Lasik Laser Eye Surgery

LASIK surgery, or laser-assisted in situ keratomeleusis, is a laser eye treatment preformed by an ophthalmologist.1 It is corrective eye surgery that repairs various eye problems such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatisms.1 LASIK is a laser surgery that is usually preferred to PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), also called ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation.1 This is because it requires less time for recovery and it is less painful.1 However, PRK/ASA is indicated as a better option in some instances for various reasons.11

Custom LASIC surgery includes IntraLase, which is used as an alternative of a bladed instrument to create the flap over the cornea, and wavefront-guided lasic uses 3D measurements of how your eyes process images to guide the laser in reshaping the cornea.1 The advantage of using custom laser eye correction is that it is specifically designed around you and your needs, as opposed to what would work for most people.1 This leave less of a margin for error, and less of a chance for complications.

LASIC laser eye surgery is a fairly uncomplicated procedure.1 It is done while the patient is aware and mobile, however, sometimes the patient is given a mild sedative and anesthetic eye drops.1 There are three steps in the actual surgery.1 First: a flap is created in the corneal tissue of the eye.1 Second:1 The flap is folded backwards and the ophthalmologist remodels the cornea with the laser.1 And finally:1 the flap is put back into position and left to heal.1 Most patients experience improved vision within a few days, and it takes only a few weeks to recover if everything goes accordingly.
Lasik laser eye surgery has some risks.1 The most common complication is the incidence of 'dry eyes'.1 About 36% of patients experience this complication after the six month healing period.1 The 'dry eyes' also have a risk of being permanent.1 The risk of other complications often depends of the degree of various eye problems before the surgery.1 It is important to take the individual risk potential into account, and not the probability for all patients.1 Some of these risks may include: dry eyes, overcorrection or undercorrection, halos or starbursts around light sources at night, light sensitivity, double vision or ghost images, wrinkles in the flap over the cornea, debris under flap, think or buttonhole flap, induced astigmatism, floaters, and a few more.1 Regardless of the risks, the satisfaction rate of patients who undergo laser eye correction is somewhere around 92-98 percent.1

LASIK eye surgery cost varies depending on who you go with, and what method is decided to use.1 There may be more of a charge if IntraLase and wavefront-guided LASIK is used.1 On average, procedures in which a single price is quoted for1 laser-based vision correction is around $2,105.1 The average for LASIK using a bladed instrument and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis is around $1,662.1 And, the average for wavefront guided LASIK using IntraLase is $2,341.1 Note that the price for the procedure may double if both eyes are corrected, even if it is on the same day.