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Archive for the ‘LASIK’ Category

A Closer Look at Potential LASIK Complications

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Although LASIK has generally proven to be a safe and highly effective treatment for vision conditions including astigmatism, hyperopia and myopia, the procedure—like any surgery—is not without risk.

Prior to your LASIK procedure, your ophthalmologist will discuss the potential side-effects with you in detail. The most commonly reported complications of LASIK surgery include:

Dry eyes
Vision overcorrection or undercorrection
Fluctuation in visual clarity
Appearance of “halos” or “starbursts” around light sources
Sensitivity to light
Double vision or “ghosting”
Corneal flap complications

Dry eyes are the most frequent aftereffect of LASIK surgery, and the condition is often temporary. Most cases of post-LASIK dry eyes dissipate within the healing period, which may be around six months.

If you suffer from dry eyes following LASIK, your ophthalmologist may recommend moisturizing eye drops to manage your discomfort.

Other complications, such as overcorrection or undercorrection, may require a revision procedure. Corneal flap problems, such as a displaced flap or folded flap, may also necessitate a follow-up procedure.

Visual side-effects, such as halos, starbursts and double vision, are rare and, like dry eyes, may be temporary. However, it is important to acknowledge that while LASIK has a high success rate and a patient satisfaction range that most research pegs between 94 and 98 percent, some complications may be permanent and irreversible.

Again, your ophthalmologist will help you determine if LASIK is the best treatment option for your specific visual condition, answer any questions about LASIK you may have and help you develop a thorough grasp of the possible complications.

To locate an experienced ophthalmologist in your area, please contact eyes.com.

Posted in Dry Eyes, Eye Surgery, LASIK | Comments Off

Contact Lens Over Wear Syndrome (OWS)

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

If you wear your contact lenses longer than the appropriate timeframe every day, you are at risk of developing a condition called contact lens over wear syndrome (OWS). Over wear syndrome often leads to eye pain, tearing, redness, and a decreased overall vision quality. Typically, OWS is the result of patients wearing their contacts to bed at night, or failing to replace them with new contact lenses when necessary. OWS is often painful and can result in serious vision problems.

If over wear syndrome is left unaddressed, it can lead to:

Eye infections
Decreased vision
Growth of vessels in the cornea
Permanent loss of your best corrected vision

When you wear your contact lenses for too long, you essentially starve your corneas of oxygen. Your body’s reaction to this deprivation is to produce new blood vessels in your cornea that help provide the oxygen your eyes lack. Unfortunately, these new blood vessels often alter the shape of your cornea, and they can leak, leaving deposits.

If you are not cautious, wearing your contacts for too long can threaten your vision. LASIK eye surgery is a valuable solution for patients who want to be freed from their daily dependence on contacts. However, if you have OWS, you will need to stop wearing your contacts for a certain period of time and let your eyes heal before LASIK can be performed.

If you have further questions about contacts, OWS, or LASIK, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

Posted in Contact Lenses, Eye Safety, LASIK, Laser Vision Correction | Comments Off

Lidocaine May Reduce LASIK Pain

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

A recent study has found that using a 2% lidocaine gel as a supplementary anesthetic may give patients a more comfortable LASIK experience. According to researchers, the use of the supplementary lidocaine gel reduced the pain experienced during the LASIK procedure as well as immediately following surgery.

The study compared the pain scores of 51 patients. Each patient had one eye which received the supplementary lidocaine anesthetic, while the other eye received a placebo carbomer gel as a control. Pain scores were then measured during the procedure as well as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes after LASIK was completed.

The pain scores recorded were substantially lower for the eye treated with the supplemental lidocaine gel during the corneal flap creation and laser ablation. Patients also experienced less pain in the lidocaine eye 30 and 45 minutes after the procedure.

If you are considering getting LASIK in the near future, you may want to ask your LASIK surgeon about receiving a supplemental anesthetic. It may make your procedure a much more pleasant experience.

Please contact eyes.com today to find an experienced LASIK surgeon near you.

Posted in LASIK, Laser Vision Correction | Comments Off

Presbyopia

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Having 20/20 vision is nice. It’s the way your vision should be. Millions of people need corrective lenses to see 20/20 because of myopia. However, these individuals, as well as those who have natural 20/20 vision may find when they hit their early 40s that things that were once so crystal clear up close have begun to get fuzzy. This blurred vision may be more than a passing thing, it may be presbyopia.

