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eLearning Series:
Lasik Eye Surgery Questions & Answers
( 50 articles
in this series )
Do Not Consider
Lasik Eye Surgery If...
With the new leaps and bounds that are being
made in the field of corrective eye surgery there are fewer
and fewer people who do not qualify or meet the requirements
to get lasik surgery. Today just about anyone can get corrective
lasik eye surgery. However there are a few exceptions to this
rather generalized statement. These are the minimum requirements
that guide most doctors in their decision to qualify or disqualify
a patient for lasik:
- Your refractive error should be stable
- You should be at least 18 years of age or older
- No other ophthalmologic disorders
- No other general disorders
Your
refractive error is the degree to which light reaches the
back of the eye. This is the cause of astigmatism, myopia
and hyperopia. Myopia is caused by rays of light that get focused
in front of the retina as opposed to focusing on the retina
itself. This causes nearsightedness. Some of the symptoms of
nearsightedness are blurred distant vision, eye strain, and
squinting. You may also have a hard time seeing at night. This
problem is easily fixed with glasses, and with today’s new
technology lasik is now an option for many patients.
Hyperopia is the exact opposite. Hyperopia is another word
for farsightedness. This happens when light rays focus behind
the retina instead of on the retina. This results in blurred
near vision. Some patients that have severe farsightedness
and have to step back from what they are reading. They use
things such as magnifying glasses, and reading glasses to read
and to see things right in front their face. Glasses and contact
lenses can help alleviate some of these problems, and now so
can lasik.
Astigmatism is the effect of the eye being shaped like a football
instead of round like a baseball. Light rays are focused on
two points on the retina instead of just one. This deformity
can result in double vision, blurred vision, and shadows on
letters when reading. This abnormality has been a problem for
decades. Up until recently it has prevented some people from
getting contact lenses. Only people with slight astigmatism
were able to comfortably wear contact lenses. Breakthroughs
in contact lenses have not accommodated patients with extreme
astigmatism. But even now not all patients can be helped. But
with this new breakthrough in lasik, patients can have their
eyes repaired to normal, or at least be repaired enough to
comfortably wear contact lenses. Either way, their vision is
enhanced and many are happy just to get rid of the glasses
and finally be able to wear contacts, or possibly nothing at
all.
You
should be at least 18 years of age or older before considering
lasik. This is because your body is still developing and changing,
including your eyes. Your eyes are still growing and changing
their shape until you reach full maturity. Most people’s eyes
stop changing about the age of 16, yet some need that extra
two years to finish. It is best that you wait till you are
at least 18 to avoid any negative side effects or to avoid
needing a second surgery done later.
Ophthalmologic
disorders are disorders in the eye. Examples
of these optical disorders are cataracts and glaucoma. These
problems need to be take care of in advance if at all possible
to avoid complications with surgery and recovery. People who
have any optical disorders should not consider lasik as it
may be ineffective or progress the damage of the eye ever further.
Very few people with optical disorders actually improve their
eye sight with lasik.
Other
disorders such has arthritis should not be present either
as it will slow the healing process. Many physiological disorders
have been know to cause undo stress on the eyes, and it is
for this reason that lasik is not recommended for people with
general disorders.
Please
remember that these rules are guidelines and not all doctors
follow them to the letter of the law. Like most rules
there are exceptions and only a competent doctor can decide
if you should risk surgery under your conditions. Find a doctor
you trust and let him/her examine your eyes and listen to their
council to decide if lasik is best for you. Lasik is a risk
even for the perfect candidate. Don’t risk more than you have
to. Discuss it with your doctor and if he/she thinks you are
a good candidate for surgery, then proceed with it, but only
then.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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