|
Refractive surgery has allowed thousands of people with vision problems to no longer need to depend on their glasses or contact lenses. Studies have shown that people with a low grade of near sightedness tend to have the most success when it comes to LASIK surgery, while people with a high degree of farsightedness along with astigmatism have the least predictable results. These results will depend largely on the nature of your vision problems and the degree of severity. Of course, it will also depend on the quality of work from your doctor. Just as with any other surgical procedure, San Francisco LASIK surgery comes with its own set of risks and benefits. Most of us are probably more familiar with the benefits than we are with the risks. So what are the associated risks when undergoing a LASIK eye surgery procedure? One of the worst possible outcomes to undergoing San Francisco LASIK surgery is the loss of your vision. There have been a small percentage of patients who have emerged from this procedure with worse vision than when they went in. There have also been reports of newly developed visual problems due to undergoing this procedure. Some patients develop a glare, halos, starbursts or double vision as a result of LAISK surgery. The risks also include either undertreatment or overtreatment of eye surgery patients, where reshaping the cornea is involved. This is a delicate process, and sometimes the cornea is either not reshaped enough (too little material is taken out), or it is reshaped too much (too much material is taken out). Perhaps the most common side effect of LASIK eye surgery is dry eyes, which many patients have reported after undergoing the surgery. While eye drops and a lot of healing time are enough to correct or at least help this symptom, there have been more serious cases reported where the use of special plugs are required to prevent tears from draining away from the eyes. Whenever you get cut anywhere on your body, there is also the risk of getting infected. It is the same when the doctor cuts a slit into your cornea during LASIK eye surgery. Patients have reported infections or other flap-healing problems after the procedure. There is also the chance that any improvement you experience after the procedure could be only temporary. As we age, so does the cornea, continually aging and changing shape. Keep in mind that LASIK surgery is still a new technology and almost no long-term data exists to let us know how long the results will last. If you have any doubts about undergoing San Francisco LASIK, speak with your doctor. He or she will be able to advise you on which risks he thinks might affect you and whether or not he believes LASIK is right for you. A list of medically accepted criteria exists that can help determine the ideal, less-than-ideal and unsuitable candidates for LASIK eye surgery. There are also some professions out there that strongly advise against getting eye surgery, such as in the military, because results will always vary between different kinds of people. Check with your employer to make sure it is safe for you to undergo LASIK surgery in your profession. Ideal candidate - Is at least 18 years old
- Is afflicted by one of the refractive errors (myopia, hyperobia, astigmatism or a combination). The ideal candidate has myopia up to -12 D, astigmatism up to 6 D and hyperopia up to +6 D
- Has worn glasses or contacts for at least two years
- In the case of Lasik, has a sufficiently thick cornea for the surgeon to cut a flap
- Does not suffer from any disease or health condition which would prevent or significantly slow the healing process or complicate surgery
- Is adequately informed about the risks of laser eye surgery.
Less-than-ideal candidate Has dry eyes (a condition which can worsen after surgery) Has a suppressed immune system, which can affect healing Is under the age of 18 Is pregnant or nursing Has recently had a change in vision, ie a change in your contact/glasses prescription Have refractive errors that are too severe to be entirely treated with current technology Unsuitable candidate Has cataracts, advanced glaucoma or other corneal diseases which preclude laser eye surgery Does not give informed consent Has unrealistic expectations
Related Articles -
San, Francisco, LASIK,
| 
