The American Optometric Association estimates that approximately 143 million Americans wear glasses or contacts — that’s a lot of corrective eyewear! For those Americans struggling with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, there is an alternative: LASIK eye surgery, or laser eye surgery.
There are many reasons to consider LASIK as an alternative to glasses or contacts. For one thing, it’s more cost-effective; think of all the money you’ve spent on frames, contacts, solutions, eye doctor visits, repairs, and all the other costs that come with vision correction. Now compare that number to a one-time surgery with a patient satisfaction rate of 95%… sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?
Other benefits of LASIK surgery include improved vision, of course, quick recovery, and immediate results. Many patients can tell a difference the very same day!
Some people are understandably reluctant to consider LASIK eye surgery because they must stay awake during the procedure. While the idea of this may be frightening, we take every step to ensure our patients’ comfort during surgery, including pre-procedure sedatives if necessary. It is important for the patient to stay awake so the surgeon has their cooperation; in addition, staying awake during the surgery means immediate adjustments can be made if necessary.
In LASIK surgery, Dr. Patel uses numbing eye drops and a local anesthetic before using a cool beam of light to create a “flap” on the surface of the eye. Then, the doctor is able to reshape the cornea to correct near — or farsightedness or astigmatism. The treatment for either eye typically takes less than one minute, with the whole procedure (including the numbing process) lasting less than thirty minutes on average. The procedure typically does not require any bandaging or stitches.
During and after the surgery, patients may experience some mild discomfort, usually a feeling pressure or a vibrating sensation on the eye(s). Following the procedure, less than 5% of patients have any complications, and a similarly small percentage may need to return for follow-up procedures in the event that their eyesight was under- or overcorrected.
Over 600,000 people a year get LASIK eye surgery in America, and all of these 600,000 individuals enjoy improved vision and freedom from their corrective eyewear. Going without glasses or contacts allows you be more active, to work and live easier, to travel more… the possibilities are endless when you don’t have to worry about losing (and then finding!) your glasses or forgetting contact solution when you go on vacation. Don’t you think it’s time you left your glasses and contacts behind?
Call the Wichita Vision Institute today. We’d be happy to schedule you for consultation on LASIK eye surgery.
