LASIK Eye Surgery is commonly thought of as a guaranteed solution to poor vision, and the answer to not wearing glasses anymore. Stories have gone around about people that have had good and bad experiences with it. Perhaps you know someone that got the procedure done and now does not have to wear glasses. Or you might know someone that tried to get the procedure done and now has permanent vision problems. This can make it hard to decide whether to go through with it.
Overview
Laser eye surgery has been around for several decades now, and the technology used in it goes back to the 1950s. They’ve had plenty of time to make improvements, upgrades, and advancements on how they perform the procedure and the equipment that the use, so you’d think that they’d have it down to a science. However, you’ll quickly notice that there are a lot of people that will tell you it’s not as perfect as you might believe, and a moment of pause would do you well rather than just rushing into it.
The Claim
When inquiring about LASIK eye surgery you’ll probably get pitched by someone that wants you to get the procedure done, namely your ophthalmologist. From the doctor’s point of view, doing a laser procedure is big money. So how can you be sure that you’re getting accurate information on all of the risks, and just how guaranteed you are of getting better vision after having the surgery performed.
This creates a serious conflict of interest because people that you need to get answers from our highly motivated to steer their responses towards shedding a positive light on LASIK. That’s why it’s important to do your own research and to come up with your own conclusion as to how safe you feel the procedure is, and whether it’s worth the risk to try to get the rewards.
The Hype
Going from very poor vision to not needing glasses anymore is enough hype to drive people to spend thousands of dollars on this laser procedure. It only took the first person to go in with glasses and come out without them to cause something of a craze. It’s been around long enough now that a lot of the hype has died down, but there are still plenty of people that plan on getting this done just as soon as they can afford it.
The Cost
LASIK Eye Surgery is not cheap, nor would you really want it to be. There are advertisements you might hear on the radio or see on TV that get the price down to just a few hundred dollars per eye, but you have to ask yourself if bargain shopping for laser eye surgery is the best idea. You might think that since it just involves a few zaps with the laser that anyone can do it. However, no matter how routine or safe a procedure is, it is still being performed on your eye which is one of your most crucial organs and not something you want to take lightly.
The Commitment
One of the biggest draws to getting this procedure done is that it will reduce your commitment to your eyes by a great margin. If you wear contact lenses or glasses you probably dream of a life without them. That is basically the promise of getting laser eye surgery. The other draw is that you don’t have to do much other than suffer through a few days worth of pain after getting the surgery done.
Evaluation
You’ve only got two eyes, which is why they will only perform LASIK eye surgery on one of them at a time. This is just common practice when having any type of surgery done to your eyes. It’s a way for them to hedge their losses if something goes wrong. This way at least you’ll have one good eye to look out of. It’s not as if you should be overly concerned that you’ll be in the minority of people who experience damage done to their eyes. That would be a bit paranoid, so you want to walk the line between paranoia and blissful ignorance, and luckily it’s a thick line.
Final LASIK Eye Surgery Review
LASIK eye surgery has proven effective in the majority of cases, but there are still risks to be aware of before jumping into it. Informing you of all the possibilities is something that your doctor should do before signing you up for it, so make sure that they are giving you straight answers and not simply pitching the procedure to you as if you are a customer.
Our Recommendation
It’s important not to hold laser eye surgery up on a pedestal as the quintessential solution to all of your eye trouble. It works in the majority of cases, but there are risks involved and it is not a foolproof way to correct your vision. That being said, when it works it works very well and you can go from straining to read without your glasses to having 20/20 vision without a lot of hassle.
HAD BOTH EYES DONE LAST SEPTEMBER [2016] HAVE TO TAKE DROPS EVERY DAY. WILL NEED MORE SURGERY IN ONE YEAR DOC. TOLD ME.
I wish I had a couple of thousand to spend on Lasik — I’d do it in a heartbeat. Better yet, I wish insurance covered it! My brother and several of my friends have had Lasik done and couldn’t be happier. What a wonderful thought of not having to put my contacts in every morning and take them out at night, not have to buy contact solution…. almost thirty years of this, and I’m so over it. I did hear from one woman that she had major problems with her surgery, but that was years ago, and she had gone to Canada to have it done for less than she could get it for here in the States. Everybody else I know who has had this done couldn’t be happier with the results. As soon as I get a couple extra grand, I’m making my appointment!