One Page Discussion Doctorate of Health Science

9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 1/6 Tests and P rocedures L A S IK e y e s u r g e r y Laser-assisted in-situ keratom ileusis (LA S IK ) eye surgery is a procedure that corrects certain vision problem s, reducing or elim inating the need for eyeglasses or corrective lenses. LA S IK eye surgery is the m ost com m on type of refractive surgery. R efractive surgery changes the shape of the dom e-shaped transparent tissue (cornea) at the front of your eye. The desired result of LA S IK eye surgery is to bend (refract) light rays to focus m ore precisely on your retina rather than at som e point beyond or short of your retina. The goal of LA S IK eye surgery is to produce clearer, sharper vision. LA S IK eye surgery m ay be an option for you if you have one of these vision problem s: N earsightedness (m yopia). W hen your eyeball is slightly longer than norm al or w hen the cornea curves too sharply, light rays focus in front of the retina and blur distant vision. You can see objects that are close m ore clearly, but not those that are far aw ay. Farsightedness (hyperopia). W hen you have a shorter than average eyeball or a cornea that is too flat, light focuses behind the retina instead of on it. This m akes near vision and som etim es distant vision blurry. A stigm atism . W hen the cornea curves or flattens unevenly, the result is astigm atism , w hich disrupts focus of near and distant vision. Your eye doctor w ill likely recom m end that you try other w ays of correcting your vision, such as by using glasses or contact lenses, before you turn to LA S IK eye surgery or another sim ilar refractive procedure. A s w ith any surgery, LA S IK eye surgery carries risks, including: U ndercorrections. If the laser rem oves too little tissue from your eye, you w on't get the clearer vision results you w ere hoping for. U ndercorrections are m ore com m on for people w ho are nearsighted. You m ay need another refractive surgery (enhancem ent surgery) w ithin a year to rem ove m ore tissue. By M ayo Clinic Staff 9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 2/6 O vercorrections. It's also possible that the laser w ill rem ove too m uch tissue from your eye. O vercorrections m ay be m ore difficult to fix than undercorrections. V ision returning to pre-surgery vision. O ver tim e, your eyes m ay slow ly return to the level of vision you had before surgery. This m ay happen due to certain conditions, such as abnorm al w ound healing, horm onal im balances or pregnancy. V isual loss or changes. R arely, you m ay experience loss of vision due to surgical com plications. S om e people also m ay not see as sharply or clearly as previously. A stigm atism . A stigm atism can be caused by uneven tissue rem oval. It m ay require additional surgery, glasses or contact lenses. G lare, halos and double vision. A fter surgery you m ay have difficulty seeing at night. You m ight notice glare, halos around bright lights or double vision. E ven w hen a good visual result is m easured under standard testing conditions, your vision in dim light (such as at dusk or in fog) m ay be reduced to a greater degree after the surgery than before the surgery. D ry eyes. LA S IK causes a tem porary decrease in tear production. For the first six m onths or so after your surgery, your eyes m ay feel unusually dry as they heal. D ry eyes can reduce the quality of your vision. Your eye doctor m ight recom m end that you use eyedrops during this tim e. If you experience severe dry eyes, you could opt for another procedure to get special plugs put in your tear ducts to prevent your tears from draining aw ay from the surface of your eyes. Flap problem s. Folding back or rem oving the flap from the front of your eye during surgery can cause com plications, including infections, excess tears and inflam m ation. The outerm ost corneal tissue layer (epithelium ) m ay grow abnorm ally underneath the flap during the healing process. C o n d itio n s th a t in c re a s e ris k s C ertain health conditions can increase the risks associated w ith LA S IK surgery or m ake the outcom e less predictable. D octors m ay not recom m end laser surgery for you if you have certain conditions. These conditions include: A utoim m une disorders, such as rheum atoid arthritis Im m unodeficiency conditions caused by im m unosuppressive m edications or H IV P ersistent dry eyes U nstable vision due to m edications, horm onal changes, pregnancy, breast-feeding