Lasik eye surgery has been available for years, but it can still seem scary to have that life-changing procedure done. Many patients go through the process without asking what Lasik or PRK is!
What is LASIK surgery?
LASIK is the most popular and widely performed procedure in the United States. It’s a surgical procedure that reshapes your cornea to correct near-sightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
The goal of LASIK is to improve your vision without glasses or contacts. LASIK surgery involves reshaping your eye’s cornea, the clear front window.
The procedure uses an excimer laser that makes a thin flap on the surface of your cornea and removes the tissue underneath it. A laser then precisely shapes your cornea to focus light properly on your retina.
After the laser reshaping, the flap is put back into place and dissolves within a few days.
Read also: PRK laser eye surgery
What causes a refractive error?
A refractive error is a problem with how light is bent when it enters the eye.
That makes it harder for the light to focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The main causes of refractive errors include:
Eyeball length
The eyeball is made up of three layers – the innermost layer (vitreous humor), middle layer (aqueous humor), and outermost layer (cornea). The shape of each layer determines how it will bend light passing through it.
For example, light rays won’t focus properly on the retina if the eyeball is too short or long.
Problems with the shape of the cornea
The cornea is clear like glass but much more elastic and flexible than glass. It also has an irregular shape, bending light rays in different directions as they pass through it.
If something is wrong with its shape – such as being too steep or flat – that can cause blurry vision from far away to very close up.
Aging of the lens
Most refractive errors are due to lens aging lens, which becomes cloudy and wrinkled with age. That makes it more difficult for light entering the front of the eye (the cornea) to pass through it and focus on the retina at the back. The result is blurred vision.
What conditions get treated with LASIK eye surgery?
Several conditions are treated with LASIK surgery:
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is an eye condition that causes blurred vision and trouble seeing at night. The cornea’s curvature is uneven in astigmatism, so light rays entering the eye do not focus on a single point on the retina.
Instead, they focus at different points, causing blurry vision and distorted images. LASIK eye surgery can correct that by reshaping the cornea to improve vision.
Near-sightedness (myopia)
Near-sightedness is when you can see objects up close clearly, but objects in the distance appear blurry because you cannot focus well enough to bring them into sharp focus.
When you’re near-sighted, your eyeball is too long for its optical power to focus distant images sharply on your retina. LASIK eye surgery can correct myopia by reshaping your cornea so it’s flatter.
That makes it easier for light rays entering your eye to converge onto a single point on your retina instead of converging at multiple points as they do in near-sightedness (myopia).
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Farsightedness (hyperopia)
Hyperopia is common when you cannot focus on close objects. Hyperopia is common in children and adults, and it’s also common in those who are near-sighted.
LASIK technology can correct most cases of hyperopia, allowing you to see clearly without glasses or contacts.
Read Also: ICL Surgery: Candidates, Risks, Pros, Cons, and Price
Who is an ideal candidate for LASIK Surgery?
To deal with candidates for LASIK surgery, you must meet several criteria.
The most important of these are:
You’re Over 18
LASIK surgery can be done on patients of all ages, though your age will determine how much your eyes have developed and how they respond to LASIK surgery.
Most surgeons recommend waiting until you are 18 before having LASIK surgery performed on your eyes.
You Have a Stable Vision Prescription
If you have a stable prescription for several years before your appointment, your surgeon may recommend LASIK eye surgery. However, suppose you have recently started wearing contact lenses or glasses for distance vision or reading.
In that case, you may not be an ideal candidate for LASIK eye surgery because your prescription may change during the healing process following LASIK surgery.
You’re in Good Overall Health
If you have certain health conditions that make you a poor candidate for LASIK, your doctor will tell you so. For example, people with diabetes or macular degeneration may not get the best results from that type of laser vision correction because of their condition.
In addition, your doctor can check your medical history to determine if it’s safe for you to have LASIK.
