Nine Things You Must Know About LASIK Surgery

Transcription

Nine Things You
Must Know About
LASIK Surgery
A Free eBook Provided By:
Eye Centers of Florida
Learn more by visiting www.ECOF.com, or by calling (888) 393-2455.
Copyright © 2012-2013 Eye Centers of Florida. All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
1: What is LASIK Surgery?
2: How Well Can You Expect to See After LASIK?
3: Are You a Candidate for LASIK Surgery?
4: Is LASIK and Laser Eye Surgery Safe?
5: Does LASIK Surgery Hurt?
6: How to Prepare for LASIK Surgery
7: What to do After LASIK Surgery
8: How Long do the Effects Last?
9: What is the Next Step?
1: What is LASIK Surgery?
LASIK is short for “laser-assisted in situ
keratomileusis”. For those who aren’t up on
their Latin, we’ll break that down for you
into slightly more comprehensible
terminology. LASIK is laser vision
corrective surgery, or refractive surgery
(which means it corrects visual accuity). It
is a quick, painless procedure that treats
virtually all levels of refractive errors. The
objective of LASIK surgery is to reduce or
eliminate the need for glasses and
contacts.
LASIK is the most commonly performed
refractive surgery, and is usually conducted
as an out-patient procedure. This means
you do not have to stay in the hospital for
monitoring after the surgery.
LASIK has become very popular because
of some appealing advantages over other
vision correction procedures, such as:
• A relative lack of pain following the procedure
• Good vision is usually achieved by the very next day
The LASIK procedure combines the precision of an excimer laser, along with the
benefits of an instrument called an automated microkeratome. These tools allow
the surgeon to treat the inside surface of the cornea.
LASIK is performed by folding back a thin layer of the cornea without damaging
the surface. The surgeon then uses the excimer laser (which uses a cool
ultraviolet light beam) to precisely remove very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea
to reshape it. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the
corneal tissue was removed. This reshaping of the cornea improves the way that
light is focused on the retina, therefore resulting in clearer vision.
2: How Well Can You Expect to See After LASIK?
The results of LASIK surgery can be
life-changing. In a majority of cases,
it will provide 20/20 or better vision,
and will completely eliminate the
need for glasses or contacts. This
can not only improve your vision, but
also improve your lifestyle and selfesteem by eliminating the stress of
depending on glasses or contact
lenses.
The eye care community sets high
standards for LASIK success. For a
LASIK laser to receive FDA approval,
manufacturers are expected to have
adverse event rates of less than 1
percent during clinical trials.
Eliminate Contact Lenses and Glasses
In a major report discussed on the American Academy of Ophthalmology
website, 64 LASIK studies published since 2000 were reviewed with these
results reported:
• 92 percent of eyes with myopia (nearsightedness) or myopic astigmatism
achieved a correction within 2.0 diopters of target. (A “diopter” is a unit of
measurement for optical power)
• 94 percent of eyes achieved 20/40 or better vision after surgery and did not
require correction with glasses or contact lenses (uncorrected visual acuity or
UCVA).
• 99 percent of people with low to moderate levels of myopia had 20/40 or better
UCVA, and a median of 89 percent of people with high myopia had the same
result.
• A median of 88 percent of eyes with hyperopia (farsightedness) and hyperopic
astigmatism achieved correction within 1.0 diopter of target, resulting in at least
20/40 UCVA.
According to a major analysis of scientific literature by the American Society of
Cataract and Refractive Surgery reported in 2008, worldwide satisfaction rates
among LASIK patients is more than 95 percent. Since its introduction over ten
years ago, more than 10 million people worldwide have experienced this simple,
quick laser procedure, and numbers are substantially increasing each year.
3: Are You a Candidate for LASIK Surgery?
Both nearsighted and farsighted
people can benefit from the LASIK
procedure. To decide whether
you’re a good candidate for LASIK,
your eye doctor will perform an eye
exam to determine if your eyes are
healthy enough for the procedure.
They will also decide what type of
vision correction you need.
Nearsightedness (Myopia) – If
you are nearsighted, the goal is to
flatten the too-steep cornea.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia) – If
you are farsighted, a steeper
cornea is desired.
Astigmatism – Excimer lasers also
can correct astigmatism by
smoothing an irregular cornea into
a more normal shape.
Your doctor also will look for signs
of dry eye disease, which must be
treated and cleared up before
LASIK can be performed. Even if your
eyes have a normal tear film, your eye surgeon as a precaution may recommend
treatment to reduce your risk of developing dry eyes after LASIK. Here are the
typical requirements for LASIK surgery. If you meet these, you are most likely a
candidate!
1. You should be 20 years of age or more.
Eyes mature and develop at differing rates. The best LASIK candidates are at
least 20 years of age.
2. You should have consistent, or “stable” vision.
Stable vision means your prescription has been the same for at least a year;
two is better. Younger patients (under the age of 25) or those on certain
medications may have fluctuating prescriptions. If this is the case, you should
ask your doctor if you qualify, as it is determined on a case by case basis.