or age S everal eye conditions, such as keratoconus, keratitis, uveitis, herpes sim plex affecting the eye area, glaucom a, cataracts, eye injuries or lid disorders LA S IK m ay not be advisable if you: 9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 3/6 H ave fairly good overall vision H ave very large pupils or thin corneas H ave a job that m ay be affected if you have the procedure H ave age-related eye changes that cause you to have less clear vision (presbyopia) P articipate in contact sports that m ay be associated w ith blow s to the face If you're considering LA S IK eye surgery, talk to your doctor about your questions and concerns. H e or she can explain how the surgery m ight benefit you and help put the risks in perspective. Your doctor w ill discuss w ith you w hether you're a candidate for the procedure. To prepare for LA S IK eye surgery: S top w earing your contact lenses. If you w ear contact lenses, you'll need to sw itch to glasses full tim e for at least a few w eeks before your surgery. C ontact lenses can distort the shape of your cornea, w hich could lead to inaccurate m easurem ents and a poor surgical outcom e. Your doctor w ill provide specific guidelines depending on your situation and how long you've been a contact lens w earer. S kip the eye m akeup. D on't use eye m akeup, cream , perfum es or lotions on the day before and the day of your surgery. Your doctor m ay also instruct you to clean your eyelashes daily or m ore often in the days leading up to surgery, to rem ove debris and m inim ize your risk of infection. A rrange for a ride hom e. You'll need to have som eone drive you to and from your place of surgery. Im m ediately after surgery, you m ight still feel the effects of m edicine given to you before surgery, and your vision m ay be blurry. K now w hat surgery m ay cost you. LA S IK eye surgery is usually considered elective surgery, so m ost insurance com panies w on't cover the cost of the surgery. B e prepared to pay out of pocket for your expenses. LA S IK eye surgery is perform ed using a laser program m ed to rem ove a defined am ount of tissue from your cornea. W ith each pulse of the laser beam , a tiny am ount of corneal tissue is rem oved. The laser allow s your eye surgeon to flatten the curve of your cornea or m ake it steeper. O ften, LA S IK is perform ed on both eyes on the sam e day. B e fo re s u rg e ry B efore surgery, your doctor w ill discuss the risks and benefits of LA S IK surgery, your expectations, w hat to expect before and after surgery, and answ er any questions you m ay have. D uring a pre-surgical eye exam , your eye doctor takes a detailed m edical and surgical history and conducts a com prehensive eye exam ination. In the eye exam ination, your doctor w ill evaluate your vision and look for signs of eye infections, inflam m ation, dry eyes, large eye pupils, high eye pressure or other eye conditions. 9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 4/6 Your doctor w ill also m easure your cornea, noting the shape, contour, thickness and any irregularities. Your eye doctor also evaluates w hich areas of your cornea need reshaping. Your eye doctor uses tests to m easure the shape and contour of your cornea and determ ine the precise am ount of tissue to rem ove from your cornea. D octors generally use w avefront-guided technology to evaluate your eye in detail before LA S IK surgery. In this test, a scanner creates a highly detailed chart, sim ilar to a topographical m ap, of your eye. Theoretically, the m ore detailed the m easurem ents, the m ore accurate your eye doctor can be in rem oving corneal tissue. D u rin g s u rg e ry LA S IK eye surgery is usually com pleted in 30 m inutes or less. D uring the procedure, you lie on your back in a reclining chair. You m ay be given m edicine to help you relax. A fter num bing drops are placed in your eye, your doctor uses an instrum ent to hold your eyelids open. A suction ring placed on your eye just before cutting the corneal flap m ay cause a feeling of pressure, and your vision m ay dim a little. Your eye surgeon uses a sm all blade or cutting laser to cut a hinged flap about the size of a contact lens aw ay from the front of your eye. Folding back the flap allow s your doctor to access the part of your cornea to be reshaped. U sing a laser, your eye surgeon then reshapes specific parts of your cornea. A fter reshaping is com plete, the flap is folded back into place and usually heals w ithout stitches. D uring the surgery, you'll