You Don’t Have Dry Eye
Dry eye is a condition where the tear glands don’t produce enough tears to keep the surface of your eye moist and comfortable.
If you suffer from dry eye syndrome, LASIK surgery may not suit you because it could aggravate your symptoms. Therefore, both eyes must be healthy before undergoing LASIK surgery.
Your Prescription Is Within Certain Limits
Your prescription is essential in determining whether you are an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery.
Most people who undergo that procedure have some degree of near-sightedness (myopia), Far-sightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism, all corrected through corneal reshaping during LASIK surgery.
If you want to improve your vision without glasses or contacts, you must be within certain limits for your prescription.
Read Also: Cornea Transplant: Why Done, Recovery, Results, and Prices
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LASIK Eye Surgery Pros and Cons
This surgery has many advantages,
such as:
- It is a painless process due to the use of numbing drops.
- The vision improvement can be noticeable directly the following day after the procedure.
- There is no need for bandages or stitches.
- After years, you can adjust to a new, correct vision in case of vision changes due to age.
- The need to use eyeglasses or contact lenses will be minimal or often unnecessary.
The LASIK technique has existed for over 25 years and is still used to correct vision problems. Studies indicate that about 95% of patients have desired vision after surgery.
Despite the many benefits, there are a few disadvantages to this surgery:
- Rarely, it may cause a loss of the best vision, the highest degree of vision that can be achieved by wearing lens contacts or eyeglasses.
- Some problems may happen while the doctor creates the flap, permanently affecting vision.
Choosing an ophthalmologist who is very experienced in performing these surgeries is essential. With HayatMed, you can be sure you will get the best results from the best specialists.
Read Also: Is LASIK Better Than PRK?
Step By Step Guide on how LASIK eye surgery works
To have a successful surgery, your surgeon will adhere to the following procedure:
Step 1: Numbing Eye Drops
Before you undergo any surgery, you must receive numbing drops in your eyes. That will help prevent any pain during the procedure and allow you to relax.
Step 2: Creating the Flap
Your doctor will create a flap in your cornea with a special blade called a microkeratome blade.
The blade is moved back and forth over your eye to create the flap. It may feel like pressure, but it should not feel painful.
Step 3: Reshaping the Cornea
Once the flap has been cut through, it’s time to reshape your cornea by removing tissue underneath it.
This part of the procedure occurs under the microscopic vision and is done with a laser beam that removes the tissue under your flap without damaging surrounding eye areas.
Step 4: Sealing the Corneal Flap
Once the corneal flap has been cut, it is lifted and sealed with a layer of tissue called the epithelium.
That step prevents fluid from seeping into your eye while awake during surgery.
Step 5: Wait 24 Hours
The day after surgery, you will be given an eye patch and instructed to wear it for 24 hours to protect your eyesight while they heal.
You’ll also take antibiotics to prevent infection and painkillers to help relieve any discomfort associated with healing.
LASIK Surgery Results
Although You will start to notice the improvement in your vision from the first day after the surgery, you need to wait three to six months for your vision to settle and have the result.
In general, surgery outcomes differ from one person to another. It depends first on your specific refractive error, besides other factors.
However, over 80% of people who’ve undergone LASIK surgery no longer need eyeglasses or lens contact for most activities.
Rarely, for some conditions, some patients’ eyes may return to the visual level they had before the surgery.
In these cases, they should talk with their doctor about the vision changes and whether they can be solved by repeating the procedure.
Lasik Eye Surgery Cost
When you consider undergoing LASIK Surgery and choose a doctor or a clinic to perform it, you will notice significant differences in cost from one place to another.
This difference could be caused by the techniques to amend your vision, the comprehensive doctor’s experience, or the geographic location. Notably, a lower price may not indicate any difference in quality.
However, it would be best to spend enough time choosing the right clinic to ensure you get the highest level of care at affordable prices.