3. It is best if you are free of eye infections or injuries for a year or longer.
Infections such as Herpes of the eye, eye inflammation, dry eyes and corneal
or retinal diseases may cause additional risks or complications.
4. You must be free of autoimmune disorders.
Many of these disorders affect wound healing. Examples include Lupus,
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.
5. Patients should not take medications that exacerbate complications.
Certain medications, like Renova, steroids or immunosuppressants may
prevent healing after LASIK surgery. Others, like Accutane, may promote dry
eye syndrome. Any and all medications that a patient is taking or has taken in
the recent past should be divulged to their doctor.
6. Your corneas cannot be scarred or abnormal.
The reshaping of the cornea may be affected if it is abnormal or scarred.
There are many possible explanations for scarred or abnormal corneas:
disease, trauma or aging. The most likely is Keratoconus, which is a disorder
where the cornea eventually forms a rounded cone shape. The most likely
causes of Keratoconus are: Inherited abnormality Eye injury Eye Disease,
such as retinitis pigmentosa, retinopathy of prematurity, vernal
keratoconjunctivitis Systemic diseases, such as Leber’s congenital amaurosis,
Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome, Down’s syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, and
Addison’s disease.
7. You should not be pregnant or nursing.
Hormonal changes in pregnant and nursing women many times affect vision
stability. If you are considering pregnancy, talk openly with your surgeon about
the possible timing and its ramifications.
8. Pupils must be of appropriate size.
Larger pupils may cause a LASIK candidate to experience glare, halos or
starbursts after surgery. Alternative methods are available for these patients,
such as LASEK or Epi-LASIK.
9. Have sufficient corneal thickness.
The surgeon needs to create a corneal flap; those with thin corneas (the
transparent front of the eye) may not qualify. If the cornea is too thin, the
surgeon may not be able to safely create the flap. There are additional
alternative methods that can accommodate this problem.
10.You should not have severe refractive errors.
LASIK surgery can not cure every refractive error. Patients with severe
refractive errors should consider other procedures such as implantable
collamer lenses. Consult with your doctor.
If you learn that you’re not a good candidate for LASIK and you’d like
to learn more about implantable collamer lenses, visit the FAQ’s.
4: Is LASIK and Laser Eye Surgery Safe?
There have been over 10 million Laser Vision Correction procedures performed
worldwide in the past 10 years. Data that has been obtained during extensive
clinical trials shows that all patients experienced a significant improvement in
uncorrected vision (vision without glasses or contact lenses) after laser vision
correction.
The FDA has approved LASIK as a safe and effective procedure. However,
LASIK is not the right choice for everybody. It is important that you receive a
thorough pre-operative evaluation to determine if LASIK is right for you.
As with any form of surgery, you should seek the care and guidance
of an experienced LASIK surgeon. This minimizes the risk of any
possible complications. Also, when it comes to your eye
health, you should not choose a surgeon simply because
they are less expensive. You want to be certain you select
a health care professional with appropriate credentials
and experience performing LASIK procedures.
Below is a checklist from the FDA’s website regarding what you
should consider when choosing your LASIK surgeon.
Experienced – How many eyes has your doctor performed LASIK
surgery on with the same laser?
Equipment – Does your doctor use an FDA-approved laser for the
procedure you need? Is the equipment kept on site or is it mobile?
Equipment that is transported may be damaged during transport and not
be as accurate. Also, who maintains the equipment? If the practice owns
the equipment, you may be assured that they also take on the
responsibility of routine maintenance and updates.
Informative – Is your doctor willing to spend the time to answer all your
questions?
Long-term care – Does your doctor encourage follow-up and management of
you as a patient? Your pre-op and post-op care may be provided by a doctor
other than the surgeon.
Be comfortable – Do you feel you know your doctor and are comfortable with an
equal exchange of information?
5: Does LASIK Surgery Hurt?
No. The actual treatment of LASIK is actually
painless. Since it’s a surgery, people often falsely
believe that LASIK is a painful procedure.
However, LASIK is a painless technique. What
you will experience during and after the
surgery can be categorized as mild discomfort
rather than pain.
Since LASIK is performed while you are
awake and mobile, this ensures that the
operation is relatively painless. Prior to surgery,
you will be given plenty of anesthetic drops
which completely numb the eye. The
surgeon typically administers a mild
sedative (for instance Valium) and
anesthetic eye drops. During the surgery,
you may feel a light pressure sensation
around your eye, but will not feel any pain.
After the procedure is finished, you may feel a
sensation many patients describe as slightly gritty"
or the feeling of a lash in your eye for a few hours.
However, most people experience very little or no
pain.
Following the surgery, you may be given a prescription for a pain reliever if you
need it. However, most people need nothing more than Tylenol, if anything.
6: How to Prepare for LASIK Surgery
After you’ve selected a qualified LASIK surgeon that has given you a full exam
