Lasik and other forms of laser eye surgery have become so common and effective that many health plans around the country may soon begin paying for them as acceptable forms of eye surgery. And if they don't, they should. The success rate with lasik eye surgery and laser eye surgery, in general, has made the procedure a household name, and made it also more affordable, so many more people can actually consider the procedure.

But no matter how many people have lasik eye surgery or laser eye surgery, you may still have your reservations. After all, they are slicing into your eyes, two of the most important organs you have, with a white-hot laser. So don't be afraid to ask any questions that you may have, and do as much research as necessary to make yourself comfortable with the procedure. Hopefully, we can get a jumpstart for you here with this article - and the answers to the 7 most commonly asked questions about laser eye surgery.

#1: What exactly is laser eye surgery? Lasik is one form of laser eye surgery, whose sole job is to make you not dependent on your glasses or contacts anymore. Lasik stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.

#2: How does lasik work to correct vision? You sure you want to know the answer to this one? Kidding aside, laser eye surgery works because it actually changes the shape of your cornea, or the clear lens of your eye that allows light to enter your eye. Doctors use a microkeratome, a knife, to create a flap in your cornea. This is then folded back and a laser, called an excimer laser, is used to "shave" off the cornea until it's the proper shape. Of course, there are other types of laser eye surgery out there, some of which you may have already heard about, like intralase surgery.

#3: How do I know if lasik is right for me? There are a lot of considerations to make before you get the laser eye surgery. First, you have to ask yourself whether or not you can afford the procedure, or whether or not your work and health insurance will pick it up.

#4: Are there other medical conditions that could interfere with the surgery? Yes, you should be aware of any medications that you may be taking that can slow down your healing, such as steroids. You should make sure you don't suffer from a condition that could slow your healing, such as an autoimmune condition.

#5: Are all eyes able to be "shaved"? No, some eyes, especially those with other conditions, such as dry eye, thin corneas, or pupil disorders, do not make good candidates for laser eye surgery. If your prescription is still in flux - if you've changed prescriptions in the last year or two - you should probably hold off on the lasik eye surgery as well.

#6: Does laser eye surgery work 100 percent of the time? No, sometimes the results are not permanent. In that case, repeated procedures may be needed down the road. You could also suffer side effects such as dry eyes, contrast sensitivity, or even blindness.

#7: How do I find a doctor? Ask around your friends, family, colleagues, and other doctors. The best laser eye surgery doctors should be experienced, have the latest equipment, be able to explain everything about the procedure to your heart's content, and offer care down the road.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - 7 Commonly Asked Questions About Laser Eye Surgery

Best Laser Eye Surgery is a post from: Eye Care

Are you tired of wearing glasses but too afraid to have laser eye surgery? Eye braces may be just the thing you've been waiting for.

A long time ago, back in the 1960's, two California doctors when getting feedback from their patients who wore contact lenses, kept hearing the same type of story over and over again. Many times their patients would leave their home, drive to work and then halfway through the day notice that they were not wearing their contact lenses. And they were seeing perfectly well. It appeared that the constant wearing of the contact caused a gradual reshaping of their cornea, improving their ability to see. This chance discovery eventually led to experimentations and studies on shaping the eyes using contact lenses.

Corrective eye braces or CRT (Corneal Refractive Therapy) lenses as they are formally known, are hard contact lenses that act much like a retainer or braces do on your teeth. You put them on at night just before you go to bed. During the night, while you sleep, they reshape the cornea of your eye. When you wake up in the morning, your blurred vision is gone. You can see the pictures on your wall, the buttons on your clothes, and the alarm clock on your dresser. You have 20/20 vision.

Unlike laser eye surgery, the changes are not permanent. The changes to the cornea will last only a day on some people. On others, it has lasted up to a week.

So who are the most likely candidates for these eye braces?

Young teenagers for one. Many good eye surgeons will not operate on a teenager or a person under 18 or 21 because the body, including the eyes. may still be growing and changing. At those ages, they doctor may legitimately determine that the risk is not worth it and rule out corrective eye surgery altogether. In this case, eye braces, may be a good alternative.

