Lasik Eye Surgery Basics

Lasik eye surgery is a surgical procedure that can correct a person’s vision. When an individual has Lasik surgery they will no longer have to depend on glasses or contact lenses.

The cornea of the eye is responsible for projecting light onto the retina to produce an image. When the cornea of the eye is not shaped perfectly, then the image will be distorted. This is called a refractive error. Lasik eye surgery can correct a refractive error.

There are three primary types of refractive errors. Myopia is a refractive error in which a person has trouble seeing things at a distance but they can see things close up. Hyperopia is when a person will be able to see things clearly at a distance but cannot see things that are close to them. Astigmatism is a distortion of an image that is caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens of the eye.

Lasik eye surgery is also called refractive surgery because it will reshape the shape of the cornea, therefore improving the focusing power. But keep in mind that not everyone is a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery.

To be a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery, you have to be willing to accept the risks that go along with this type of surgery. Your eyesight should be stable, meaning your eyeglass prescription has not changed much over the past several years. You should not have any health conditions that would put you a risk if you have Lasik eye surgery.

Lasik eye surgery does carry some risks. One of the risks of this type of eye surgery is loss of vision. In rare cases, the patient may lose vision due to equipment malfunction, scarring or flap related complications.

Another risk of Lasik eye surgery is that any dry eye condition that is experienced right after surgery may become worse. This can be accompanied by burning, redness and decreased vision. If this dry eye condition persists, you may have to use medication to improve tear duct function.

If you wear contact lenses, whether they are soft contacts or rigid contacts, you should stop wearing your contacts at least three weeks before your initial evaluation by the doctor. The day before surgery, you should not wear creams, makeup, perfumes or any type of lotion.

Make sure that someone goes with you on the day of surgery. You will need someone to drive you home because before the surgery the doctor will give you medicine to relax you and your vision may be a little blurry right after surgery.

Lasik eye surgery is relatively safe and it can free you from glasses and contacts. Before you commit to Lasik surgery, make sure that you weigh all the pros and cons of having the surgery. Ask your doctor plenty of questions and then make an informed decision about Lasik eye surgery.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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