LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK is a type of Laser surgery for vision treatment. How much LASIK eye surgery costs are not more than what you pay for your glasses or contact lenses and solutions in your lifetime. When you think of what you will achieve after your laser vision surgery, it is worth paying what LASIK costs. Laser treatment for eyes has been performed for years and the LASIK procedure developed throughout the years. Laser vision correction has got different types. Types of laser eye surgery are LASIK, LASEK, Excimer Laser, and PRK. LASIK Eye Surgery is one of the most common techniques of eye laser surgery.

LASIK stands for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis. The technique is used to correct vision problems such as astigmatism, myopia, and hyperopia. If you are wearing glasses because you cannot see clear, far, or close, you might need to get LASIK eye surgery to get rid of your glasses or contact lenses. The LASIK eye surgery includes the shaping of the cornea which leads to a clear front area of the eye. This enables light to focus on the retina better and vision is created in our brains. In other words, thanks to LASIK eye surgery, the blurriness in your vision disappears. It might be the first time you hear about the LASIK technique, however, it has been performed by surgeons for almost a century.

The technique was found by a Russian doctor, Dr. Fyodorov, who performed the surgery for the first time on his patient who damaged his eye that the procedure turned out successful. However, the research of the surgery was taken over by American doctors who got funded. This research illuminated medical procedures for the eye using laser techniques.

There are many doctors that we should mention as they contributed to LASIK eye surgery laser treatment. Dr. Steven Trokel from the USA started using laser techniques on the eye. Later on, in 1990, two doctors, Dr. Buratto from Italy and Dr. Pallikaris from Greece managed to combine existing techniques and took a huge step for LASIK treatment. However, it was still not enough for the LASIK treatment to existing as how it is performed now. Dr. Jose Barraquer from Columbia contributed to a great extent by developing a device that creates an incision around the cornea to operate keratomileusis.

In short, thanks to many doctors and scientists, the LASIK treatment can be performed safely now, and many people managed to get their healthy visions back or start seeing the world better. LASIK eye surgery is a cure for many eye problems. As stated in previous paragraphs, you can get rid of myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism with the LASIK technique. Let’s have a close look at those vision problems.

• Myopia: Myopia is known as nearsightedness. If you can see the objects near you while you have blurry vision for objects that are far from you, you probably have got myopia. Many people who wear glasses regularly have got myopia. Myopia is caused by the cornea being curvier than normal or the eyeball is longer than it normally is.
• Hyperopia: Hyperopia is known as farsightedness. If you cannot read a book because the font is too small, you might have hyperopia. Farsightedness is being able to see objects which are far to the eye while having a blurry vision for close objects. The more you age, the more you are prone to have hyperopia. Hyperopia is caused by the cornea being flatter than usual or the eyeball being shorter than normal size.
• Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a different condition than myopia or hyperopia. This condition makes every object blurry. This is caused by the fact that your cornea has got unusual curves or flatness. You can have astigmatism while you have got other vision conditions.

Advantages of the LASIK Eye Surgery

You will be free from glasses and contact lenses. Laser Eye Surgeries are the only method for having your perfect vision back permanently. Wearing glasses or contact lenses are only temporary cures for your vision. When you take off your contact lenses or glasses, you have blurry vision back. However, after your LASIK Eye Surgery, you will be able to have a healthier vision. LASIK Eye Surgery has got many advantages. Those advantages are:

1) High success rate:

The procedure of the LASIK Eye Surgery has got a high success rate. It has been performed by doctors for more than 25 years. The patients who had the surgery report that their vision is at a degree what they aimed for. It is indicated in researches that the success rate of the LASIK eye surgery is close to 96%.

2) Little pain:

When your eye gets operated on, you do not feel any pain. During the recovery period, you can have a headache and a little bit of irritation on your eye for a couple of days. We can say that there is almost no pain after and during LASIK eye surgery.

3) No stitches:

You will not get any stitches during the LASIK eye surgery. Your cornea gets an incision; however, it heals so fast that no stitches are needed.

4) No bandages:

You do not have to wear bandages after your surgery so you will be able to see what is going on around you. You will only protect your eyes from extreme light.

5) Bye to glasses and contact lenses:

Probably, you will not wear glasses or contact lenses after your LASIK eye surgery. However, it can depend on the problems you have in your eye. After your eye surgery, the vision problems you have will start decreasing no matter what. We cannot tell that you will have a 100% clear vision after the surgery; however, we can say that you will see improvement which is quite noticeable.