Laser eye surgery is one of the most popular elective surgeries worldwide. Therefore, if you consider performing this operation, Istanbul is your destination. Furthermore, it is one of the most intended places for getting all kinds of medical services.
At HayatMed, our integrated team will provide the best services and achieve the desired results for medical services in Istanbul, Turkey. We also offer a fully inclusive fee package so that no hidden fees will be charged.
Read Also: LASIK Eye Surgery Cost
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How common is LASIK eye surgery?
LASIK is one of the most popular surgical procedures in the world. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, over 40 million people have had LASIK eye surgery in the U.S. alone.
That number has increased yearly in the past decade and doesn’t stop anytime soon.
LASIK eye surgery is so common that many people don’t consider it an “alternative” treatment anymore; instead, they see it as a mainstream option for vision correction.
But you might not know that not everyone can get LASIK eye surgery (or PRK). Several conditions disqualify people from having either procedure.
These conditions affect your ability to qualify for LASIK or PRK and your eligibility for other types of vision correction surgery.
Is LASIK eye surgery inpatient or outpatient?
LASIK surgery is a relatively quick outpatient procedure that takes less than 30 minutes. Patients can see well enough to drive home after LASIK, but you should not drive for at least 24 hours after the procedure.
LASIK is performed outpatient with the patient under local anesthesia and sedation.
The patient will be awake during the procedure but may feel some pressure during flap creation or folding of the back of the flap.
However, most patients do not experience any pain during LASIK surgery.
In some instances, patients may also have their eyes carefully cleaned before the procedure begins to prevent infection and inflammation before surgery and afterward to prevent any possible eye contamination while it heals.
Read Also: ICL Surgery Cost: Is the Procedure Worth and Price
Can a 55-year-old get Lasik eye surgery?
The best age for Lasik is between 18 and 35. If you are older than that, the risk of complications is greater. The eye is also more vulnerable to side effects if you have thinning or thin corneas.
If your eyes are healthy and you are still interested in Lasik surgery, it makes sense to have an exam with an ophthalmologist before deciding.
An ophthalmologist can evaluate your eyes, determine if they are healthy enough for the procedure, and let you know if any risks are involved with having surgery at that age.
What happens before LASIK eye surgery?
Before your LASIK consultation, you must know what will happen during the procedure to be prepared for the day of surgery.
Here are some things to know about LASIK before going to the doctor’s office:
Check your pupil size.
Your doctor will need to know if one pupil is larger than the other so they can pick the correct one for your eye. If one of your pupils is smaller, dilating drops may be used to enlarge them both before using the laser on your eye.
The drops take about 15 minutes to work, but some side effects, such as dry eyes and sensitivity to light, last up to two weeks after treatment.
Measure your cornea’s surface and thickness.
Your doctor will use a corneal topographer to measure the curvature of your cornea (the clear dome-shaped tissue in front of the iris).
That helps determine whether any irregularities on your cornea could affect your vision after surgery.
Measure the refractive error.
Your eye doctor will measure how much imperfections blur your vision in the shape of your cornea.
That measurement, called the refractive error, determines if you’re a good candidate for LASIK.
Test to see if your vision has recently changed.
If you haven’t had any vision changes recently, you may not need another eye exam before surgery.
However, if your vision has changed in the past year or so, it’s best to get an exam before having LASIK so that your doctor can be sure there aren’t any underlying problems with your eyes.
LASIK in Turkey at the best prices
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What happens after LASIK eye surgery?
After having LASIK eye surgery, you may have itching, burning, or the sensation of something in your eyes. However, don’t worry about it; feeling uncomfortable is quite natural.
It is also usual to have a foggy or unclear vision, as well as to experience glare, starbursts, or halos near lights, and to become sensitive to light.
Because dry eyes are typical after LASIK surgery, your ophthalmologist may prescribe eye drops at home afterward. You may also be given antibiotics and steroidal eye drops to take with you.
In addition, your ophthalmologist may instruct you to wear a shield over your eyes to prevent touching your corneas while healing, which is especially important when you sleep.
