LASIK. What a name, isn’t it? It is a type of laser eye surgery—refractive laser eye surgery, to be specific—that is used to treat hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism. Like other forms of laser eye surgery, LASIK vision correction is a sensitive operation best left at the hands of a professional ophthalmologist.
LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. It is an effective procedure in treating severe cases of the conditions described above, and is generally preferred by the medical community over photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, since patients in general respond better to LASIK vision correction and feels less pain overall. But even so there are times when it is no longer possible to treat an eye condition with LASIK. In this case, a PRK procedure is justified.
But LASIK isn’t without its fair share of complications. According to Ophthalmology, a medical journal, almost 18% of patients and 12% of eyes treated with LASIK vision correction required another round of treatments. The Medical Defence Union also reported a 166% increase, just about, in claims in 2003 involving laser eye surgery. Author of Ophthalmology concluded that older age, astigmatism and higher corrections are important risk factors in LASIK vision correction treatment.
It should be noted that major surgeries and risk factors are almost always sold as a package deal – you buy one, you get the other for free. The same applies to LASIK vision correction surgery. Keep that in mind when you finally decide to go under the knife.
