WHAT IS “LASIK”, LASER EYE SURGERY?
LASIK, actually short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis”, is the most popular and most common laser eye surgery performed, because the procedure is relatively painless, recovery is very fast and the patient can achieve good vision almost immediately or at least by the next day. For millions, LASIK has proven remarkably and safely effective in correcting farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism.

LASIK, is an outpatient procedure that only takes minutes. Using an FDA approved laser, emiting a cold beam of light that gently and precisely removes corneal tissue, the cornea is permanently reshaped changing its focusing power improving a patient’s vision.

HOW LONG HAS LASIK BEEN PERFORMED?
While LASIK began to be performed in the U.S. in 1995 and internationally about 10 years ago, its history dates back over 50 years ago when ophthalomologists first began reshaping the cornea. It is estimated that over 13 million actual laser eye procedures have been performed. Over a million procedures are currently performed each year.

IS LASIK RIGHT FOR ME?
If you are tired of depending on glasses or contacts to see clearer LASIK surgery could change your life. Imagine what it would be like to drive, play your favorite sport, enjoy your favorite hobby without depending on corrective lenses. Imagine how less stressful your life would be if you didn’t have to worry about finding, breaking or losing your glasses or contacts!
If you are at least over 18 in generally good health (with no medical conditions that would effect healing), and your eyes are in good health (you have no eye diseases like cataracts or glaucoma), depending on your eye prescription, LASIK could be the right choice.
Call 1-800-LASER-EYES to reach a laser eye specialist near you and receive your free consultation or book online

DOES THE LASIK EYE PROCEDURE HURT?
Patients generally find the LASIK procedure relatively painless. A topical anesthetic (eye drops) is administered during the LASIK procedure that make the surgery relatively painless. After the procedure, many patients describe a mild discomfort or burning as if they got chlorinated water in their eye. This usually lasts only a few hours. During this time your surgeon will recommend you take a nap.
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WHAT KIND OF RESULTS CAN I EXPECT?
Most everybody who has a laser eye procedure can see much clearer after their surgery, and their dependency on glasses and contacts will be dramatically reduced allowing them to carry on their normal daily activities and routines without having to be burdened by corrective lenses. The degree of vision improvement that you will personally have is based on many factors including the extent of the aberrations being corrected. Only a laser eye doctor can evaluate what level of correction you might achieve through a procedure.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, “most people are very pleased with the results of their refractive surgery LASIK, laser eye procedure”
Multiple studies have found that over 96% of patients surveyed said they were so pleased with their results, they would do it all over again.

Almost all patients, about 98%, after the procedure will have at least 20/40 allowing them to pass a driver’s test without wearing glasses or contacts.

7 out of 10 people after a LASIK procedure have 20-20 vision according to American Academy of Ophthalmology (although this does not necessarily mean their vision is perfect).
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HOW SOON AFTER LASIK WILL MY VISION IMPROVE
A key characteristic of LASIK is the fast visual recovery time. Most patients can see better almost immediately after the procedure. Within the same day of surgery, most achieve good vision, and by the following day their eyes feel fairly normal. It should be noted that the patient might find that their “best corrected vision” may take as many as two to three months. This is especially true with patients who have LASIK to correct hyperopia. Often it takes them up to two weeks to see clearly, and with best vision occurring in as long as several months after the procedure.

HOW SOON AFTER LASIK CAN I DRIVE?
Many people are able to drive in as little as 24 hours after the procedure. You should start driving only once you feel confident your visual acuity and eye comfort allow you to drive safely.
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HOW SOON AFTER LASIK CAN I SHOWER OR BATH?
Your laser eye doctor will advise you. Generally you can bathe the same day of the treatment, and shower two days after the treatment. You should avoid getting soap in your eyes, and you should not rub your eyes for the first month following the surgery.

HOW SOON AFTER LASIK WILL I BE OUT OF WORK?
Most people can go back to work the following day. If your job is highly visually demanding (a dentist, surgeon) it might be a couple days before you can return to work. In some cases people take off a day or so because they feel fatigued.

WILL I NEED TO WEAR GLASSES AFTER HAVING LASIK?
Most people who have the LASIK procedure no longer need to wear glasses for their daily activities. However due to the normal aging of the eye, a condition called “presbyopia”, patients over the age of 40 will most likely have to use reading glasses. Some patients after LASIK surgery will still need a minimum prescription for some activities.
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HOW SOON AFTER LASIK CAN I PLAY SPORTS?
While you can resume most of your daily routine after LASIK, for at least two weeks you will need to avoid any activities including sports that would cause perspiration to run into your eyes. You should wear safety glasses while playing contact sports whether or not you have had surgery. But if you do not routinely wear safety glasses, your surgeon may recommend wearing them for at least one month after LASIK. You will also need to avoid such activities as contact sports and swimming for several weeks. It is important to talk specifically with your doctor about limitations on activities after LASIK.

HOW SOON AFTER LASIK CAN I SWIM?
Generally, most doctors advise their patients not to swim in a pool for the first week after the procedure and to wait at least two weeks to go in the river, ocean or lake.

WILL MY EYES LOOK DIFFERENT AFTER LASIK?
LASIK does not change the way your eyes look. Your eyes will look identical after the procedure.