Presbyopia is part of aging, and unavoidable for nearly everyone after they’ve reached 40. It’s the reason your grandparents all wear reading glasses, and it’s the reason your parents hold their books and magazines as far away from them as they can. Presbyopia is, for all intents and purposes, age-related farsightedness.

Why people develop presbyopia is not fully understood, and there are a couple theories. One is that the lens begins to become hard due to proteins. This makes the lens less flexible to focal changes. Another theory is that the ciliary muscle begins to weaken. This makes it harder for the lens curvature to steepen to see things near. A third, and newest, theory is that the lens continues to grow, and by age 40 it has grown so much that the ciliary muscle does not have enough space to contract and steepen the lens. However, this last theory is not held by many eye doctors right now.

Whatever causes presbyopia can only be fixed by the old standbys: corrective lenses, LASIK, and conductive keratoplasty (CK).

If you are 40 or older and have noticed your near vision beginning to blur, find an experienced eye doctor in your area to test you for presbyopia today.

Posted in Contact Lenses, LASIK, Laser Vision Correction, Presbyopia, Visual Acuity | Comments Off

Understanding Visual Acuity

Monday, December 12th, 2011

20/20 vision does not mean perfect vision. What it does mean is that you can see at 20 feet what a majority of other people can see at 20 feet. Visual acuity tests are designed to determine at what range you can see. With visual acuity tests, the top number is fixed, but the bottom number is a variable. For example, if you can see at 20 feet what most people can see at 40 feet, your vision is 20/40. The bottom number can go up or down in either direction from 20 and is used to determine if you are nearsighted or farsighted.

Correcting Refractive Errors

If you do not have 20/20 vision, you may require assistance from prescription eyewear such as glasses or contact lenses to help you see objects at a range of distances. Several alternatives to prescription eyewear such as LASIK and PRK can also be used to correct refractive errors and help provide clear sight. In fact, eyewear is not a fix so much as a Band-Aid. Only a refractive error correction surgery can truly provide you with lasting eyesight of 20/20 or better.

If you are experiencing any vision difficulties and would like to learn more about your options, please use the doctor locator at eyes.com to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

Posted in LASIK, Visual Acuity | Comments Off

2009 LASIK Statistics

Monday, December 12th, 2011

The American Academy of Ophthalmology compiles yearly statistics on LASIK surgery. In their 2009 report entitled “Eye Health Statistics at a Glance,” it was found that 700,000 people received LASIK that year, a number slightly down from previous years.

This study reports that 55.3 percent of LASIK patients achieved visual acuity of 20/20 or better, while 92.6 percent of patients achieved visual acuity of 20/40 or better. 20/40 vision is considered good enough to pass a driving test without glasses. However, it may still be necessary to wear glasses for some tasks following LASIK surgery.

LASIK Risks

This study found that serious complications occurred in only 5 percent of all LASIK recipients. These complications included:

Halos around lights in 3.5 percent of patients
Visual fluctuations in 2.7 percent of patients
Glare and sensitivity to light in 1.7 percent of patients

Around three percent of patients reported that their eyesight got worse following LASIK surgery.

While there is never a guarantee with any surgery, the percentage of LASIK recipients who achieve better vision is substantially higher than those who experience complications. Working with an experienced LASIK surgeon in your area can further reduce your risks and help provide you with freedom from the burdens of prescription eyewear.

If you are interested in learning more about LASIK, please use the doctor locator at eyes.com to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

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Giants Star Sandoval Latest Pro Athlete to Undergo LASIK

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Popular San Francisco Giants player Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval recently joined the growing list of professional athletes to undergo LASIK surgery.

According to a Dec. 1 post on the Extra Baggs blog of the San Jose Mercury News, the hard-hitting third baseman underwent LASIK to correct 20/40 vision in his left eye. Sandoval hit .330 in 2009, his first full season in the major leagues, but his batting average dropped to .268 in 2010.

Although he tried using various contacts and prescription goggles over the 2010 and 2011 seasons, his vision remained an issue.

