What Is Laser Eye Surgery?

There are several types of laser eye surgery, and they all can significantly improve your vision. These are the main types of laser eye surgery:

Lasik:

Lasik is the most common laser eye surgery. It’s more precise than other laser eye surgeries, and a thin flap is created on the cornea to perform the procedure. Then, a laser beam corrects any defects with your eye.

PRK:

PRK is the next most common type of laser eye surgery. It involves the removal of a small amount of corneal or epithelial tissue. As a result, there’s no need for a corneal flap. The same type of laser that’s used for Lasik procedures is used.

Lasek:

Lasek is very similar to PRK. However, a flap is created. The same type of laser that’s used in Lasik and PRK procedures is used to correct defects with your vision.

RLE:

Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is used to treat cataracts. However, it’s also effective for those who are nearsighted or farsighted.

Epi-LASEK:

This procedure is quite similar to Lasek.

Epi-Lasik:

This procedure is very similar to Lasik.

PRELEX:

PRELEX is used to treat a loss of flexibility in your eye. The lens of your eye is removed during this procedure. Then, the doctor installs a multifocal lens. Lasers can be used to make the incision.

Who Can Benefit From Laser Eye Surgery?

Laser eye surgery can be highly effective for people who have nearsightedness or farsightedness that is anywhere from mild to severe. It also can be effective for some cases of astigmatism. Here are some other eye conditions that it can effectively treat:

• Diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal vein occlusions
• Ocular histoplasmosis
• Macular degeneration as a result of age
• Central serous retinopathy
• Tumors in the eye

How Effective Is Laser Eye Surgery?

It is common for laser eye surgery to bring one’s vision entirely back to normal. This is measured as 20/20 on an eye test. However, laser eye surgery can correct one’s vision to the point that it is actually better than 20/20.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of laser eye surgeries is variable. Some procedures may cost as much as 4,000 dollars per eye. However, other procedures can be as inexpensive as 300 dollars per eye. There are a variety of factors that affect the price, such as these:

• Where the procedure is performed
• The experience of the surgeon
• The technology that’s used to perform it
• Whether or not insurance covers the eye surgeryLuckily, there are ways that you can reduce the cost of your laser eye surgery. However, it’s important to never skimp on quality. Here are some ways to save money on laser eye surgery:
  • Use A Health Savings Account: Lasik procedures are not always covered by insurance. Even if they are, you still will have to pay some money out of pocket. A health savings account can allow you to put money aside without having to pay taxes on it. This can lead to a savings of 25-30%.
  • Lasik Special Offers: Sometimes, a facility that performs Lasik will feature deals that can reduce the price of the procedure.
  • VSP: VSP offers discounts on Lasik procedures.
  • Compare Providers: As a result of the fact that the cost of Lasik varies considerably from one provider to another, it’s a good idea to compare as many prices as possible. However, it’s important to carefully consider each provider of Lasik eye surgery. This is even more true if the provider you’re considering charges a significantly lower rate than some providers of Lasik. You can determine the quality of a surgeon by reading reviews of their business online.

Contact lenses have come a long way since they were first available. The original contact lenses that were available on the market were called hard contact lenses. These lenses were manufactured to be as durable as glasses and were usually reserved for patients who were in need of serious vision correction and otherwise required thick corrective lenses. Nowadays, contact lenses predominately come in soft varieties and are designed for limited use. These disposable soft contact lenses are sanitary and safe to use under normal conditions.

Research shows that the longer that you wear contact lenses, the greater the risks for suffering eye infections and other complications. This is why many contact lenses are designed to be worn for as little as one day to a month at the most. After this point, the contact lenses will start to build up protein deposits and can begin to harbor bacteria if not properly cleaned. This is why extended wear contact lenses often become cloudy and can become more irritating the longer people wear them.

The technology used to manufacture and develop contact lenses is constantly improving. Let’s consider the features and benefits of a few brands below.

Air Optix

The Air Optix brand is manufactured by Alcon. These silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses can be worn for as long as 30 days before requiring replacement. Although they need to be cleaned daily with a sterilizing soft contact lens solution, users should find that this brand develops less of those irritating protein deposits. This is because they are gas permeable and allow more oxygen to pass through the material and sooth any eye irritation.

Lack of oxygen is scientifically proven to increase the risks of irritation and corneal swelling. This is one key reason why many have been turned away from contact lenses in the past. Their eyes would get dry, red, and irritated as the lenses started to stick to their corneas and reduce the availability of natural tears to moisten and protect them. This is why it is strongly recommended by professionals to never sleep in contact lenses. However, users should find that Air Optix brands do not create the same discomfort even if they do fall asleep with them.

Pricing starts around $25.00 a box.

Acuvue

This brand is developed by medical care giant Johnson & Johnson. Acuvue is a pioneer in the contact lens industry, having developed Hydraclear technology to keep lenses moist, gas permeable, and comfortable for extended wear periods. They also developed many astigmatism-friendly, one-day disposable lenses, and other styles for a variety of lifestyles. They are one of, if not the, most recognized brand name for contacts and have even developed multifocal lenses that change the prescription according to the pupil size.

Pricing starts around $28.00 a box.

Dailies

A lot of people have trouble maintaining their contact lenses for a month or even a week. In these situations, it is important for the wearers to have disposable lenses that can be worn one day and replaced the next. These disposable lenses are of no lesser quality than extended wear contact lenses, although they may be thinner.

One of the chief enemies of soft contact lenses is water. If users expose their soft contact lenses to the steam when they are cooking spaghetti or even a hot shower, they will cloud up and may become stiff and uncomfortable. This is especially true if people go swimming with them at night.

At this point, if users continue to wear the lenses, they are putting themselves at risk of both physical complications and even a car accident if they can’t see well. Most jobs require clarity of vision and healthy eyes that are able to see 20/20. If people don’t want to compromise they vision or deal with the discomforts of poorly fitting contact lenses, it is critical to switch to a disposable daily brand like Dailies.

Dailies feature moisturizers that help eyes work with natural blinking action to stay moist and comfortable. They also have LightStream technology for maximum clarity that also eliminates edge distortion.

Pricing starts around $28.00 a box.

Toric Lenses

Astigmatism is a disorder that commonly causes blurred vision. It is a result of light refracting imperfectly within the eye because the curvature of the corneal lens is irregularly shaped. For patients with astigmatism, it can be difficult to focus and obtain the right readings during an eye exam.

An optometrist can measure the size of someone’s corneas and write a prescription for the proper brand, size, and strength. They may recommend a type of lens called a toric lens to correct blurred visions in eyes that suffer from astigmatism. A toric lens has two different prescription properties incorporated into one lens. The lenses refract the light in one fashion to reduce blur and magnify it in another direction for long-distance perception.

Final Thoughts

Although LASIK surgery is flooding the market with the supposed benefits and permanent results that eliminate the need for corrective vision, this is not entirely correct. Although LASIK surgery can be used to treat farsightedness and nearsightedness by reshaping the cornea, it will not reduce the need for corrective lenses entirely as aging happens. Furthermore, the corneal flap that is opened up to correct vision can split apart under strenuous activity because scar tissue at the surgical incision is inferior to the original tissue.

Most people can comfortably wear contacts and prefer wearing them over getting invasive surgeries or wearing bulky glasses.