Your ophthalmologist will want to check your vision and ensure that your eye is properly healing when you return to see them one day after your operation.
LASIK Eye Surgery Risks
After the surgery, you may experience discomfort in the first 48 hours. Rarely, some other risks can be associated with the operation, such as:
Double vision, glare, and halos
After the surgery, you may have trouble seeing at night.
You may notice glare, double vision, and halos around bright lights. These complications generally fade after a few days.
Flap problems
As a result of removing the flap from the front of your eye during the surgery, you may experience complications like infection and excess tears.
Under corrections
If the doctor removes too little tissue from the eye, you may not get more apparent vision results. Thus, you may need to repeat the surgery later to remove more tissue.
Overcorrections
If the doctor removes too much tissue from your eye, you won’t get more apparent vision results. However, overcorrections can be more challenging to fix than under-corrections.
Vision changes or loss
You may rarely experience vision loss due to surgical complications or not see as sharply or clearly as previously.
Conclusion
But ultimately, you must decide whether it’s right for you. There is no substitute for experience or information, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.
It may be quite a while before you can compare notes with someone who has undergone the treatment, so do it yourself. There may be a good reason why so many people have experienced the LASIK procedure in recent years!
Contact Us Today
Lastly, if you need to know more about this procedure or have more questions about other procedures, we offer a free consultation on WhatsApp or Fill out The Form Here.
At HayatMed Clinic Turkey, we offer high-quality, specialized, and affordable Optics services. Visit Our Optics Department, or go back to the Blog.
frequently asked Questions
You must be 18 or older to have LASIK surgery because vision changes before you turn 18.
If there are no indications preventing the operation on both eyes, you can perform the LASIK operation on both eyes simultaneously.
No, LASIK does not cure presbyopia and cannot be performed if you have this condition.
You are not a suitable candidate for LASIK if:
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding
- Diabetes type 2 that you cannot control, or if you have rheumatic heart disease
- migraine or pimples and acne medication
- dry eyes for a long time
- severe deviation
- If you have unstable vision and constantly change the prescription of your glasses, you must ensure that your vision is stable for at least six months to a year before going for the LASIK operation.
- age-related presbyopia,
- HIV or rheumatoid arthritis.
- Thin cornea
- Too small Pupils or severe vision impairment?
Patients are given a local anesthetic (eye drops) to numb the eye, so they do not feel pain during the procedure. As a result, there is little discomfort during laser vision correction, and it’s usually milder than when you brush your teeth.
There is little discomfort during the first few days after treatment, and many patients say it is much easier than expected. See the section on the day of surgery if desired.
Every patient has a different speed of recovery, and most of our patients legally drive on the same day. Your vision continues to improve until you achieve the final results within one week to a few months. See the postoperative section if desired.
LASIK surgery permanently removes tissue in the cornea to reshape the eye to improve light refraction, and the result of the organic change is permanent.
However, be aware that eyes can change over time and that LASIK does not affect some age-related visual conditions. For example, LASIK does not prevent vision impairment in old age or correct this deficiency if it occurs.
The answer is different for PRK and Lasik. We recommend returning to work and full activity at least three days after PRK. With Lasik, many of them feel so good that they can return to work one day after surgery.
We would not be realistic to promise everyone that they will feel perfect the day after LASIK, but most individuals have certainly expressed this feeling.
It is okay to engage in all activities, including vigorous exercise, reading, and even driving a car at night, as soon as you feel comfortable and reassured. See the postoperative section if desired.
About the author
Zeyna Aslan
Zeyna Aslan brings over 13 years of expertise to the HayatMed Clinic Blog. With a passion for healthcare communication, Zeyna has crafted insightful articles that demystify complex medical topics, empowering readers to make informed decisions about their well-being.
Her wealth of experience ensures that each blog post is a reliable source of knowledge, fostering a deeper understanding of health and medical advancements.
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