About Lasik?

Question

I heard of Lasik, but i don't know much about it!

1. Is Lasik Eye Surgery painful?

2. What age can I get Lasik? I'm only 13

3. Is there a way to see how Lasik is done so I will know? Like a video from Youtube

4. How can they "fix" your vision?

5. Do I have to wear glasses or contacts after the surgeory?

6. How much do it cost?

Answer 1

LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted  In Situ  Keratomileusis and is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A mechanical microkeratome (a blade device) or a laser keratome (a laser device) is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. There are other techniques and many new terms related to LASIK that you may hear about.

Though, You are not an adult.  Currently, no lasers are approved for LASIK on persons under the age of 18

Answer 2

I am trying my best to get you informed as much as possible:

1. LASIK eye surgery itself is painless. The eye is numbed with anesthetic drops before the procedure. General anesthesia is not necessary. A few patients experience temporary, mild discomfort following laser eye surgery. However, most LASIK recipients are pleasantly surprised at how little discomfort they have, and usually mention this when they talk about their experience.

2. While people from all ages can benefit from laser vision correction, the procedure is only FDA-approved for those over the age of 18. In very rare cases, doctors may actually perform procedure on those below this age, but results may vary considerably. Most experts recommend waiting until you are at least 21 before getting LASIK eye surgery in order to give your eyes time to stabilize. While waiting requires some patience on your part, the rewards will be well worth it. Improved vision, more consistent results and decreased risk of sight regression are all benefits of waiting to get LASIK surgery.

3. Try this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-TUMw1FTmY

4. LASIK is used to help treat farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. To treat nearsightedness, the cornea must be made flatter (less steep). This is accomplished by removing tissue from the center or central portion of the cornea. To treat farsightedness, the central cornea must be made steeper (less flat). This is accomplished by directing the laser beam to remove tissue from around the peripheral (outside) area of the exposed cornea. To treat astigmatism, the cornea must be made more spherical and uniformly curved (instead of irregular like a football or egg).

5. Most patients will not need to wear contacts or glasses after surgery. However, there is always a risk that you may be under treated or over treated by the surgery. Only a certain percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts. You may require additional treatment, but additional treatment may not be possible. You may still need glasses or contact lenses after surgery. This may be true even if you only required a very weak prescription before surgery. If you used reading glasses before surgery, you may still need reading glasses after surgery.

6. LASIK prices differ widely from one provider to another and depend on many factors. The only universal standard is that LASIK and other refractive surgery prices are quoted per eye. Remember that one LASIK procedure equals only one eye even if both eyes are corrected on the same day. So the price quoted for a procedure doubles if you intend to have both eyes corrected. LASIK surgeons also might add extra charges for new technologies, including wavefront analysis for extra precise corrections (custom wavefront LASIK). You also might be charged extra for IntraLase, a LASIK procedure in which a laser is used instead of a bladed instrument to create the flap on the front of the eye. In LASIK, this thin flap is lifted so that laser energy can be applied to shape the eye, and then replaced to serve as a type of natural bandage. A report commissioned by AllAboutVision.com from a leading industry analyst in 2008 listed average LASIK costs as:

    * $2,105 for all laser-based vision correction procedures in which a single price is quoted.

      

    * $1,662 for non-customized LASIK using a bladed instrument (microkeratome) and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis.

      

    * $2,341 for wavefront-guided LASIK using IntraLase.

Note that there can be wide variation in what an advertised price will include. Beware of advertising that, for example, promises "LASIK from $499 per eye." Look for the fine print. Typically, only a few select people are actually eligible for LASIK at prices that sound unusually low, because most eyes require more extensive correction or more follow-up after the surgery.