they the best? What's the difference?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If you are -2.75, that is considered lower myopia and does extremely well with LASIK or PRK. LASIK involves creating a thin flap in the cornea, lifting the flap, applying the laser to reshape the cornea, then replacing the flap. The edges of the flap heal very quiclkly and allow for a fast recovery of vision.
MedHelp:
Unfortunately, that's all the questions that we have time for today. Thanks again for joining us and thank you Dr. Awad for providing us with such informative answers!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
PRK involves removing the surface "skin" from the cornea, applying the laser to the surface to reshape the eye, then allowing the "skin" to grow back. THis does take longer to heal, but ultimately gives the same result.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Best to you all! Thank you for participating!
MedHelp:
Please be sure to check out the archives to read the full transcript of today's chat. Thanks again!
