LASIK Eye Surgery offers a wealth of benefits for the typical eyeglass or contact wearer. If you’ve been wearing eyeglasses for what seems like an eternity and you’re ready for a change, it might be time for you to consider the advantages of LASIK.
Here are Illinois Eye Center’s (IEC) top five benefits of undergoing LASIK:
- Improved vision: Studies have shown that following LASIK eye surgery, 96% of nearsighted patients see 20/20 or better, 83% of farsighted patients see 20/25 or better and 92% of patients described their vision as “good” or “excellent.”
- Long-lasting results: Following a brief stabilization period, LASIK results are expected to be permanent. There’s no need for follow-up procedures. If your vision changes as you age, adjustments can be made years after LASIK to further correct vision.
- Short recovery time and quick results: LASIK at IEC is performed at the end of the week, allowing most patients to return to work and normal activities after a weekend of relaxation. After surgery, your surgeon will provide you with a sleep aid to reduce the chance for any post-op irritation. When you wake up, you’ll already begin to notice improved vision. You may experience some slight irritation or blurred vision immediately following surgery, but those symptoms typically pass within the first couple of days. Follow-up exams are required during recovery to ensure that your eyes are healing properly.
- No more contacts: Maybe it’s as simple as this: you’re tired of paying for contacts throughout the year. While LASIK surgery costs several times the amount of contacts, you only have to pay for it once. After several years LASIK will begin to save you money and pay for itself by eliminating the need for contacts. Another plus – you won’t have to bother with contact solutions or deal with sticking your finger in your eye anymore.
- For most patients – no more glasses: We love glasses – we really do and today’s glasses have become fashionably, necessary accessories. But wouldn’t it be nice to have the option of not wearing glasses? Your look can drastically change just by taking your glasses off. Also, you can wear any style of shades you want without having to shop for special lenses or purchasing prescription sunglasses.
But what if I’m not a good candidate for LASIK Eye Surgery? Does IEC offer any alternative vision-correction surgeries? Yes – Photorefractive keratectomy or PRK, is an excellent vision correction option. PRK is a great treatment choice for patients who have exceptionally thin corneas or jobs (some branches of the military) and hobbies (like boxing or mixed martial arts) that have a greater risk of causing impact or injury to the eye itself.
During PRK, the thin surface layer of the cornea is removed. While LASIK involves creating a flap and reshaping the tissue below, in PRK a surgeon reshapes the actual cornea, flattening it or making it steeper. PRK has a longer recovery period than LASIK, but the eventual visual results are excellent.
An Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) is another option that can correct vision for patients with a high level of nearsightedness. The ICL is surgically inserted into the eye, providing excellent quality of vision for a wide range of needs. ICL is an outpatient surgery, meaning the patient has surgery and leaves the next day. Good candidates for ICL have extreme to moderate nearsightedness, thin corneas, are not candidates for LASIK, have a history of dry eye, and are between the ages of 21 to 40.
We’ll evaluate whether or not you’re a good candidate for LASIK during your pre-operative consultation and will discuss other options if they’re relevant to your unique, visual needs. Sign up for one of our free LASIK seminars today!