Laser Eye Surgery Articles                

 Pros and Cons of the LASIK Procedure...........31st Aug 09

LASIK has very high success rates among people of all prescriptions, whether you are affected by myopia (commonly known as near sightedness or short sightedness), or hyperopia (commonly known as long sightedness or far sightedness).

The outcome of your custom LASIK procedure will depend upon the severity of your hyperopia or myopia, however, even in cases where 20/20 vision is unlikely due to the strength of your current position, the procedure can result in you needing a much weaker prescription.

This can make custom LASIK cost effective when looking at paying for your lower prescription in future, as well as allowing you a choice of a greater range of frames.

In most cases, only a local anaesthetic is used, which can be applied by an eye dropper, rather than by injection. The main drawbacks of LASIK are to do with the unpredictability of the actual outcome.

While this is a common feature of most types of medical procedure, it is especially important for laser eye surgery, as your permanent eyesight is the subject at hand.

Even on patients with a relatively low prescription, there is no guarantee that you will not need glasses at all. It is often the case that LASIK treatment means that you are able to do without glasses for a few years, before your eyes become slightly worse to the extent that you need glasses again after a few years.

There is the risk of complications, which could render your vision much worse, or cause you significant problems.

A fairly common side effect of LASIK operations is problems with night vision, with the pupils being unable to respond effectively to low light conditions (by opening up to let in more light), as the pupils try to expand into the scar tissue.

There can also be problems with halos around artificial light sources at night, which can seriously affect the patient's ability to drive outside of daytime hours.

Other side effects include discomfort after the procedure, although this is usually temporary and treatment can be given and dry eye issues in some people.

If the surgery is unsuccessful, for example if a problematic 'button hole' flap is created during the procedure, then further treatment may be necessary, involving more time and inconvenience.

Another practical consideration is the LASIK cost itself. Laser eye surgery can be a major investment for an individual to make, especially if you have particular conditions that make your procedure more expensive, or if you choose options such as wave front technology, which can cost significantly more.

For many people, the LASIK cost and the risks involved mean that LASIK procedures are not a worthwhile investment, despite the enormous benefits that a successful operation can bring to your lifestyle.