What is Lasik

In recent years Lasik seems to be advertised more than any other surgery. Overall Lasik is very popular, the AAO stated around 28 million Lasik procedures have been completed worldwide. However, what exactly is Lasik?

BVA Advanced Eye Care offers Lasik, and overall is our second top procedure (cataract being number 1). Our staff of 3 optometrist and 4 ophthalmology change lives through Lasik, and even our own doctor, Dr. Britton , had Lasik preformed on his own eyes. We are happy to offer Lasik to our patients and have seen great results. Nationally Lasik is the most popular refractive vision correction; an analysis of 3,000 peer-reviewed papers by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery revealed that the patient satisfaction rate for Lasik lies at more than 95 percent. Although before you decided to go-forth with Lasik you should do your own research, and talk with your doctor.

Lasik is an acronym for laser in situ keratomuleusis. Lasik is a type of refractive surgery – meaning the procedure will change the way light enters through the eye. Through the manipulation of light, you will be about to achieve sharper, clearer vision. Lasik manipulates light through changing the shape of the cornea – correcting problems such as, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

To simply explain the surgery, a surgeon will create a flap with your corneal tissue. Once the flap is create it will be folded back for the reshaping of the cornea to begin. To reshape the cornea the surgeon will a laser to remove cornea tissue. Once the cornea is in desired shape the flab will be placed back over the cornea and overtime the eye will heal naturally. Post surgery no bandages or stitches are required, but you may need to use eye drops for a few weeks.

Based upon the research into and clinical expe rience with Lasik, the rate of complications from Lasik eye surgery is estimated to be less than 1 percent, which makes it one of the safest elective surgical procedures available today.

Many patients find comfort that Lasik is one of the most studied elective procedures performed today

History of Lasik

Before lasik, a similar refractive surgery was preformed: PRK. The FDA approved PRK in 1995. As advancements in technology were created, the procure developed into Lasik. You should note that PRK is still used today, because some patients may be better suited for PRK than Lasik.

The first lasik produce was conducted in 1990s by a Greek ophthalmologist. Although, the lasik we used today was approved by the FDA in 2002. Today, eye doctors can provide both blade and bladeless (using a laser to create a flap) Lasik surgery, and create a corneal mapping before treatment with Wavefront technology.

Is Lasik worth the cost?

Well, this answer varies from individual. The first step is to examine the importance of dependence from glasses is to you, and your annual cost for contacts/glasses. If breaking free from glasses and contacts a high priority to you, then Lasik is a no-brainier. However many people do not consider the annual cost of their prescriptions. If you are buying contacts, then lasik may actually save you money. For example, if you need a toric lens, due to your astigmatism, then you may be spending up $80 per box of contacts; spending $80 per box, and need 4 boxes per year then you are spending $320 a year on contacts alone. In just 5 years, you could spend $1,600 on contacts – not considering if you need change to a higher (more costly) prescription.

Next step is to find out the cost, you can schedule a free consultation here at BVA Advanced Eye Care. We would be happy to work with you and go over different payment options.

Want to learn more about Lasik? You can find more information and answers to frequently asked questions here: https://www.bva20-20.com/services/lasik

Risk of Lasik

Information presented by the FDA

Alternatives to Lasik

ICL – The advantage of the Visian ICL is that it can permanently correct your vision, yet no natural tissue is removed in any way during the procedure. If for the unlikely reason you need or wish to remove your Visian ICLs in the future, your doctor can accommodate you.
PRK – A vision correction procedure that alters the shape of the cornea to change how light enters through the eye. By changing the cornea’s shape, PRK can fix – nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. PRK is similar to Lasik in many ways, and produce similar outcomes.

Talk with Your Doctor

The most important information about Lasik is to talk with your doctor about Lasik. Lasik is not made for everyone, and there are other options for correcting your vision. Talking with your doctor is the best solution to finding out more information, creating a plan of action, and getting the best result.

If you need more information or would like to schedule an appointment please visit our website at www.bva20-20.com/contact or call us at 1-888-323-3937