Since Lasik corrective eye surgery has become available, millions of people have gone through the process, most with great results. While this type of surgery is refined and the outcome positive in most cases it is still surgery. Therefore, anyone that is has given thought of having this type of eye surgery performed needs to first look at the pros and cons of Lasik to determine if this is the best decision.
Lasik corrective eye surgery was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration or FDA in 1998. Although this means the surgery has been performed for more than 10 years, this is not enough time for long-term studies to be performed. Considering this surgery involves a person’s eyes, learning everything possible is imperative. Obviously, as with any surgery, there are risks. Therefore, choosing a board certified surgeon, someone with years of experience and who works in a high quality facility is the most important factor.
As far as the pros for Lasik, one of the greatest is that a person’s eyesight is not just improved but improved immediately. In fact, most people sit up after having the surgery performed and for the first time, look across the room and see the numbers on the clock with clear vision. For people who suffer from low to medium levels of farsightedness, moderate to high degrees of nearsightedness, astigmatism, or even for people with thickening corneas, there are many benefits to Lasik surgery.
A couple other pros that go along with Lasik surgery is that for the majority of patients, recovery is fast and easy. In fact, as much as 85% of patients that undergo this type of eye surgery have clear vision and no pain within 24 hours. Compared to the older non-laser types of corrective eye surgery, this is a vast improvement. In addition, a good surgeon can perform Lasik surgery and have both eyes completed in less than five minutes. With this, the patient is ready to leave in an hour, feeling great and seeing with clarity.
Along with the pros, some cons of Lasik need to be understood. While most facilities where this type of eye surgery is performed are clean, designed with state-of-the-art equipment, and highly maintained, some fly-by-night companies have cropped up. Therefore, people need to do their homework first to ensure they are choosing a top doctor and facility for the safety of the eyes, but also for better vision.
Another potential problem associated with Lasik is that if the surgeon does not have the required training, education, experience, and skills, the patient might be misdiagnosed. This means instead of walking out of surgery seeing, the individual might end up with a lifetime of double vision, glares, halos, and other problems. Obviously, going from having poor vision to being completely debilitated would be devastating.
One other con for Lasik is that for people that are farsighted will end up with diminished results with age. Therefore, this person would have improved vision but at some point in life, he or she would once again be wearing glasses or contact lenses. The thing is that Lasik can be an incredible option, one that changes a person’s life for the better but because people have but two eyes, this decision should be taken very seriously.
Learn more about the cost of Lasik in Atlanta and compare eye surgeons and various procedures available. Find out what surgeons in metro Atlanta are Fellowship trained, how many procedures they’ve performed, and other important information that will help you make an informed decision.