Most of the patients stop wearing contacts or glasses after the surgery. Most people tell that wearing glasses cause them to have a headache because of having something on their face. Patients also dislike wearing contact lenses because they are more prone to eye infections if they cannot manage the hygenic routines for their eyes and contact lenses. From time to time, contact lenses can irritate the eyes. Thanks to LASIK eye surgery, you will be able to get rid of all that trouble.

Who can have LASIK Eye Surgery?

• People who are not younger than 18: People under 18 are at a growing and developing age. If you suffer from vision problems when you are under 18, you are probably gonna have a different degree in them in a couple of years. You should have a stable vision before the surgery. It is not recommended to perform this surgery before 18. Most doctors recommend patients to be over 25 for more successful results.

• People with stable vision: If your vision has been changing lately, it is not recommended to get LASER eye surgery. We recommend you to have a regular check on your vision before planning a LASIK eye surgery. It is mostly recommended to be stable for at least one year. If you are using glasses or contact lenses, the prescription given should be stable for 2-3 years and you should have

• People with healthy corneas: Some people have got thin or uneven corneas. This might be because of using contact lenses for a long time or other eye conditions. You should give importance to your eye health before planning surgery.

• People who do not have eye conditions such as dry eyes, corneal ulcers, keratoconus, or glaucoma: Keratoconus is the condition in which the patient has got extreme thinning of the cornea. Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to the optic nerve which results in sight loss. The more you get older, the more you might get glaucoma. If you have got Glaucoma, you cannot have LASIK eye surgery. Many people ignore dryness in their eyes; however, it can be a serious problem for your eyes. Most of the people who wear contact lenses have dryness problems from time to time. You should consult a doctor if you suffer from dryness in your eyes. If it is not an extreme case, you can have LASIK eye surgery; however, we cannot tell the same for the opposite. If your eye is extremely dry, it will increase the risks of laser surgery.

• People who are not pregnant or with newborns: Pregnancy is a period of women face hormonal changes. Those changes make most of the conditions or risks unpredictable. You can react differently to surgeries or the recovery period might be troubling due to pregnancy. You should not get LASIK eye surgery when you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

• People who do not use medications that lead to complications: Before getting your LASIK eye surgery, we recommend you tell your doctor about the medications you use regularly. Some medications can increase the risk of complications during and after surgery.

• People who do not have certain medical conditions: If you have got diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus, you might not be able to get LASIK eye surgery as those conditions increase the risks of the surgery.

• People who do not have vision problems more than a certain degree: You should have: Myopia from 1.00 up to 12.00, Astigmatism and Hyperopia up to 6.00. Hyperopia up to 4.00 to have a successful LASIK eye surgery. Surgeons recommend Intraocular Lens Implant surgery for patients who have got higher numbers in their eye condition. However, your doctor will decide on the surgery depending on your condition. There are many cases that have been successful despite higher vision problems.

• People who have got realistic expectations about LASIK Eye Surgery: LASIK eye surgery offers patients to improve their vision and take away the extent of blurriness. You are mostly will be able to have a clear vision after the surgery; however, every patient is unique and they have got different eye problems with different degrees. If you have got extreme blurriness, you might have to still wear glasses after the procedure on special occasions like driving or driving at night.

Preparing for the LASIK Operation

LASIK eye surgery is a fast surgery that you will have in minutes. Even though it is a fast procedure, you should give importance to getting ready for your LASIK eye surgery to reduce risks and complications that might occur. By getting properly ready for your surgery, you will also help your recovery time to pass easier. Steps you should follow before your LASIK eye surgery:

Check your vision health to make sure it is stable: Before deciding on whether to get a LASIK eye surgery or not, we recommend you to make sure that your vision has been stable for at least 2 years. You should have regular appointments to check your eye health. If there is a change in your vision, you might not have successful results after your LASIK eye surgery due to the fact that your vision is not stable.

Make sure that you are healthy enough for LASIK Surgery: In the previous section, we talked about who can have LASIK eye surgery. As stated, you might not be able to get LASIK surgery because of having medical conditions that lead to great risks. You should know if you have any medical conditions that might stop you from getting your surgery done. It has got great importance to know the state of your health before surgery.

Make an appointment for an experienced doctor: The eye is one of the most sensitive and important organs we have in our bodies. You should find an experienced surgeon in an approved clinic. You should be aware of how much money you will spend and arrange your financial situation, as well. After getting your appointment with a doctor, you will get checked before the surgery to make sure your eye is healthy. By eye health we mean:

• Not having an eye infection,
• Eyes without inflammation,
• No sign of dry eyes,
• Not seeing any abnormality in the size of pupils,
• The patient should not have eye pressure.

