As an Optometrist serving San Jose, CA we get a lot of questions from our patients in regards to lasik corrective eye surgery. If you are tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses Lasik maybe a good option for you. This article is to help educate patients on Lasik.
What is Lasik Surgery?
Lasik is a type of laser-assisted eye surgery to correct myopia (near sightedness), hyperopia (far sightedness) and astigmatism. From a very high level the surgeon applies a computer controlled laser light to the inner layers of the cornea. The laser reshapes the inner corneal area to mirror the prescription of your contact lenses or glasses. The actual surgery generally only takes a few minutes per eye. However there is lot of preparation time involved to prepare for the lasik eye surgery, so in most cases it takes about 30 minutes per eye.
Is there any pain with the Lasik procedure?
Some patients experience a slight discomfort or irritation for a few hours following the lasik surgery, but most quite comfortable after a short nap.
Is Lasik safe and what are the long term effects?
The FDA has approved Lasik and considers the procedure to be safe and effective. Studies show that less than 5% of patients under going Lasik will experience some mild side effects while less than 1% will experience serious complications.
Complication risks are minimized when Lasik candidates are properly screened and selected. If you are considering Lasik it’s important to consult with your optometrist and they will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for Lasik or not.
Am I good candidate for Lasik?
For a successful Lasik procedure this is probably the most important question to answer first. Most optometrist will work with the Lasik surgeon and “co-manage” Lasik procedure. The optometrist will perform the “pre-0p” and “post-op” examinations. In the “pre-op” examination the optometrist will be able to tell you if you are good candidate for Lasik and help recommend an experienced surgeon to for the procedure. In the “post op” exam it is important for the optometrist to manage and monitor how the eyes are healing from the surgery. Some patients may experience a corneal reaction to surgery like inflammation or scarring like inflammation or scarring. Early detection is essential for proper treatment.
If you are interested in Lasik, call us for an appointment, we would be happy to evaluate if you are a good candidate or not, and help you make the right decision for your eyes.
Dr. Tarryn Uyen Ngo is a San Jose (CA) Optometrist and business owner of North Valley Optometry.
