SolveYourProblem eLearning Series:
Lasik Eye Surgery Questions & Answers
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Lasik Surgery Results: The Hype
    

Laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis, or Lasik, is a procedure that has assisted people around the world reduce their need to wear glasses or contact lenses. But just how effective is Lasik surgery?

Putting It into Perspective

The CRSQA, which is a surgeon certification organization, has placed strict requirements on its members. One of these requirements is that all members must prove that at least 90% of their patients achieve at least 20/40 uncorrected vision after the procedure. In addition, the organization requires its members show that at least 50% of its members achieve 20/20 vision.

Furthermore, the surgeon will set a corrected vision goal for the patient prior to surgery. To maintain membership in the CRSQA, the surgeon must be within one diopter of this target with 85% of his or her patients, and half of their patients must be within a half diopter.

Most surgeons find these guidelines to be reasonable. What does this mean for you? Basically, the odds are that you have at least a 50% chance of having perfect vision after your surgery if your surgeon belongs to this organization, because he has proven this success rate. In addition, you theoretically have an 85% chance of meeting the vision goal your surgeon establishes with you prior to the surgery.

Even surgeons who are not members of CRSQA are likely to be able to live up to these same standards, as most professionals consider these figures to be pretty simple to attain, or surpass. But your best bet would be to seek out a CRSQA member, just for your own security and benefit.

Getting Results

For most people, their vision improves immediately after the Lasik surgery is completed. For others, their vision improves gradually over the days or weeks following the procedure. Most people achieve 20/20 vision or better from Lasik, but others only achieve 20/40 or worse. 20/40, however, is still pretty good vision. In fact, most states consider this to be good enough for driving.

For some patients, it will still be necessary to wear glasses or contact lenses after completing Lasik surgery. The prescription, however, will be much lower than it was before the surgery. If problems result in the surgical procedure, it is often best to have your Lasik surgeon take care of the problem. The doctor who did the Lasik procedure will know best what you need to have done to correct any problems. If you lost faith in your doctor, then it may be best to seek out a new Lasik provider. Be sure to take all of your files and be ready to give all details pertaining to your Lasik treatment.

Benefits of Lasik

Lasik does have potential complications and risks, but the outstanding benefits of Lasik, for most people, far outweigh the potential risk. For example, many people simply do not like the feeling of dependence up on their glasses or contact lenses. This dependence is even frightening at times, such as in the case of an emergency situation. Many people with poor vision even worry about how they could possibly function without their glasses or contact lenses because their vision is so poor. Lasik surgery eliminates this concern. Even if the vision is not corrected to 20/20, the vision will almost certainly be better than it was prior to the surgery. Ultimately, this makes the patient less dependent on glasses on contact lenses in order to function.

In addition, contact lenses and glasses are simply uncomfortable for many people with poor vision. Glasses can be heavy and dig into the bridge of a person’s nose. They can fall off easily, or cause headaches by clinging too tightly to the person’s head. Often people do not like searching for their glasses in the night or they misplace them. Many people feel that getting rid of their glasses or bifocals will be a blessing. Many people cannot wear contacts because they can’t bear the feeling of having an object in their eye. For yet others, contact lenses cause dry eye, which can be very uncomfortable. For these people, Lasik provides an attractive alternative to contact lenses and glasses. Furthermore, Lasik corrected vision is often better than the vision improvement gained through glasses or contact lenses.

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