Laser Eye Surgery

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If laser eye surgery is on your schedule, then getting some tips on recovering after your surgery is a must. This article will look at some of the basics in ensuring a quick and smooth recovery from your surgery.

First things first, the procedure itself doesn’t take long therefore you will be walking in and walking out the same day. When coming out afterward have someone else drive you home, as you won’t be up to driving just yet. Also try and wear a good pair of sunglasses, it’s likely that your eyes will still be sensitive to the light, so try and protect them.

If you are getting laser eye surgery for both eyes, it will most likely benefit you to have someone stay with you for the first few days afterward to help you with anything.

The first 48 hours will be a period while your eyes are settling down, therefore try and rest your eyes as much as possible. No reading, working on computer, watching TV etc as they will strain your eyes too much. In the early stages your eyes may be irritable but it is very important not to rub or touch them. Your doctor will give you advice if this happens and provide any medication.

Also playing sports will need to be avoided for about a month, talk to your doctor about this and they will be able to give you advice on when you can start playing again.

Ensure while taking a bath or shower to keep the water and any soap out of your eyes to prevent any damage to them. Make up and aftershave/ perfume should be avoided so that the dust or fumes don’t get in your eyes.

A good product to use after laser eye surgery is an eye mask which blocks out sunlight, so it is great for taking the strain off your eyes.

Your doctor will want to see you for your follow up exam, which is extremely important as they will examine your eyes to ensure the surgery was a success and that no side effects have occurred.

All going well you should hopefully be able to go back to work after about 2-3 days, but every person is different, so seek advice from your doctor about this.

Laser eye surgery is a life changing procedure so make sure you take care in the recovery process to ensure your eyes are taken care of.

Laser eye surgery is also referred to as LASIK surgery. This type of surgery makes it possible for those who normally have blurry vision to be able to see again without wearing contacts or glasses. The surgery was brought to the public in 1990 and is very popular today.

Most vision problems can be corrected with laser surgery but especially the problems of hypermetropia and myopia or those that are far and near sited. When one has good vision light enters the eye by way of the natural lens. The light refracts or bends so that it hits the retina, which takes that image and focuses it so that you can see clearly. Wearing glasses makes sure that the light hits the retina in the right place so that the vision becomes clear.

The light overshoots the retina with people that have myopia. Instead the light hits the cornea, which cannot sharpen the image. When laser surgery is applied the cornea is reconfigured so that the light gets to the retina and focusing will no longer be a problem. The material in the center of the cornea is thinned out and removed. In hypermetropia the light is unable to get as far as the retina. In this case material is removed from the edges of the cornea and it allows the light to reach the retina.

When surgery is begun pain medication is put right into the eye. After a few minutes tape is used to keep the eyes open and then a speculum is inserted to force the lids to separate. A tiny cut is made on the cornea so a flap can be created. The laser moves in and takes out the excess cornea material. The little flap is then put back in place and stitched. The whole procedure only takes a few minutes and the pain is minimal. There is little chance of a mistake because the laser is programmed and moves automatically.

The people that are most likely to have this surgery are those whose vision has not changed much, which limits the surgery and discounts young patients. Having a cornea that is relatively thin may prevent a patient from having the surgery. Material cannot be removed if there is not much there to be removed. This happens when a person has serious loss of eyesight. Those that have the age related presbyopia or have astigmatism are candidates for the surgery.

Health insurance usually will not pay for laser surgery. There are those doctors that will accept payments but most want to be paid the entire amount before surgery commences. Make sure to find a doctor that has done many surgeries. Do not go to a doctor that advertises a cheap rate and has not done many surgeries. Laser surgery will cost about USD $1500 at the least and $3500 at the most so watch out for added expenses after surgery by a doctor charging less.

This type of surgery is major surgery. It will take some preparation to have it and if you wear contacts you will not be allowed to wear them for a while prior to surgery. This may be just a few days or up to a month or so. Afterwards eye makeup must be avoided and a guard is placed over the eye to protect it while sleeping. There are drops to be put in the eye periodically to prevent dry eye and a chance that you may have to take an antibiotic to prevent an infection. Some people see relatively well right after surgery but it might take some time with others however, approximately ninety percent of people having laser eye surgery are able to see clearly without having to wear corrective lenses.