Laser vision correction: Expert answers to troubling questions

It is hard to live with poor eyesight – any visually impaired person will confirm this to you. Glasses easily fog up when you come out of the cold into heat, scratch, fight. There are also many problems with lenses: you need to take care of them, and if you fall asleep in them … Well, what can I say – suffer now.

Fortunately, modern medicine does not stand still and laser vision correction is gaining popularity more and more. But even today, many of these operations cause not only doubts, but also fear, so now you will learn everything to get rid of a preconceived opinion about the vision correction procedure.

It may be dangerous?

Absolutely not. To understand this, you need to understand what is the essence of laser correction. But let’s start with poor vision. We are able to see thanks to the fact that the rays of light are refracted in our eye and converge on the retina. But with myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism, the image is incorrectly focused on the retina, which makes people see objects at a certain distance blurred. The purpose of the operation is to change the profile of the cornea so as to obtain a clear image. The advantages over glasses and lenses are obvious: the result is kept permanently, and not only while using the means of correction.

What if the surgeon’s hand trembles, or I accidentally shake, or the electricity turns off?

Well, turn your head right and left, of course, will not work. No, nobody connects patients during vision correction, but the head will be securely fixed so that there are no unnecessary temptations to see the operating room. A dubious opportunity for a poorly seeing person, isn’t it? But auto tracking with a high-speed camera, which in emergency cases simply stops the laser operation, will carefully monitor the eye. After the situation is normalized, the laser operation continues without harm to the patient. Given that the direct impact on the eye occurs within a few seconds, and the doctor “sends” the patient, your chances of stopping the process are minimal. And, by the way, about electricity, too, you can not worry: in case of its disconnection, the equipment will connect to a backup power source.

Isn’t it more profitable just to buy glasses or lenses?

Very controversial issue. Of course, their one-time purchase will be much cheaper than the operation. But laser correction improves your eyesight for life – glasses and lenses need to be changed periodically, and these are completely different amounts. So as a result, laser surgery is much more profitable, because not only money is saved here, but also nerves.

Is it true that after a while the vision will begin to deteriorate again?

Before laser vision correction was applied in numerous ophthalmologic clinics in the world, it underwent multi-stage tests. The profile of the cornea, which is adjusted during the operation, during life does not change. Do not forget that the eye is the same organ as any other, and can get sick, and the vision at the same time – deteriorate. So even after vision correction, our eyes need care. It is possible that you will be affected by age-related changes, which also affect visual acuity. Almost all people after 40-45 years old begin to deteriorate near vision. But here the fault is not laser surgery – this is all nature, and the development of age-long-sightedness can overtake even those who have seen 100% of their life.

Is there an age limit?

It is best to do vision correction from 18 to 45 years. The fact is that before the age of 18 the body is still growing, which means that the size of the eyeball can vary. And after 45 doctors warn that laser correction may not give the desired result (complete rejection of glasses and contact lenses), because at this time age-related changes most often begin, and you still have to read glasses. However, if there are no contraindications and there is an irresistible desire to look at the world with new eyes, the operation is performed at almost any age.

There are a huge number of clinics on the market of ophthalmologic services. How to make the right choice?

First of all, you should pay attention to the experience of the clinic itself and the composition of the doctors, because the eyes are not jokes, and it is better to entrust them to real professionals who have proven themselves to be many years of practice. For example, the largest network of ophthalmological centers in US- the Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital- has been helping its patients for 15 years already. And the technologies that are used there are impressive in their diversity. After all, it is important that in one clinic you could find the optimal method, and not then run all over the capital in search of the right technology. This, you know, and extra nerves, and money, and time. You can save all this at the Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and even get a great service. By the way, in order to determine which method is right for you, you must complete a complete diagnosis.