Most people have heard of LASIK and its impressive capabilities. It’s one of the most popular elective procedures you can undergo and has a very high success rate, with over 95% of LASIK patients achieving 20/20 vision or better.
The vision correction procedure is low-risk and highly effective, giving patients much-longed-for total visual freedom from glasses and contact lenses. If you have to wear glasses or contact lenses to see, chances are you’ve at least thought about having LASIK.
But many people have concerns about the procedure that make them hesitant to take steps towards getting LASIK surgery. Fortunately, a LASIK consultation is commitment-free and is a great way to learn more about LASIK. But before you decide to get your consultation, keep reading to learn about 6 of the most popular frequently asked questions about LASIK!
1. How Does LASIK Work?
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. When translated into layman’s terms, it means reshaping the cornea using lasers.
LASIK aims to correct your refractive error. These include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Refractive errors occur when the shape of the cornea is irregular. Light refracts inside your cornea, focusing that light so you can see.
When your cornea is an irregular shape because of a refractive error, light cannot focus in the right place. Corrective lenses are one way of correcting a refractive error, changing how light refracts before it passes through your cornea.
But LASIK reshapes your cornea by removing small amounts of corneal tissue with a laser. Removing tissue from the cornea is done by first accessing the cornea and creating a flap.
This flap is made from the top of the cornea, where it’s lifted to allow the area under the flap to be reshaped. After the LASIK procedure, the flap is replaced and acts as a natural bandage while the eye heals. The flap will eventually fuse with the rest of your eye and doesn’t require any stitches to stay in place.
LASIK is an outpatient procedure, meaning you’ll have a friend or family member take you home after it’s over. It only takes a few minutes per eye, with most patients feeling well enough to resume normal activities within a day or two.
2. Am I a Good Candidate for LASIK?
The only way to know if you’re a good candidate for LASIK is to schedule a LASIK consultation at Loden Vision Centers. During your consultation, one of our ophthalmologists will evaluate you to determine if you’re a good LASIK candidate. But there are a few things that you can assess yourself to tell if you might be a good candidate. To qualify for LASIK, you need to:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be in good health
- Have stable vision meaning your prescription hasn’t changed in at least a year or more
- Have no eye conditions besides a refractive error
- Have a prescription within -12.00 D for myopia, +5.00 for hyperopia, and 5.00 for astigmatism
These are only some factors considered when assessing you as a candidate for LASIK. The more technical aspects, like your corneal thickness, need special equipment to measure, so the only way to know if you’re a good candidate for LASIK is to get a consultation.
The good news is that about 85% of people who have LASIK consultations find out they are good candidates for the vision procedure, so the odds are in your favor.
3. Will LASIK Hurt?
No, LASIK doesn’t hurt. You need to be awake during the procedure, but you won’t feel any pain thanks to numbing eye drops. These eye drops will ensure that you feel no pain during LASIK.
Most patients report that they don’t feel anything during the primary part of the procedure when a laser removes tissue from the cornea to reshape it. Some patients report feeling slight pressure when the corneal flap is made, but this part of the surgery takes only seconds.
4. Does LASIK Take a Long Time to Recover From?
Initial recovery from LASIK takes only a few weeks at most. For most of that time, you’ll feel completely normal.
Initial discomfort after LASIK usually only lasts a few days. During the first week after having LASIK, you must take precautions to protect your eyes from infection.
These precautions include taking prescription eye drops and avoiding eye makeup, pools, hot tubs, and high-intensity exercise. Within a month, you can return to living your life as usual.
The best part? You can do it with incredible vision!
Technically, your eyes won’t fully heal from LASIK until 3-6 months later. But the only thing you’ll be able to notice for most of that time is your vision steadily improving.
5. Will I See Improvement Immediately After LASIK?
Many patients start experiencing almost immediate visual improvement in the hours after LASIK. But your vision will continue to improve until you reach your peak vision once your eyes are fully healed.
It takes 3-6 months to see the final results of LASIK, but you’ll still be able to see very well since your vision will constantly improve.
6. Is LASIK Worth It?
It’s up to you to decide whether or not LASIK is worth the time and expense. But LASIK has very high patient satisfaction rates, so it’s safe to say that most patients find it well worth it.
Not only can LASIK give you great vision and freedom from glasses and contact lenses, but it can also save you money. While it seems pricey, LASIK is permanent, so you’ll be able to save money every year after having the procedure since you’ll no longer need to buy new glasses or contact lenses.
With that in mind, LASIK basically pays for itself! It is true that LASIK doesn’t prevent age-related visual problems, but if you get LASIK in your mid to late twenties, you can look forward to years and years of incredible vision.
The sooner you have LASIK surgery, the better! So don’t wait— schedule your commitment-free LASIK consultation today at Loden Vision Centers in Nashville, TN, to learn more and determine if LASIK is right for you! Wouldn’t seeing the world in sharp clarity make it all worth it?