While your eye doctor is checking the health of your eyes, he will measure your vision again. After vision check, he/she will check your cornea using a device supported with wavefront-guided technology which enables him/her to have a more detailed picture of your cornea. He/she will be able to see the shape, thickness, and any irregular situations on your cornea. During that examination, he/she will decide on where should be reshaped and how much tissue should be removed. After completing measurements and examination, your eye doctor will talk about what is expected and what are the advantages or disadvantages of LASIK eye surgery. During your first appointment you should show your health record and any medicine you use that are prescribed or not. Some medicine might increase the risks and your surgeon might not find LASIK eye surgery suitable for you because of the medicines you use.

Do not wear makeup or contact lenses before your surgery: Before your surgery, you should stop wearing your contact lenses. It is recommended to stop wearing them a few weeks before your first appointment and surgery. During this time you can wear eyeglasses. Contact lenses can change the shape of your cornea and might cause infections or dryness in your eyes. It is important to mention how long you have been wearing contact lenses.

Specialists do not recommend applying makeup, cream, or perfume before and the day of your surgery as those products might cause irritations on your eyes even though you do not notice. It might also make it possible for eye infections. You should give importance to the eye and face sanitary. If you carefully listen to your doctor during your first appointment and follow the advice he/she states, your surgery is more likely to end up successful as you are not creating any possibilities for unexpected side effects or complications.

The Steps of the LASIK Eye Surgery

Many people are afraid or anxious about getting a procedure done on their eyes. They are thinking of the worst that can happen to them. However, if you are in good hands, you do not have to worry about the procedure of LASIK Surgery. The success rate of LASIK eye surgery is high enough to feel safe about getting the surgery done. As stated in the previous section, you should pay attention to getting ready for the procedure to prevent unexpected situations that might upset you. The procedure of LASIK eye surgery takes up to 30 minutes and it is mostly less than 30 minutes. Your surgeon can perform both of your eyes in one procedure if it is needed. Steps of your LASIK surgery will be:

1) Applying anesthetic:

You will lay down on a chair which we call a reclining chair. Before your surgery, you might get a medicine that will help you relax if you are too anxious about the surgery. After you lay down, your surgeon will drop an anesthetic on your eye to prevent you from feeling pain.

2) Putting a tool that will keep your eyes open:

Your doctor will insert a tool that will help you to keep your eyes open during the procedure. As a reflex, we tend to close our eyes. Thanks to that tool you should not worry about moving your eyelids.

3) Creating an incision around your cornea:

Before applying laser treatment, your cornea should be removed for a while. A suction ring will be placed on top of your cornea. You might feel pressure while that suction ring is being applied. Your vision might change after this application but you should not worry. After that, a medical instrument named a microkeratome is used to create an incision. During this process, it can be either a laser-cut device or a microblade. After the incision is made, your cornea is lifted. Your surgeon will be able to access the area of the cornea which should be reshaped. When another laser device is used to make an incision on the cornea, it is called Femtolasik surgery. The difference between Femtolasik and classic LASIK is that additional laser device to create an incision.

5) Reshaping your cornea with the laser:

The surface of your cornea will be shaped by using the LASIK technique. This is operated by using a programmed laser which removes small amounts of your cornea to reshape it. During the procedure of LASIK eye surgery, you will look at a light to keep your eye in the same place.

6) Replacing the flap:

The flap is the cut cornea that has been lifted. After the reshaping of your cornea is done, the flap is placed back. Then your eye will be cleaned with solutions.

7) Staying in the observation room:

After your surgery, you are going to stay in an observation room for 2 hours to check if any complications occurred.

Recovery from LASIK Surgery

Recovery from your LASIK eye surgery will be really fast but your vision will not be perfect after the surgery immediately. It is normal to have some side effects after your surgery. Common side effects you might come across during your healing process are:

• Pain.
• Blurry vision.
• Irritation.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Bad vision during the night.
• Redness on the white part of the eyes.
• Dryness.

It is quite normal to have those side effects above. A day after your surgery, you are going to have another appointment with your doctor. Your doctor will check your eyes again and see if there is anything wrong. During that appointment, you can get some antibiotics and painkillers prescribed. On the first days of your surgery, you might want to rub your eyes because they feel itchy or uncomfortable. We strongly advise you not to rub your eyes despite your discomfort. You might cause damage to your eyes as they are highly sensitive after the procedure of LASIK eye surgery.

