Laser Surgery FAQ
What is myopia? Hyperopia?
Astigmatism?
What is presbyopia?
I'm farsighted. Can laser vision correction help me?
What if I wear contact lenses?
How long does laser vision correction take?
Does laser vision correction hurt?
After surgery, can I see immediately?
Can I return to my normal activities after Laser Vision
Correction?
Will I need glasses after laser vision correction?
Some people need more than one procedure. Why?
Can I go blind from the laser?
Are there medical reasons why I might not be able
to have laser vision correction?
Will laser vision correction help me get rid of my
reading glasses?
Should I have both eyes corrected at once?
What is myopia? Hyperopia? Astigmatism?
Myopia is also called nearsightedness. If you have myopia, your
eyes can see clearly up close, but not far away. You have to wear
glasses to see far away.
Hyperopia is also called farsightedness. If you have hyperopia,
your eyes have a lot more trouble seeing close than seeing far away.
How clear you see far away depends on how much hyperopia you have.
If you only have a little hyperopia, and if you are young, you may
still be able to bring distance objects into focus. Over time, however,
you might lose that ability to even distance objects clearly. (Also
see CK).
Astigmatism means there is distortion in your vision because the
shape of the cornea is oval instead of round. To see clearly, special
glasses are needed to correct for that shape. If you have astigmatism
alone, your vision for both near and far will be blurred. Astigmatism
is often combined with myopia or hyperopia, so that you have more
complex vision problems.
What is presbyopia?
Presbyopia is defined as the inability to see close-up objects.
This usually becomes apparent to most people in their early 40's.
This condition results from a change within the eye in which the
internal lens loses its ability to focus on close-up objects. This
is usually corrected by reading glasses, and NOT by Laser Vision
Correction.
I'm farsighted. Can laser vision
correction help me?
Yes. Once limited to nearsighted people, laser vision correction
can now help people who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism.
Today, laser vision correction can correct most people's refractive
error.
What if I wear contact lenses?
People who wear contact lenses can also have Laser Vision Correction.
But, because the lenses sit on your cornea, they can change the
shape of your cornea. So, you should stop wearing contact lenses
for as long as possible before LASIK surgery. The minimum time off
contact lenses depends on the type of lenses you wear and how tight
the contacts were fit. During the consultation, our doctors will
inform you how long you should stop contact lens wear prior to surgery.
How long does laser vision correction
take?
The actual laser work itself usually takes less than a minute per
eye. It can take a little longer or a little less, depending on
your prescription. Including preparation time, LASIK will take approximately
10-15 minutes per eye. Your office visit on the day of the procedure
should take about an hour and a half. It's important to show up
at the appointed time and leave the remainder of your day free.
You won't be spending your whole day at the laser center, but it's
very helpful to simply rest after the procedure. The time before
the procedure will give you a chance to visit with our eye doctors
and ask any last minute questions, as well as complete any testing
that remains.
Does laser vision correction hurt?
There is very little to no pain whatsoever during the LASIK procedure.
We use numbing drops keep the eye from feeling anything at all.
After the operation, patients may notice mild irritation, experience
some sensitivity to light, or perhaps have some tearing for a day
or two after. LASIK is a mild procedure from which patients usually
recover quickly. Most patients are comfortable to return to work
even the next day!
After surgery, can I see immediately?
How quickly your eyesight improves depends on your original prescription.
Immediately after surgery, your eyes will be blurry, as though you
are looking through foggy windows. The more you can keep your eyes
closed after surgery, the faster this will improve. The first 4
hours after surgery, your eyes will be watery, and feel like there
is an eyelash in the eye. After 4 hours, the discomfort will improve,
and your vision will begin to clear. Most people can see well enough
to drive the next day.
Can I return to my normal activities
after Laser Vision Correction?
You should rest for the remainder of the day and use the eye drops
as instructed. You should have someone drive you home on the day
of your procedure. Most people are able to drive by the first day
after the procedure. You can usually return to work in a day or
two. Don't rub your eyes as this may prevent the corneal flap from
reattaching properly. It is advisable not to go swimming or sit
in a hot tub for one month after surgery.
Will I need glasses after laser vision
correction?
The great majority of laser vision correction patients do not need
glasses for normal distance vision tasks (sports or driving). Some
people choose to wear glasses after laser vision correction for
demanding visual tasks, like night driving.
People in their 40's will start to need correction for reading.
This is an entirely normal condition called presbyopia and has nothing
to do with laser vision correction. From about age 45 onward, the
only people who can read without glasses are those who are slightly
nearsighted, and they can't see clearly in the distance!
If you are over 40 and would like to have glasses-free vision at
both distance and near, talk to our doctors about correcting one
eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. This
is a technique called monovision. Many people over 40 find monovision
highly satisfactory, but it is very important to discuss it carefully
in advance with the eye doctor. An alternative to monovision is
BLENDEND VISION (see CK)
Some people need more than one procedure.
Why?
Some people have a lot of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
The eye may not be able to accept so much correction all at once,
so our doctors may plan to do surgery in two stages. Some eyes heal
differently, so that the vision may not be right on target. In these
cases, we may do a “touch up” or retreatment. If needed,
the 2nd procedure is performed once the eye has had a chance to
stabilize, usually between the 1st and 3rd month after the initial
procedure.
Can I go blind from the laser?
This is an easy question. The answer is "No”! No one
has ever been blinded by the laser, and no one is ever likely to
be. The excimer laser beam works on the very top-most layer of eye
tissue that it strikes. Each successive pulse of the laser removes
just a tiny amount of tissue from this top-most layer. No energy
from the laser penetrates below the surface of the eye. This is
what makes the excimer laser so safe! That doesn't mean that nothing
can go wrong during laser vision correction. There are risks, and
you should be aware of them. However, being blinded by the laser
isn't one of those risks.
Are there medical reasons why I might
not be able to have laser vision correction?
Yes. Even if your refractive error can be corrected by a laser procedure,
there are some eye conditions and medical problems that could take
you out of the running for laser vision correction. The list of
conditions includes severe diabetic retinopathy, cataracts that
affect vision, severe dry eye, active autoimmune disease (such as
lupus or rheumatoid arthritis), and uncontrolled glaucoma. If, for
physical or psychological reasons, you are unable to lie still and
focus during the procedure, you may not be a good candidate.
Some conditions may require that you postpone laser vision correction
(such as pregnancy). Our doctors can determine if there are any
reasons for you not to have laser vision correction.
Will laser vision correction help
me get rid of my reading glasses?
Almost everybody 45 or older needs some sort of vision correction
for reading. If your distance vision is fine, and if all you need
glasses for is reading, laser vision correction is probably not
for you. If, however, you are near or farsighted and also need reading
glasses, there are two options. The first is to have both eyes corrected
for distance. If you choose this option, you will have good functional
distance vision but will need glasses to be able to read comfortably.
The alternative is to correct one eye for distance and the other
for near. This is called monovision. Speak to one of our board-certified
eye doctors about this.
Should I have both eyes corrected
at once?
Most people now decide to have both eyes corrected at the same time.
It was once thought that there was added risk, particularly of infection,
if both eyes were done at once. But scientific research and the
experience show that there is little additional risk when both eyes
are corrected the same day. It is also much more convenient to do
both eyes at the same time: correcting your eyes at different times
also means two trips to the laser center and two recovery periods.
There would also be a period after the first procedure when one
eye can see well, while the other eye still has its old refractive
error. Many people find this imbalance in their eyes very unpleasant
and decide to move up the date of their second procedure.
However, if you would be more comfortable doing the second eye after
seeing the result with the first, the choice is entirely yours.
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