be asked to focus on a point of light. S taring at this light helps you keep your eye fixed w hile the laser reshapes your cornea. You m ay detect a distinct odor as the laser rem oves your corneal tissue. S om e people describe sm elling an odor sim ilar to that of burning hair. If you need LA S IK surgery in both eyes, doctors w ill generally conduct the procedure on the sam e day. A fte r s u rg e ry Im m ediately after surgery, your eye m ay itch, burn and be w atery. You'll probably have blurred vision. You generally w ill experience little pain, and you'll usually recover your vision quickly. You m ay be given pain m edication or eyedrops to keep you com fortable for several hours after the procedure. Your eye doctor m ight also ask you to w ear a shield over your eye at night until your eye heals. You'll be able to see after surgery, but your vision w on't be clear right aw ay. It takes about tw o to three m onths after your surgery before your eye heals and your vision stabilizes. Your chances for im proved vision are based, in part, on how good your vision w as before surgery. 9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 5/6 You'll have a follow -up appointm ent w ith your eye doctor one to tw o days after surgery for your doctor to see how your eye is healing and check for any com plications. P lan for other follow -up appointm ents during the first six m onths after surgery as your doctor recom m ends. It m ay be a few w eeks before you can start to use cosm etics around your eyes again. You m ight also have to w ait several w eeks before resum ing strenuous contact sports, sw im m ing or using hot tubs. Follow your doctor's recom m endations about how soon you can resum e your norm al activities. R efractive surgery often offers im proved vision w ithout the hassle of glasses or contact lenses. In general, you have a very good chance of achieving 20/25 vision or better after refractive surgery. M ore than 8 out of 10 people w ho've undergone refractive surgery no longer need to use their glasses or contact lenses for the m ajority of their activities. Your results depend on your specific refractive error and other factors. P eople w ith a low grade of nearsightedness tend to have the m ost success w ith refractive surgery. P eople w ith a high degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness along w ith astigm atism have less predictable results. M any people have positive results and report high satisfaction after LA S IK surgery. H ow ever, long- term results often aren't available, as m any people are sufficiently satisfied after surgery. They don't feel a need for repeat exam ination, and they becom e lost to follow -up. A lso, the LA S IK procedure has evolved over tim e, and the procedure done today is different from the procedure done a few years ago. Feb. 25, 2014 R e fe re n c e s 1. Bower KS. Laser refractive surgery. http://www.uptodate.com /hom e. Accessed July 15, 2013. 2. LASIK — Laser eye surgery. Am erican Academ y of O phthalm ology. http://www.geteyesm art.org/eyesm art/glasses- contacts-lasik/lasik.cfm . Accessed July 15, 2013. 3. Bastawrous A. Laser refractive eye surgery. British M edical Journal. 2011;342:d2345. 4. Yanoff M , ed., et al. O phthalm ology. 3rd ed. Edinburgh, U.K.: M osby Elsevier; 2009. https://www.clinicalkey.com . Accessed July 15, 2013. 5. W hen is LASIK not for m e? U.S. Food and Drug Adm inistration. http://www.fda.gov/M edicalDevices/ProductsandM edicalProcedures/SurgeryandSurgeryandL/LASIK/ucm 061366.htm . Accessed July 15, 2013. 6. W hat should I expect before, during, and after surgery? U.S. Food and Drug Adm inistration. http://www.fda.gov/M edicalDevices/ProductsandM edicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/ucm 061270.htm . Accessed July 15, 2013. 7. Robertson DM (expert opinion). M ayo Clinic, Rochester, M inn. Aug. 5, 2013. 9/13/2016 LASIK eye surgery - Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041?p=1 6/6 O riginal article: http://www.m ayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019041 © 1998-2016 M ayo Foundation for M edical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Any use of this site constitutes your agreem ent to the Term s and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Term s and Conditions Privacy Policy Notice of Privacy Practices M ayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization and proceeds from W eb advertising help support our m ission. 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