HOW MUCH DOES LASIK COST
The FDA, while it regulates the safety and effectiveness of lasers used in laser eye procedures, does not regulate the marketing of or any fees associated with LASIK, or any other laser eye procedure. It is not uncommon to see a great variation in pricing from one laser eye practice to another. Pricing variations also occur geographically from one part of the country to another, and from one type of laser eye procedure to another.

Pricing for laser eye procedures is seen to range from as little to $499 to a high as $2,500 per eye. The FDA warns potential laser eye patients, “Don't base your decision simply on cost and don't settle for the first eye center, doctor, or procedure you investigate. Remember that the decisions you make about your eyes and refractive surgery will affect you for the rest of your life.”

The FDA further warns “Be wary of eye centers that advertise, "20/20 vision or your money back" or "package deals." There are never any guarantees in medicine.”

Finally the FDA cautions prospective patients to, “Be cautious about "slick" advertising and/or deals that sound "too good to be true." Remember, they usually are. There is a lot of competition resulting in a great deal of advertising and bidding for your business. Do your homework.”

1-800-LASER-EYES is dedicated to helping you find a laser eye surgeon that is best for you. Whether you use one of our affiliates, or decide to use another, we want you to have as much information as possible to make an informed decision. Simply call 1-800-LASER-EYES to schedule your free consultation, or book online.

IS LASIK SAFE?
LASIK, is considered very safe and the risks are minimal. However, as with any surgery there are risks. According to the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, about 5% of patients after LASIK, laser eye surgery experience some side effects or complications. Most usually disappear over time. Of these, less than 1 out of hundred are considered serious. Before your laser eye procedure, your surgeon should explain to you the risks and possible complications, and potential side effects, including the pros and cons of having one or both eyes done on the same day. This is the "informed consent" process.
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WHAT IS CUSTOM LASIK
Both the LASIK and Custom LASIK are performed in the identically same way during surgery. The big difference between the two is in the pre-op stage, the part of the procedure before surgery.
Only with Custom LASIK, is wavefront technology used. A wavefront analyzer is used to process how light travels through your eye to to create a 3-D map of the irregularities in your cornea known as “higher order aberrations”. These higher-order aberrations affect “how well you see”.

Higher order aberrations create vision quality problems like not being able to see in dim or low light, halos, shadows and glare. This uniquely individualized, personalized blueprint of your eye is then transferred to the actual laser that is used to reshape the cornea during the laser eye surgery, providing the most accurate and precise results achieved by any laser vision correction system.

To summarize, Custom LASIK, is more individualized and personalized than ordinary LASIK eye surgery. With Custom LASIK your surgeon can not only correct your lower end aberrations that affect “how much you see”, nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, your surgeon can also correct your higher end aberrations “how well you see”

Custom LASIK's advantages:
• Best chance of seeing 20-20
• Reduced chance of losing best-corrected vision
• Reduced chance of losing ability to see in dim or low light
• Reduced chance of night-vision problems and glare
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WHAT IS INTRALASE, “BLADELESS” LASIK?
Intralase, also called “bladeless LASIK” is considered by many laser eye experts and surgeons to be one of the most important new technological advancements in LASIK, laser eye surgery. LASIK is actually a two-step process. In the first step, the surgeon creates a flap of corneal tissue and folds it back to prepare the eye for the second step, where an Eximer laser is used to emit a cold beam of light on the inner cornea to to correct vision. This two-step process allows for rapid visual recovery with little or no patient discomfort.

Prior to Intralase, the corneal flap was created with a hand-held microkeratome blade. While this method has worked extremely well over the years, the majority of LASIK complications has been traced back to the microkeratome blade. The most common complications include buttonhole cuts, partial or improperly formed flaps, free caps, invasive corneal incisions, corneal abrasions, and subsequently blurred vision.
With IntraLase, the surgeon uses the precision of a computer-guided laser to create the corneal flap. This level of precision is unparalleled by any other technology in vision correction surgery. IntraLase allows surgeons to tailor the corneal flap for each individual patient, and each individual eye. Because of its consistent accuracy, IntraLase may make LASIK a viable option even for patients who previously didn’t qualify, such as those with thin corneas.

Clinical studies confirm that patients see better following IntraLase-initiated LASIK than with the hand-held microkeratome blade. According to the manufacturers of Intralase, Intralase Corporation:
• More patients achieve 20/20 or better vision with IntraLase-initiated LASIK.
• Patients stating a preference preferred the post-operative vision of their IntraLase-treated eye 3 to 1 over    their blade-treated eye.
• IntraLase creates fewer high and low order aberrations, frequently associated with glare and halos at   night.
• IntraLase patients have a reduced incidence of post-operative dry eye symptoms.
• IntraLase patients required fewer enhancement procedures following LASIK.

CAN CUSTOM LASIK BE COMBINED WITH INTRALASE?
Many laser eye surgeons and experts believe that by incorporating both Custom LASIK and Intralase together during the LASIK laser eye procedure, will assure you the best possible results. With Custom LASIK and its unmatched pre-op diagnostic abilities featuring wavefront technology to create your eyes’s customize 3-D map and then using the precise Intralase bladeless technology during surgery, as opposed to the hand held midrokeratome blade, the patient can have a better chance of avoiding complications and achieving optimal vision correction.
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