To prevent that, your doctor might tell you to wear eye shields. Those eye shields are mostly clear and they can protect your eyes from damage or stop you from touching your eyes without noticing. Even though your cornea will start healing the first day, you should use those shields at least when you are sleeping.

After your surgery, you are going to have blurry vision. This is not something you should worry about unless it is persistent for months. We cannot tell the exact time when your vision completely come back as every person and their conditions are different. Your surgeon will tell you better information for yourself depending on your condition and grade of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. The process after your LASIK eye surgery is significant. To have a fast healing procedure without any serious complications you must follow the basic rules your surgeon will tell you. Here is a list of what you should do after your surgery as a summary:

• Do not take a shower or bath the day of your surgery or the following day of your surgery. You would not want to get non-sterile water on your eyes as they can cause infection. You should prevent tap water from getting into your eyes at least for a week.
• Be careful about using shampoo, do not make it get in your eyes.
• Do not use hair spray or dry shampoo for a month or be extremely careful.
• Prevent yourself from rubbing your eyes for a month.
• Use glasses while you are driving at night because you might not have clear vision at night.
• Change your bedsheets often and give importance to the sanitary of your pillowcases.
• Wear eye shields during your sleep.
• Use your prescribed medication regularly. They will fasten your healing process.
• You should not exercise for at least two days.
• Avoid extreme sun or dusty places. You should wear sunglasses when you are out.
• Do not use makeup or any self-care products that you apply on your face for at least two weeks.
• Do not dye your hair as they include heavy chemicals that can damage your eyes.

Six months after your LASIK eye surgery, you will have another appointment. You should not dismiss this appointment and check the status of your vision. If you do not have any improvements, you might need another procedure. However, this situation is rare. If you come across any severe side effects, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Possible Risks and Complications of LASIK Eye Surgery

Serious complications exist but they are pretty rare and they have got a low possibility to occur if you take care of yourself during your recovery period. However, there are side effects that will occur during your healing process. The common side effects are mostly about drying or watering on the eyes, itching or burning, visual problems such as blurriness, or decrease in night vision. That kind of side effects will disappear after the first weeks or months.

• Dryness in the eyes: You are most likely to have dryness in your eyes because of your surgery. To prevent dryness, your eye doctor will recommend you eye drops that you will use daily.
• Vision problems: After LASIK eye surgery, you will be sensitive to light and you will have problems seeing at night. These will pass after a few days or weeks. They are not permanent side effects. You can also see halos around objects.
• Bruises on the white of the eye: You can have redness or bruises on the white of your eyes after the surgery and it is not permanent. 
• Scratchy eyes: You are going to have scratchy and itchy eyes after the surgery. Sadly, it is unavoidable. However, you should hold yourself from rubbing your eyes as it might lead to serious complications. You can ask for eye shields from your doctor to stop yourself from touching your eyes without noticing.
• Inflammation.
• Infection: Infection can occur during the recovery process if the patient does not follow the advice the eye doctor makes after the surgery. If an infection occurs, antibiotics can treat the condition. Dirt, dust, tap water, or beauty products that get in the eyes can cause infection.
• Surgical abnormalities: Your surgeon might over-correct or under-correct your vision. In other words, he/she can remove too much from your cornea or less than it should be while reshaping. This might end up with vision problems. Additional surgery can fix under-correction after one year. But over-correction is not easy as under-correction. Due to the wrongness of removal of cornea tissue, astigmatism can occur after the surgery as, well. This complication seeks another surgery to fix astigmatism or the patient might have to wear glasses or contact lenses again. During the surgery, complications about the flap might occur as well.

Still, you should not worry about such complications because it is very rare.

• Regression: If your vision gets back to how it was before your LASIK eye surgery, we can refer it to as regression.
• Vision loss: Loss of vision can happen because of LASIK eye surgery. However, there have not been any cases that suffered from vision loss after laser treatments.

You should be realistic about those risks of LASIK eye surgery but you should not forget that they are rare possibilities. If you have any complications or side effects that trouble you, you should contact your eye doctor. It can be a sudden decrease in vision, extreme color change on the white of the eyes, or any serious complications above.

Frequently Asked Questions About LASIK Eye Surgery

Is the LASIK eye surgery technique safe?

Surgeons have been operating Laser eye surgeries for more than 30 years.

More than 40 million people around the world had laser surgery to improve their vision. Despite that great number, the success rate of LASER eye treatment is close to 99%. LASIK technique is one of the most preferred methods as it is safe. There are risks for every surgery so we cannot neglect the fact that there are also risks for LASIK operation; however, if you choose an experienced surgeon in a good clinic or a hospital, you will not regret your decision about LASIK surgery.

