In recent years, LASIK has become more and more popular. You might even know someone who has it already!
Maybe you’ve considered it. What’s stopping you?
There are a lot of things to consider when thinking about having any elective surgery. The one thing you need to remember is to not make these decisions based on fear.
Things you’ve heard or assumed about LASIK may be wrong or inaccurate. Don’t let fear over false assumptions hold you back from achieving your best vision! Keep reading to learn more about LASIK!
Is LASIK Really Safe?
LASIK is a low-risk procedure. Every surgery no matter how minor has some risks.
But when it comes to LASIK surgery, safety is a priority. The primary thing that keeps LASIK so safe is making sure only qualified candidates undergo it.
About 15% of people who have a LASIK consultation are not good LASIK candidates. You may have a prescription that’s too strong, corneas that are too thin, or a variety of other reasons.
Getting LASIK when you aren’t a good candidate can lead to serious complications. The good news is that most people that want LASIK can have it!
Being a good LASIK candidate means you don’t have any pre-existing conditions that could interfere with the surgery or recovery. That fact minimizes the risks associated with LASIK.
Another thing that helps is doing your research about the surgical practice and surgeon you choose for the procedure. Some practices skirt the line of which patients can have LASIK safely to increase their profits.
Luckily, these practices are easy to spot. Make sure to ask how many patients that get a consultation will be screened out. If the answer is less than 10%, definitely consider a different surgeon!
What About Long-Term Effects?
Another common fear about LASIK is the supposedly unknown long-term effects. But this fear assumes that LASIK is a new procedure.
LASIK was actually FDA approved over 20 years ago! That means the first people to have LASIK have already experienced the long term effects.
Studies haven’t found significant negative long-term effects. One thing that you need to know about LASIK is it can only treat current vision problems.
But this is true of any vision correction procedure like PRK or the Visian ICL as well. This means you’ll still develop presbyopia or cataracts even if you have LASIK.
Your vision can and will still be affected by increasing age. Even if you’ve had LASIK, you can still use aids and have procedures to correct age-related eye conditions just like anyone else.
Will It Hurt?
One of the biggest fears about LASIK is the procedure and if it will hurt. LASIK is not a painful procedure. The procedure only uses lasers to remove tissue and reshape the cornea.
Before the procedure begins, you’ll receive numbing eye drops to prevent any pain. You may experience some discomfort during the recovery, especially once the numbing eye drops start to wear off.
But this discomfort usually lasts only a short time and is usually a slightly gritty feeling in the eye rather than acute pain. After a few days, even though your eyes are still healing, they shouldn’t feel much pain at all. The key here is to take your prescription antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops as directed by your eye doctor.
Ready to put your fears of LASIK behind you? Find out if you’re a good candidate by scheduling your LASIK consultation at Ellis Eye in San Francisco, CA today!
Wouldn’t you love to say goodbye to glasses and contacts? With LASIK, this could be your future!
