Statistics show that about half of the world’s population needs some forms of vision correction at a certain age in life. Traditional solutions include prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses. Entering the twenty-first century, the topic of LASIK eye surgery is becoming hot. Like other forms of eye surgery such as cataract surgery, LASIK procedure also aims to cure the patients’ vision problems in a permanent way. Patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness or other general sight deficiencies are treatable by LASIK surgery. After this form of eye surgery, the remaining life is very likely to be free from having to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The whole process of LASIK procedure takes up to an hour. During the surgery, the surgeon will first cut a thin flap on the cornea using a laser powered piece of equipment without damaging the cornea. Under the corneal flap, debris underneath the top two layers will then be removed. Doing this can effectively change the corneal surface’s curvature and thus the refractive error can be eliminated. After putting back the flap, the eyes will heal quickly after the surgery. In most instances, the recovery time is about a few days.

Even if there are so many advantages of LASIK surgery, patients need to consider other factors involved. One is potential complications which occur in very rare cases. Only a handful of those undergo LASIK surgery will be bothered by postoperative side effects, like dry eyes, inflammation, itching and a regression of the sight. But it is a necessity to understand that such risks do exist. It is inappropriate to keep an expectation of 100% success. The right practice before the surgery is to get clear points about potential risks and complications from the surgeon. Another task is to consult about the price in detail. People with medium and low salaries should take additional attention because most insurance companies do not cover the cost of LASIK eye surgery.

Related Articles:

The benefits and drawbacks of LASIK