When will I recover from LASIK eye surgery?

The cornea heals faster than you might think, your incision will start recovering even the first day. You will have sensitivity in your eyes for a month. You will recover from your surgery in the first or 2 weeks, still, you should be extra careful for one month.

Will my vision completely improve after LASIK eye surgery?

The results from LASIK eye Surgery is mostly positive for patients who do not have a high grade of myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. If you have got a high grade on those vision conditions, your LASIK eye surgery might not be predictable. However, surveys report that 20 of 25 people reach their goals after LASIK surgery. %80 percent of people stop wearing eyeglasses completely after the surgery. However, it is significant to state that your vision will not immediately improve after the surgery. It will take a couple of months to reach your goal vision.

Will I use any medications after my LASIK eye surgery?

You will use eye drops that will keep your eyes moisturized. It might include solutions that prevent infection to ease your healing procedure.

Will I feel any pain after my LASIK eye surgery?

Yes. It is normal to have a little bit of pain after the surgery because you had surgery. It is not unbearable pain. Your doctor will prescribe you medicine that will stop the pain. They are mostly pills or eye drops.

When can I return to work?

We do not recommend you to go to work at least for the first 2 days. If you can skip one week, it would be better for your healing process. You might not be able to have enough sterile environment as you have to avoid dirty and dusty places.

Will I be able to drive after my LASIK eye surgery?

You can start driving 2 days after your surgery; however, you might lack night vision so we advise you to wear glasses during night rides. Despite it takes mostly 2 days to drive, your eye doctor might tell you otherwise depending on your health and vision status.

When can I start using beauty products or make-up?

Specialists do not recommend wearing makeup on your eyes because it can lead to infection. You should wait for your eyes to heal before applying makeup or any kind of beauty product. You can use them on your face without getting closer to your eyes; however, we still do not recommend you to take that risk in the case. You should wait at least 2 weeks to apply makeup.

Can I swim after my LASIK eye surgery?

No. We do not recommend you swim after your LASIK surgery as the water of the pool or sea might irritate your eyes and even cause severe infections. You should wait at least one or two months before swimming or using a hot tub.

When can I exercise after the LASIK eye surgery?

You should not have tiresome physical activities when you are recovering from your LASIK eye surgery. You should stay away from exercising for the first three days after your surgery and then avoid any contact sports at least for a month.

Is it a possibility of becoming blind because of LASIK treatment?

As stated before, every type of surgery has got risks that can be life-threatening or life-changing. There is a risk of blindness in LASIK eye surgery but researchers did not claim such a case before. We can say that the possibility of going blind because of LASIK surgery is almost the same as going blind because of wearing contact lenses every day.

Do I have to wear glasses or contacts after LASIK eye surgery?

Unfortunately, there is not a certain answer to that question as every individual is different. Most of the people who had LASIK eye surgery do not wear glasses or only wear them when they are driving at night. However, if the grade of your myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism is high, you might have to wear glasses even though you will not depend on them as you used to. Besides, LASIK surgery does not stop you from vision loss because of aging. In other words, as you age, you might have to wear glasses again.

How much does LASIK eye surgery cost?

Your health insurance will not cover LASIK surgery unless your private health insurance covers eye surgeries. The cost of LASIK eye surgery can differ because of:

• The patient’s requirements for the treatment.
• The experience of the surgeon.
• The expenses of the clinic or hospital.
• Any additional service that the hospital or clinic offers (accommodation, transportation, etc.).

LASIK eye surgery is still affordable when you think of all the money you spend on glasses, contact lenses, and contact lens solutions. If you are low on your budget you can consider getting a LASIK eye surgery done in Turkey where Laser eye surgery has been performed by doctors professionally. In Turkey, you can book a LASIK eye surgery at affordable prices even for the most experienced surgeons.

What are the other alternatives for LASIK eye surgery?

LASIK eye surgery has got other alternatives. If you are not suitable for LASIK treatment, you can consider looking for other eye laser treatment methods to improve your vision. Other methods of Laser eye surgery are:

• LASEK.
• PRK.
• Excimer Laser.

If you are not suitable for any of those laser methods, you can consider getting a procedure called Intraocular Lens Implant Surgery. This method is only preference when the patient has a high grade on vision conditions. Your eye doctor will decide what is the best technique for you depending on the condition of your cornea, eyes, and other health problems.