Blog 4 Essay

Lasik surgery

The Story of my Search

            Many people nowadays have common eyesight problems. It´s not very unusual to know someone that uses contact lenses or glasses. This might be uncomfortable for most of them but fortunately technology has advanced in our favor throughout the years and thanks to this, we are able to struggle less and live in and easier and quicker way. What I´m talking about is fixing your eyesight problems very easily. For this research I wondered what are the advantages and disadvantages about risking yourself into the operating room to fix you problem and if it is safe. I´m very interested in this topic because I have myopia and this problem is related directly to the Lasik surgery. I want to know it if benefits me. Lasik surgery is a successful way to see better, but as everything in this world, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

Despite Lasik surgery being new in existence, about 10 years, I could find lots of reliable information everywhere in the internet. I thought it was going to be a hard topic, difficult to consult. The only site I had some trouble with was EBSCO. EBSCO is a good site but it´s not very specific, it only talks about general topics which in my case it´s not useful. I found a few articles and not very interesting.

The Results of my Search

Lasik stands for Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It is the most modern and advanced refractive surgery without hospitalization and it is used for correcting myopia (nearsighted), hypermetropia (trouble focusing) and astigmatism (image distortion). It doesn´t work for everybody which means some people can or cannot be a candidate for this surgery. To know this, some examinations must be done like: visual acuity, refraction, corneal topography, intraocular pressure, ta   chometry, tear flow evaluation, pupil expansion, refraction with cycloplegia (eye muscle paralysis) and retina evaluation. Then your ophthalmologist can determine if you can be a good candidate or not.

The procedure of this Lasik surgery is very simple. It only takes about 10 minutes. 10 minutes is incredible for an operation because if you are one of that kind of person that gets exasperated in an operating room or nervous, you will be just fine. As time being comfortable and favorable also the cost is comfortable and suitable for anyone. Here in Mexico this surgery is catalogued to be cheap. Its cost is around 5,000 pesos. 

The action takes place in an operating room and you are seated. Topic anesthesia (eye drops) is applied. It takes effect in your eye zone only. No general anesthesia is needed. The day of the surgery you can´t use any lotion, creams or makeup because you can get infected. Probabilities are 0.4% of getting an infection like keratoconus (cornea thinning), subconjunctival hemorrhage, late post-operative complications, epithelial ingrowth, late traumatic flap dislocations, micro folding and glaucoma. Moreover if you use contact lenses you need to stop using them for at least 3 days before your surgery. Pregnant and lacting women, children and old people shouldn´t be operated.

As for the recovery, this is also an incredible and quick step. It takes only a week to be completely renewed but it only takes 3 days to restart your activities again and go back to normal life. A week later you can be happy with your results and prepare yourself to use your new eyesight and announce it to the world. Of course you can´t forget you are a post-operated patient and you are still delicate somehow. You will need to see your doctor constantly. He will prescribe you with eye drops to reduce the risk of infection, inflammation, and to prevent dryness, and he will monitor and follow up your recovery.

The tools an ophthalmologist uses are the excimer laser and the microkeratome. The microkeratome is used for doing a curvature in the cornea, and the excimer laser also known as the exciplex laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices (semiconductor integrated circuits or “chips”), eye surgery, and micromachining. It was invented in 1970 by Nikolai Basov in Moscow. It gives emmisions of 172 mm wavelength. Excimer lasers are made by manufacturers like Visx, Wavelight, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Nidek.

There are multiple types of LASIK surgeries like Corneal Onlays/Inlays, Custom Wavefront LASIK,  Epi-LASIK,  and the IntraLase "Bladeless" LASIK. And 2 ways of operating: the conventional way or the custom way. The custom LASIK way of operating uses a wavefront analyzer which enables your surgeon to do a customized procedure .The conventional LASIK operation is the traditional one, it is still good but patients prefer custom one because of customization. There are less probabilities of obtaining a 20/20 (perfect vision) eyesight. In conclusion we would all prefer the custom LASIK because it´s easier for the patient and much more effective.

This surgery has been very effective throughout the years but some people have had problems and complications. Some of these problems include dry eyes, over or under correction, vitamin D deficiency, fluctuation, halos and starbursts, ghost images, double vision, light sensitivity, large pupils, macular hole and deficient night vision. Patients confess that since LASIK they´ve had a poor quality of life because of poor vision or physical pain, which means regretting of doing this. We shouldn´t be regretting about the decisions we take because for some reason we take decisions that benefit us at the most. When doing the surgery we need to be sure of what we are doing, going through and what and how the results may affect our lives.

A victim expressed her testimony and this is what she said: “I had Lasik eye surgery five months ago. Since the surgery I have had blurred vision especially at night like every light looks like a Ferris wheel. So that means no driving at night. I have had my eye enhanced six different times. The eye surgeon says I have dry eye caused by my tear duct too big. He has closed it up or made it smaller 3 times, and it's still not better. It is very frustrating I have a night time gel and drops in the day causing post nasal in my throat.” We can see that LASIK was not beneficial on her. She struggles to see and has plenty of complications.

There are also myths about this surgery that shouldn´t be considered. As everything in this world myths exist everywhere and all the time. Some of this calumnies are Recovery from LASIK takes a long time, LASIK doesn't treat astigmatism, LASIK is still new and there aren't any long term results, LASIK patients have trouble with their night vision, and prescription needs to be stable before having LASIK, I'm too old to have LASIK, LASIK is painful, LASIK is a luxury I can't afford, LASIK is too risky, Glasses and contacts are just as good. This is why we need to be well informed and always upon everything consult with a doctor.

Reflections on my Search

I´m glad and satisfied with all my research and the topic I chose. Now I know how all this functions because I always wanted to know about this surgery but I never had the time to do some real research. I´m going to consider what I found out for my future and probably consider getting this surgery for me. Consequentially now I can inform people and spread this wonderful surgery that can change people´s life.

Dr. Mendez. "Lasik Laser Eye Surgery, Cirugia De Ojos, Instituto De La Vision Institute, Dr Mendez, Lasek." Lasik Laser Eye Surgery, Cirugia De Ojos, Instituto De La Vision Institute, Dr Mendez, Lasek. N.p., Apr.-May 2005. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. <http://www.lasik.com.mx/>.

Randleman, J. Bradley, MD. "LASIK Eye Surgery Risks, Advantages, Disadvantages, Facts, History and Complications on MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. N.p., 1996. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. <http://www.medicinenet.com/lasik_eye_surgery/article.htm>.

"LASIK & Laser Eye Surgery: A Complete Consumer Guide." All About Vision. N.p., 2000. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. <http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/>.

"LASIK Myths vs. LASIK Facts." LASIK MD. N.p., 2004. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. <http://www.lasikmd.com/syracuse/what-to-expect/lasik-myths-vs-lasik-facts>.

"LASIK - TLC Laser Eye Surgery Centers." TLC Vision. N.p., 2008. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. <http://www.tlcvision.com/>.

s, Liz. "Lasik Risks Are Minimal." Ophthalmology Times 1.4 (2012): 7. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.