Laser Eye Surgery
- By:Editor 123
Laser eye surgery is being heralded as something of a minor medical miracle. For a cost of around £1,000 to £1,500 laser eye surgery offers a quick and almost entirely pain free method to negate the need for glasses or contact lenses. From entering surgery to leaving hospital, the procedure is completed in a matter of a couple of hours with very few cases of complications, according to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. While laser eye surgery can't successfully treat age-related presbyopia, it can be used to treat patients that are myopic (short-sighted), hyperopic (long-sighted), and those that suffer from astigmatism.
The procedure itself sounds a lot more invasive than it actually is. Once anaesthetic eye drops have had the opportunity to work, a surgical knife is used to cut a hinged flap in the cornea. A laser is then used to completely remove any of the cornea that is not required, thus reforming the shape of the cornea. Once completed, the corneal flap is then replaced, and the procedure is completed. Laser eye surgery needs to be and is completed in seconds.
Because of how quickly laser eye surgery is completed, patients are admitted as day patients and are not subjected to a hospital stay either before or after the procedure. Patients are allowed home almost immediately after the surgery is complete, although shouldn't drive themselves home and will need to wear an eye patch for the rest of the day. In most cases it is possible to return to work the day after laser eye surgery with very little chance of complication.
Known side effects are minimal, although as with any surgical procedure, there are some risks associated with laser eye surgery. The main risk is that some patients have suffered from dry eyes for some time after laser eye surgery. This can be effectively treated with eye drops that encourage the tear drops to produce the necessary liquid. A small number of patients have suffered from hazy vision while driving at night, and there is the very remote chance of damage to your vision, which could only be corrected with corneal surgery or permanent contact lenses.
The exact recovery procedure and time will depend largely on the level of corrective laser eye surgery conducted. In minor cases it is possible to be back at work and functioning normally within a day or two. In the majority of cases, the patient can return to work unhindered well within a week. For more corrective laser eye surgery the recovery time is not much longer than a week. In all cases you should avoid driving long distances for a week or two and avoid smoky and extreme atmospheres. You should also avoid using alcohol based cologne, perfume, or hairspray.
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