The eyes are one of our most important senses and many people are leery of making any type of permanent change to them. Add to that the growing number of malpractice lawsuits involving refractive surgery, and some people, especially those already wary of surgical operations, begin to look for alternative ways of improving their vision. For them, eye braces are a good compromise between permanent contact lenses and laser eye surgery.

Those looking for a bargain will also like eye braces. The cost of CRT lenses is much less than the cost of laser eye surgery.

The news is not all good, however. The braces have to be hard, in order to reshape the cornea. This can make them uncomfortable to wear. And although most people will get used to them, some find they can't adjust.

Also, although relatively infrequent, the wearing of contact lenses, does increase the risk of microbial infections of the eye.

And thirdly, there have been no long term studies of the effect of wearing eye braces on a nightly basis for an extended period of time.

So if you want CRT lenses how do you get them? You can't just go into an eye doctor's office and order them. A CRT lens has to be prescribed by a doctor who has been certified in CRT lenses.

About the Author:

Dana Siconolfi is a freelance writer who writes articles relating to customized eye Lasik surgery as well as other health related topics. Visit her site at http://www.lasereyesurgeryupdate.com .

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Some Choosing Eye Braces Over Laser Eye Surgery

Patient's seeing red over eyelid surgery
Q. I have had lower eyelid surgery two times and I'm not happy. When I look at myself, I see two bulges at the lower, outer part of my eye. The surgeon tells me it's part of my normal anatomy. I can't believe that I have to live like this.

Eye Surgery Doctor is a post from: Eye Care

One of the fairly minor after effects you may experience with LASIK eye surgery is dry eye. If your eyes start to itch, you're probably experiencing dry eye. You can relieve dry eye by using artificial tears. Right after surgery you doctor will probably tell you to use these artificial tear drops every 15 minutes for the first four hours and then as often as needed. In some cases, dry eye may persist for 3 to 6 months.

Upon completion of LASIK eye surgery, the nerve impulses that trigger your lacrimal gland to produce tears may be interrupted, causing dry eye. This is considered a normal reaction to the procedure, so it isn't unexpected. Remember to relieve any such discomfort with artificial tear drops. Use the artificial tears as often as needed - besides making you feel better, they also hasten the healing process.

Another after effect that sometimes occurs is halo or glare at night, especially when viewing bright lights. With new advancements in the LASIK process, this problem has become increasingly rare. If you do experience the halo or glare, it will most likely clear up within a short period of time.

The first thing to expect after LASIK eye surgery is that your vision may be blurred. This blurring usually begins to resolve itself and goes away normally within a day or so.

You may also feel that your eyes are irritated after completion of your procedure. Some people describe this irritation as feeling like you have a grain of sand in your eye. A normal reflex action is to rub your eye, but you must avoid such an urge to allow the corneal flap to heal. It may help if you use some artificial tears to lessen the sensation of irritation.

In very  rare cases, your eye may develop an infection. However, most doctors prescribe an antibiotic to be used frequently during the first week or two after LASIK eye surgery, so be sure to follow your doctor's instructions. If for some reason you do develop an infection, consult your doctor right away.

Although you can expect a sudden improvement immediately after LASIK eye surgery, you will also notice that your vision will continue to further improve over time. It can actually take up to six months for your new vision to reach its full potential.

In almost all cases, undesirable after effects are minimized with LASIK eye surgery. Follow your doctor's instructions and you'll be fast on the road to problem free recovery.

About the Author:

Want to separate LASIK Fact from Fiction? Get the straight story about all the different types of Laser Eye Surgery and learn which procedure is best for you. You'll learn the pros and cons of all the popular methods of surgical vision improvement - just visit http://LaserImprovedVision.com for complete details. You'll Learn a Lot!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Lasik Eye Surgery After Effects

Eye Surgery Doctors is a post from: Eye Care