and recommended you for LASIK, you can begin to prepare for the surgery.
One of the best ways to prepare for LASIK is to start admiring yourself in the
mirror without glasses, and getting excited about the “new you” that will soon be
emerging. Or, start imagining how easy and stress-free it will be when you start
going to bed and waking up in the morning without the hassle of taking out or
putting in contacts!
When you meet with your doctor to schedule your surgery, they will check for a
few things before deciding on a date.
1. Your doctor will look for signs of dry eye
disease, which must be treated and
cleared up before LASIK can be
performed. Even if your eyes have a
normal tear film, your eye surgeon may
recommend treatment as a precaution, in
order to reduce your risk of developing dry
eyes after LASIK.
2. Your doctor will use a device called a
corneal topographer to measure the
curvature of your eye. This creates a sort
of “map” of your cornea.
3. Finally, the doctor will ask you about any
health problems you have or medications
you take. Although some health conditions
will disqualify you for LASIK, others may
just postpone the procedure until a later
date.
Once your LASIK surgeon has determined
that everything is o.k. to proceed, they will
schedule your surgery.
Corneal Topographer
LASIK is an “ambulatory procedure” — which means you walk into the surgery
center, have the procedure, and walk out again. In fact, the actual surgery usually
takes less than five minutes, and you’re awake the whole time.
7: What to do After LASIK Surgery
Celebrate the “new you”! Even though the procedure only takes minutes, the
results of LASIK surgery are amazing and life-changing. There’s no reason not to
celebrate! (Just make sure you take some time to rest first.)
You may be anxious to get out and experience life without glasses or contact
lenses. However, as with any kind of surgery, it’s important that you follow your
doctor’s instructions following the procedure.
Immediately after LASIK, the doctor will have
you rest for a bit. Then, you will be free to go
home. Someone else must drive, since your
eyes need a little time to adjust. At home,
you should just relax for the rest of the day.
You may be able to go to work the next day,
but many doctors advise a couple of days of
rest instead. They also recommend no
strenuous exercise for up to a week, since
this can traumatize the eye and affect
healing. You should also avoid rubbing your
eye immediately following surgery.
Get proper rest, use any prescribed
medications as directed, and call your doctor
immediately if you suspect a problem. Follow
these simple instructions, and you’ll be ready
to get out and start living your new life…free
of contacts and glasses!
8: How Long do the Effects Last?
You may have heard conflicting
stories about whether the effects of
LASIK are temporary or permanent.
This is because, in order to
understand this, you have to
understand how LASIK works.
During LASIK, your cornea – the
clear membrane that covers the front
of your eye – is reshaped to address
and correct your specific eye
condition. This is permanent. No
matter how much time has passed,
your cornea will not lose its new
shape after surgery.
Along with our bodies, our vision will
change as we grow older. As much
as we would like to prevent this, it is
unavoidable. However, as we age,
our vision begins to naturally
deteriorate.
As patients become older, a common
eye disorder that comes with age is
presbyopia. With this, a person’s near
vision may start to become blurry, often making reading glasses necessary.
However, this is not an issue with the cornea, which has been corrected by
LASIK. This is rather an issue with the eye’s lens. At the time of your LASIK
screening, your eye doctor can explain this to you in more detail.
If your eye surgeon doesn’t recommend LASIK for you, there are
other vision correction options to choose from that correct
nearsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia and farsightedness.
Consult with your doctor.
9: What is the Next Step?
If you are ready to do away with your glasses or contacts, the next step is to
make an appointment with your eye doctor to see if you are a candidate for
LASIK Surgery. When you come in, you will receive an eye exam and
consultation about the LASIK procedure.
If you have worn hard contact
lenses for years, you will need to
go back to wearing glasses
temporarily prior to having LASIK
surgery performed. This is because
many years of hard lens wear can
cause significant alterations in the
way your corneas work, and they
will need some time to recuperate.
Before you have LASIK, your
corneas must be completely stable.
The time period for this varies from
person to person. As soon as you
have two prescription and cornea
checks that are identical, that’s
typically when you are ready for
the permanent surgery.
If you are a candidate for LASIK
right away, you will simply schedule
an in-office visit for the procedure.
Talk to your doctor about any
preparations you should take prior
to the surgery. For example, you
should avoid using lotions or eye
make-up the day of the procedure.
The physicians at Eye Centers of Florida have years of experience in laser vision
correction and other corrective eye procedures. They will answer all of your
questions and will help you decide if LASIK or another procedure is best suited to
correcting your vision problems.
Schedule your appointment today! Contact Eye Centers of Florida
online or call 1.888.393.2455!

Nine Things You Must Know About LASIK Surgery

Transcription

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