LASER EYE SURGERY

ADVICE ON CHOOSING A LASER EYE SURGERY PROVIDER

Our eyesight is precious and if your considering laser eye surgery then it is essential that you should take careful consideration before you decide on the provider. Our 5 essential tips should help you when choosing which company to go with for laser eye surgery.

1. Consider those companies who are offering laser eye surgery in your local area. This is important as you want to be local for aftercare appointments. Therefore if you live in Derby then consider laser eye surgery in Derby.

2. Visit all companies who offer laser eye surgery locally and get a free consultation. Nearly all laser eye treatment providers will provide free consultations where an expert can assess your eyes and advise on the best treatment possible.

3. Usually laser eye surgery providers will offer special deals (e.g. £100 off your treatment) if you don't immediately sign up for treatment at the consultation. As the weeks go on, the offers may get better. So patience may get you a very good deal.

4. It is important that the company you choose has the neccessary experience. Ask to make sure that all surgeons are certified by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

5. Arrange suitable time off work. Laser Eye Surgery can be stressful and therefore you want to make sure that you have the neccessary time off work. Normally a couple of days is all that is required but this depends on your occupation.

By using the above 5 tips you should be able to secure a great deal on laser eye surgery. (Source: Darrell Freeman, Laser Eyes, Mar/10)

It has been claimed that leading laser eye clinics are potentially endangering people's sight by underplaying risks and pushing customers into treatment. A panel of experts said Optical Express, Optimax and Ultralase gave poor patient advice and encouraged customers to spend more during consultations. The chains also 'played down' the risk of long-term complications, which can include permanently poor night vision or even loss of sight. In almost half of their undercover consultations, Which? researchers were not warned they would probably need glasses when they were older.

The consumer group said about 80% of people seeking laser eye surgery used the three high street chains but of the 18 clinics visited, more than half gave unsatisfactory advice. In very rare cases, complications can lead to corneal ectasia, where fluid pressure builds up on the eye. Patients can need a corneal transplant to correct the condition. Other complications, though deemed "minor" by clinics, occur "relatively frequently", according to a review by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Patients can experience dry eyes or night vision problems, which can affect ability to drive or work in the evening or in dim light.

The investigation also reveals any doctor can carry out the treatment after just a few days of training. They do not need a specialist qualification. David Gartry, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital has helped draw up Royal College of Ophthalmologist' guidelines on who should carry out laser eye surgery. The guidelines say that only doctors with specialist training should carry out the procedure. The Medical Defence Union and the Medical Protection Society, both doctors' insurance companies, are raising the fees they charge doctors working in this field because of increased compensation claims by patients. (Source: Metro, Mar/09)

Possible Complications

The risks outlined below apply to both PRK and LASIK procedures. The chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication are minimal.

Infection and delayed healing:
There is about a 0.1% chance of the cornea becoming infected after PRK, and a somewhat smaller chance after LASIK. Generally, this means added discomfort and a delay in healing, with no long-term effects within a period of four years.

Undercorrection/Overcorrection:
It is not possible to predict perfectly how your eye will respond to laser surgery. As a result, you may still need corrective lenses after the procedure to obtain good vision. In some cases, a second procedure can be done to improve the result.

Decrease in Best-Corrected Vision:
After refractive surgery, some patients find that their best obtainable vision with corrective lenses is worse than it was before the surgery. This can occur as a result of irregular tissue removal or the development of corneal haze.

Excessive Corneal Haze:
Corneal haze occurs as part of the normal healing process after PRK. In most cases, it has little or no effect on the final vision and can only be seen by an eye doctor with a microscope. However, there are some cases of excessive haze that interferes with vision. As with undercorrections, this can often be dealt with by means of an additional laser treatment. The risk of significant haze is much less with LASIK than with PRK.

Regression:
In some patients the effect of refractive surgery is gradually lost over several months. This is like an undercorrection, and a re-treatment is often feasible.

Halo Effect:
The halo effect is an optical effect that is noticed in dim light. As the pupil enlarges, a second faded image is produced by the untreated peripheral cornea. For some patients who have undergone PRK or LASIK, this effect can interfere with night driving.

Incomplete Procedure:
Equipment malfunction may require the procedure to be stopped before completion. This is a more significant factor in LASIK, with its higher degree of complexity, than in PRK.

Problems with a Perfect Procedure:
Even when everything goes perfectly, there are effects that might cause some dissatisfaction. Older patients should be aware that they can't have both good distance vision and good near vision in the same eye without corrective lenses. Some myopic patients rely on their myopia (by taking off their glasses, or by wearing a weaker prescription) to allow them to read. Such a patient may need reading glasses after the myopia is surgically corrected.

Another consideration is the delay between eye treatments. If one eye is being done at a time, then the eyes may not work well together during the time between treatments. If a contact lens is not tolerated on the unoperated eye, work and driving may be awkward or impossible until the second eye has been treated. (Source: Medic8, Mar/09)

Next >>>