Lasik Eye Surgery: An Overview Of How Custom LASIK Surgery Works

An Overview Of How Custom LASIK Surgery Works

By Health Editor

More than 1.35 million people have had LASIK procedures done in the United States. This number is about half of all LASIK procedures performed around the world ...

Custom LASIK surgery is an important development in corrective eye surgery. The surgeon uses a device to send a safe ray of light into your eye. When the light is reflected off the retina and out through the pupil it is received and made into a pattern. This will capture lower and higher-order aberrations. They will be displayed with a 3-D map and lets the surgeon position the laser to correct your unique visual weaknesses. The Wavefront map displays all visual irregularities and then computer matched to the eye's position. This allows the surgeon to customize the LASIK procedure for your vision corrections.

The use of Custom or Wavefront-Guided LASIK procedure increased rapidly in 2004 and 2005. Many patients were asking for this new surgery even though it is more expensive. It also has brought public awareness to the LASIK eye procedure. More than 1.35 million people have had LASIK procedures done in the United States. This number is about half of all LASIK procedures performed around the world.

There is a caution that customized LASIK has not been proven to correct all higher-order aberrations. Research continues in this field to find out which vision problems can be corrected by this specific surgery. Problems such as high myopia may not be corrected by custom LASIK surgery. Research is continuing to discover if Wavefront LASIK can correct multifocal vision problems. This is especially important for older patients who have developed presbyopia. It is hoped that customized LASIK will improve near, middle, and distant sight in one operation. In any refractive surgery there is a chance your higher order aberrations may worsen after surgery. There is always a risk when having any surgical procedure.

Custom LASIK is a more expensive alternative than other refractive surgery. This may be a drawback for those looking for improved vision. The manufacturer charges each time the device used in each procedure. This causes the procedure to cost more. You shouldn't compromise your vision by compromising on surgery, but if you can be helped by another surgery other than Wavefront LASIK, it is all right to choose the least expensive alternative.

If you are considering eye surgery to correct vision problems, it is important you talk with your surgeon to decide if you are a good candidate for this particular surgery. It will not cure all vision related problems! Wavefront technology used as a diagnostic device is better than all other tests. Scientists and researchers believe that without a Wavefront diagnostic test it is impossible to accurately decide if LASIK surgery will correct your vision problems.

USAEyes.org recommends that you choose a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by their organization. This is important if you are having any eye surgery. There are no guarantees in any surgery, especially in eye surgery. Any prediction your doctor makes on success rates are based on prior surgeries, his experience, and reasonable evaluations. No one is sure of any result until after surgery is completed.

Next article: What Is Epi LASIK And How Does It Work

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