“He was relying on one eye,” said Sandoval’s agent, Ryan Morgan, in the Dec. 1 Extra Baggs post. “I think it would be wrong not to admit there’s a correlation there. It’s a combination of not picking up the ball as well and how that can play into your confidence.”

Morgan added that Sandoval’s vision had not been retested since the LASIK procedure, but that Sandoval believed his sight was improved.

Sandoval is the latest in a long list of pro athletes to choose laser vision correction surgery to correct a vision problem. Brian McCann, the All-Star catcher for the Atlanta Braves, has had LASIK, as have Miami Heat teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Other noteworthy athletes to undergo LASIK include golfer Tiger Woods, former Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux, former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton.

If you would like to learn more about LASIK, please contact eyes.com to locate an ophthalmologist near you.

Tags: LASIK
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Does LASIK Make Your Pupils Dilate More?

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

LASIK eye surgery will not increase your pupil size. However, since your vision improves a great deal after LASIK, you might be more attentive to the size of your pupils than you were before. Near vision and bright light can cause your pupils to contract, while far distance and low light will make them dilate.

Each patient’s pupil size tends to be unique. Several different factors can affect the dilation of your pupils, including:

Caffeine
Lighting
Alertness
Medicines
Alcohol

If you already have large pupils and undergo LASIK eye surgery, it is possible that your eyes will dilate beyond than the LASIK treatment zone in darkness. This can cause issues with night vision, such as glare, halos, and starbursts. Having large pupils will not disqualify you from LASIK surgery, but it will be weighed against other factors when an ophthalmologist is determining your LASIK candidacy.

Fortunately, modern LASIK technology has lessened the odds of patients experiencing night vision problems and other LASIK side effects. In fact, studies show that 85% patients who have received treatment from the VISX CustomVue laser have experienced a significant decrease in their amount of night-time glare after surgery when compared to before.

If you have further questions about LASIK surgery and pupil size, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today to schedule an initial consultation.

Posted in Eye Safety, LASIK, Laser Vision Correction | Comments Off

LASIK Side Effects

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

You may experience some side effects following your LASIK procedure. These are not the same as complications. LASIK side effects are relatively minor and will go away as you recover from surgery.

Recent advances in LASIK technology have dramatically reduced the side effects associated with your procedure by improving the precision with which LASIK is performed.

Common LASIK side effects include:

Dry eyes – This is the most common LASIK side effect. Your ophthalmologist can prescribe eye drops if you experience discomfort associated with dry eyes. This side effect generally subsides after a few weeks.
Light sensitivity – This side effect may compel you to rub your eyes in an attempt to relieve it. However, rubbing your eyes can prevent the corneal flap from healing properly. Therefore, avoid this urge at all costs. For most patients, light sensitivity goes away after a few days.
Night vision issues – These consist of glare, halos, and starbursts from light sources at night. Advances in LASIK technology have reduced the likelihood of night vision issues, and any that you experience should go away within a few months.
Temporary loss of visual clarity – This is a rare side effect caused by small wrinkles developing in the corneal flap as it heals which lead to blurry vision. This side effect generally subsides within a few months, but your LASIK surgeon may choose to reposition the corneal flap to facilitate the healing process.

To learn more about the potential LASIK side effects, please contact eyes.com today to speak with an ophthalmologist in your area.

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Is LASIK Safer Than Contacts?

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Many people are drawn to the benefits of LASIK eye surgery, but fearful of its potential complications. However, when the risks of LASIK are compared to the risks of contact lenses, LASIK actually comes out on top as the safer option.

Oxygen is essential in order for your eyes to function properly. Unfortunately, daily contact wear prevents your eyes from naturally receiving oxygen from the air around you. This can lead to problems like irritation, redness, and “ghost vessels” – blood vessels that appear in your eyes in order to re-route oxygen from other areas of your body.

Additionally, the risk of infection from wearing contact lenses is far greater than the risk of infection after LASIK surgery. Even a careful cleaning routine might not wholly prevent infection from contact lenses. In the past few years, many different contact lens solutions have been recalled for providing a higher risk of infection, or else for simply being ineffective.

If you are considering LASIK eye surgery, schedule a consultation with an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today to find out if you are a candidate.

Posted in Eye Safety, Eye Surgery, LASIK, Laser Vision Correction | Comments Off