Eye Care: LASIK Surgery
Tuesday Mar 16, 2010, 05:00PM - 06:00PM (EST)
At Lasik Plus 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.
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 Plus have a lot of information to share with you.
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 Plus specialists anytime at 1-866-921-2179 or visit us on the web at www.LasikPlus.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Your eyes are farsighted. Your left eye is beyond the range treatable with LASIK .
Omar E. Awad, MD:
We can only treat up to +6, so you may want to consider a lens implant instead.
koneall:
I had LASIK 9 years ago. It left me with significant night-vision deficits. In short I see large starbursts glinting off every light. I've tried RGP contacts and they didn't shrink the starbursts enough that I can drive at night. Is there anything new on the horizon for remedying this?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
The newer lasers are far better when it comes to night vision issues.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
You may want to consider an evaluation to see if you have a lot of "higher order aberrations" in the visual system. If so, some of the newer lasers can treat these aberrations and significantly reduce night symptoms.
mukto:
I am 24. I have been wearing spectacles for the last 6 years. Power of lens is (-)1.50 Obviously i would like to get rid of my glasses. Should I go for LASIK?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
It sounds like you are in the best category for outcomes.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
I recommend having a LASIK exam at your local LASIK center to be certain you are a good candidate. If I had to bet, I think you will be!
neeter200:
I am such a big chicken when it comes to Lasik...can you have just one eye fixed and then schedule the other? Having MS and trouble with my eyes anyway, I would like to have only one procedure at a time. Also, I have heard you still have to wear readers,is this true?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Certainly. Many patients do both at the same visit, but this is mainly for convenience.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If you are over 45 or so, or need bifocals or reading glasses with contact lenses, then you will likely need readers after LASIK.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Some people will choose monovision, where we undercorrect one eye for better reading, and treat fully the other eye for distance.
beads487:
My daughter who is 18 has a prescription of -7.50 in one eye and -8.00 in the other. How likely is it that she would be a candidate for LASIK correction and what is the prognosis for 20/20 vision or near 20/20? Due to her age, how long do you feel her vision will remain at close to 20/20. Would she be able to read? At this time, she must read with her glasses on or corrective lenses in her eyes. If she tries to read without them she must hold the book within 4 inches of her eyes in order to see clearly. Thank you very much for addressing this concern.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
She will probably love having LASIK.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
However, if she is 18, she does have a reasonable liklihood that her eyes will continue to change over the next couple years. May be better to wait a year or 2 unless her eyes have not changed at all in the past 1-2 years.
Annzo:
My husband suffers from double vision for which the doctor advised rest from work for weeks. After which his vision became better. He has to work long hours say 14 hours on computer. Again the problem reoccurred for who he did ayurved treatment. After which he became better. Few months back when he went for a eye check up he has a high plus number. Is lasik surgery good for double vision problems. Thanks a lot.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
LASIK does not correct double vision. If he has a high plus prescription, he may not be a candidate for LASIK, as we can only treat up to +6. A lens-based surgery may be better.
carl377:
Is the procedure painful at all? Are patients put to sleep or or given a sedative?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
You should not have pain during the procedure. You will be awake and asked to look towards a flashing light, which is a fixation target.
txpete:
How many procedures do you typically do in a week and in a year? I want to find an experienced surgeon in my area but have no idea of what to look for in terms of experience and numbers of procedures that someone has completed.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
This can vary widely. You should ask others in your area where they had their LASIK, or ask your eye doctor. I work at a large LASIK provider called LasikPlus, where the surgeons are very experienced.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
You can also look at the surgeons training and background.
OldFatChick:
I have very poor distance vision and also need reading glasses. I can either wear contacts for distance and use readers, I can go with bifocals (hate glasses), I can continue what I am doing now (one contact for distance and one for reading) and driving glasses so to cancel out the contact for reading while I am driving as it makes reading signs and license plates difficult. None of these are a great solution. I have been interested in Lasik for some time, but someone told me that due to the Sjogren's Syndrome I probably wouldn't be a good candidate. The Sjogren's is mostly affecting my salivary glands. I have extremely dry mouth, for which I am taking Evoxac, but I wear contact lenses and haven't had dry eye issues. Do you think Lasik would be a viable alternative for me?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
If you have no symptoms of dry eye, and no signs of dry eye, then you can consider LASIK.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
It should be able to give the same type of vision that you can get with your contact lenses, or possible slightly better.
Debb38:
How long does this surgery last? And are there any adverse effects that you know of? Thank you
Omar E. Awad, MD:
LASIK surgery is permanent. It should last forever. This does not mean that your eye won't necessarily continue to change on it's own.
FinallyFred:
(1) Will this promote other eye diseases? I am a 59 year old male and I have had 20/400 vision since I was a kid. I wore gas perm contacts until a few years ago, but I want to have lasik done now. My mother has macular degeration(MD). Will lasik surgery either promote or delay the onset of MD in myself? (2) cost? I have seen what appear to be teaser rates of "as low as $299./eye. I have called around and the only clinic that actually gave me a price was $1,950. eye. What is the "going rate". Suggestions for negotiating?
Omar E. Awad, MD:
LASIK will not affect whether you develop macular degeneration, or other eye conditions.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
Teaser rates are usually bait-and-switch marketing tactics. I wish that they weren't used as it created a lot of confusion as to what the procedure is really worth and what is should cost.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
For the most modern all-laser LASIK, most clinics will charge 2000-2500 per eye.
Omar E. Awad, MD:
For negotiating, you could offer cash. I know that LasikPlus works closely with several managed care vision plans and offers discounts to these members.
