Saturday, April 10, 2010

Can You Have LASIK Surgery?

Dec.27, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

Although LASIK surgery is a procedure with many benefits and a great number of satisfied customers, the unfortunate truth is that it is not right for everyone, and for some people it is unavailable and/or impossible. While this may not apply to you, it is important to be aware in advance of what your situation is as regards the treatment, and the potential drawbacks which might disbar you from having the treatment.

The first, and most simple, thing which may prevent you from having LASIK eye surgery is age. Unless you are over eighteen years of age, you will be strongly and correctly advised against having it. Your eyes and your vision change considerably during childhood and adolescence, and any surgery you may have during that time may well be less positively effective.

This much is true of anyone whose quality of vision is not stable. If you wear glasses, it is important to look at your prescription over the course of a year or more. If your prescription is changing with time, the surgery may not be as effective as you would like, and could actually have negative effects. Doctors will advise a steady prescription period dating back at least a year before going for surgery.

You should also be in relatively good general health before going for LASIK surgery. If you have an ongoing medical condition requiring medication, it may rule you out from having the surgery. For example, people with autoimmune conditions often suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome – which, along with the likelihood of it worsening post-surgery is also a potential contributor to a slow recovery period and an increased infection risk.

A pregnant or nursing woman will also be advised not to have LASIK surgery, and with good reason. Not only is the risk of Dry Eye Surgery higher, but perhaps more importantly it is necessary to take medication post-surgery and during the operation which can be absorbed into the blood supply and directed toward the foetus – or passed on through the mother’s milk – and adversely affect the child. Pregnant women will be well advised to wait until the baby is born and weaned before having the surgery.

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How Much Does Eye Surgery Cost ?

Laser eye surgery cost varies depending upon the type of surgery you want and where you want it doing.

Most clinics offer standard LASIK treatment starting at £395, with wavefront guided treatment starting from £795, however this price can be misleading.

When clinics say the price starts at £395 it is almost likely that isn’t what you will end up paying, unless you have a very low prescription and require little correction.

Generally, the more correction your eye requires, the more expensive your treatment will be. Other clinics choose to list prices as a one off price that stays the same no matter what your correction needs.

It is important that you choose a clinic you feel comfortable with, which has not only a good price, but well trained and experienced ophthalmologists.



There are a number of different procedures that are essentially modified LASIK operations. These obviously vary in price and are more expensive than the standard procedure.

The wavefront guided procedure starts from £1,500 per eye depending on where you decide to have it done.

The most expensive type of LASIK procedure is the bladeless form called Intralase. The prices for this procedure start from around £1,695 per eye.

It is important that when you go for your initial consultation to find out the prices for the different procedures. They will vary depending on the clinic, laser used and the aftercare. As always you should check to see what is included in the aftercare.



Another modified LASIK surgery procedure called Epi-LASIK is available at some clinics, depending on their size and equipment level.

On average Epi-LASIK prices start from £800 per eye including aftercare.



PRK or photo refractive keratectomy costs around £700 to £1000 per eye and should as always include sufficient aftercare.



Other corrective procedures include Laser Thermal Keratoplasty (LTK), which costs £1,000 per eye and PTK, for around £900






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Laser Eye Surgery - Is It For Me ?

Your eyes must be healthy. If you have any condition that can affect how your eyes respond to surgery or heal afterwards, you must wait until that condition is resolved. Examples are chronic dry eyes, conjunctivitis and any injury. Your eye surgeon may want to prevent dry eyes after LASIK by giving you treatment such as prescription eye drops as a precaution. Some conditions, such as cataracts that interfere with your vision, keratoconus and uncontrolled glaucoma, may disqualify you completely.

You must be an adult. By law, certain procedures require you to be 18; others, 21. Younger patients can be treated as an exception.

You must have stable vision for at least a year. Many young adults experience changes in their eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions in the teenage years. Vision stabilizes most often sometime in their 20s. Usually, it is nearsightedness that gradually becomes worse, but there may be other changes as well. Younger people are not good candidates until their eyes have "settled down" into one prescription. Your doctor can tell you whether your prescription is stable.


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Quality Of Life Improved Through Laser Eye Surgery

First Quality of Life Survey Among Laser Eye Surgery Patients Demonstrates High Satisfaction, Improved Daily Routine and Overall Quality of Life
Fairfax, VA– The vast majority of Americans who had their vision corrected by laser surgery are highly satisfied with the results and said that the overall quality of their lives and daily routines has improved, according to the results of a Harris Interactive survey released by The Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), the public education arm of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).
The survey is the first nationwide quality of life survey assessing life implications for laser eye surgery patients. The survey asked patients to evaluate the impact of their eye surgery on the quality of their family life, careers, and sports. These survey findings, along with the ESEC’s newly updated LASIK screening guidelines, can help interested patients make educated choices by weighing the benefits and risks of laser eye surgery.
Of the approximately 3 million Americans who underwent laser eye surgery since 1995, more than 85 percent said the surgery improved their overall quality of life and 93 percent of patients said they were satisfied with the results. Among the benefits of the procedure, respondents cited improvement in several specific aspects of vision, daily living and everyday activities, including:
· Ability to see upon waking (seeing an alarm clock) (89%)

· Freedom from glasses and contacts (83%)

· Improvement in personal safety (69%)

· Increased confidence in personal appearance (65%)

· Better participation in sports or fitness activities (54%)
Specific to the surgery, 87 percent felt that the results met or exceeded their expectations and 73 percent of patients regretted that they did not have the surgery sooner. In addition to the high satisfaction rate, nearly half (47 percent) of the respondents said they began “a whole new life” after laser eye surgery.
An important aspect of the survey also focused on consumer education. Understanding risks and benefits of laser eye surgery prior to undergoing treatment is critical for patient satisfaction and an important factor in determining if a patient is an appropriate candidate. The survey findings showed that 86 percent felt they were well informed about the risks of laser eye surgery before treatment and more than half (54 percent) of respondents reported that they considered laser eye surgery for a year or more before they actually had the procedure. Significantly, those patients who reported that their expectations were not met or that they were not satisfied were also among those people who were less informed about the surgery itself or risks and benefits of the surgery.
“This kind of research is very helpful to physicians as we counsel future patients and understand the quality of life benefits for LASIK patients,” said Dr. Roger Steinert, chair of the Eye Surgery Education Council Medical Advisory Board and associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. “The majority of the patients reported they were well informed about the procedure, which supports the importance of patient education and discussion of realistic expectations prior to having the surgery.”


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