Like in cosmetic surgery, when the age of LASIK patients is very young it is almost universally frowned upon to perform this elective surgery on their eyes. Other than social taboos there are solid medical reasons to avoid this young age range of LASIK patients. Most surgeons will refuse to performing LASIK on children because their eyes are not fully developed yet, they are constantly growing, adjusting their position in relation to the skull and even changing shape.

It is recommended that at this age, LASIK patients use glasses or contacts. As a LASIK surgery would only be a temporary fix to their problem. And it will expose them to all the rare but serious risks of a LASIK surgery that they would then have to experiences again a few years down the road. Also there is the issue that when a surgeons age of LASIK patients are this young there becomes an issue of actually performing the surgery that some adults have a major issue with, as they need to be fully conscious as the knife and laser are applied directly to their open eyes.

Conversely, when the age of LASIK patients is older there can be other issues and warnings. Middle age patients may have some advanced conditions that can no longer be really helped all that much by a LASIK operation. Such conditions are presbyopia, when a person’s natural lenses become less flexible and therefore make it hard to change focus, are not able to be fixed by LASIK. To fix this problem you would need to correct the eye’s focusing muscle that gradually gets weaker with time. This age of LASIK patients must accept that as fact of aging.

Another condition that is common when the age of LASIK patients is getting up there is cataracts, a common but detrimental condition in which the natural eye lens becomes clouded over years and result in blurred vision. It is the leading cause of loss of visual acuity in those of an advanced age. A LASIK surgery only lifts up that lens to address the issues underneath and therefore could not help a cataract patient who should instead elect for a cataract surgery.

In all ages of LASIK patients there are both risks and benefits involved; these need to be weighed against how well a treatment will stick and if it is doable at all in their current situation. Many surgeons in less than reputable practices will take on any age of LASIK patients to get extra money at whatever risk to the patient’s well being or long term outcome. Even if nothing would have gone wrong from the operation you are wasting your money.

In this alternative to LASIK surgery, both the technology and technique now are beginning to address earlier issues with CK. One of these problems included the fact, that some corneas tended to revert to the way they were to begin with, and vision corrections failed to stick, this is called regression. Though in this alternatives to LASIK surgery recent clinical studies revealed more stable factors so Conductive Keratoplasty is acquiring a wider acceptance among eye surgeons and patients.

Another good one in the vast alternatives to LASIK surgery is RLE, or refractive lens exchange. In this process the natural lens of your eye is replaced with an artificial one to help you get a better, sharper focus in your vision. This alternative to LASIK surgery is not yet FDA approved, due to it being very new in early in clinical trials. Some surgeons while use this off label in special circumstances with your permission if you think it would work for you. This is perfectly legal.

This alternative to LASIK surgery RLE is tremendously helpful to those of middle age just starting to develop cataracts. Which is a painful condition that can eventually get worse and cloud the eye lens? In time this condition could require another much more serious alternative to LASIK surgery called cataract surgery but choosing refractive lens exchange you can avoid that surgery and have your lenses significant corrected vision.

One alternative to LASIK that can actually, in some cases produce a better result than LASIK are surgically implanted lenses, which are also called phakic intraocular lenses (or IOLS). This is a very new option for people seeking a more permanent correction of their common vision problems like far or near-sightedness, a drawback is that this procedure is not yet available for astigmatism. But, for the rest of us with common errors in sight, these implants, which resemble contact lenses, are placed in one of two locations in the eye, between the cornea and iris or just behind the iris. Some find theses permanent lenses to be a great alternative to LASIK eye surgery.

Unlike your traditional contact lenses, you will never feel a phakic IOL in your eye, or be disturbed by its placement there. They also require no maintenance and are FDA approved. Other, natural alternatives to LASIK surgery are contacts and glasses. Much advancement have been made in the contact world, you can now get contact lenses that you hardly even notice the presence of and that are soft and stay moist in your eyes to help you avoid that itchy, uncomfortable feeling. Make sure to avoid cheap lenses however and go with prescription ones made specially to fit you eye.

Most doctors will recommend keeping your eyes closed for the first couple of hours in your LASIK recovery period, this helps keep constant lubrication and helps your eyes to better heal themselves. Most doctors should give you shields to avoid light hurting your eyes. These shields can usually be removed in two to four hours after surgery when you are awake, but usually stay on for a couple days when you sleep, this is important in your LASIK recovery.

Minor bleeding can sometimes occur

Most doctors will prescribe something else to help your eyes, such as antibiotics to help reduce the chance of infection or anti-inflammatory drops from inflammation or pain. If you are having light sensitivity, which is common in LASIK recovery, he may advise you wear dark sunglasses for a few days until you can stand the light on your own again. A lot of doctors also recommend if you are unable to naturally fall asleep that you take a light sleeping aid as the very best treatment for pain is sleeping for a few hours and letting your eyes heal.

Things like watching TV or reading are highly discouraged, this will be hard on you pain-wise and a strain on your eyes that they do not need after such an operation. Another thing to remember in your LASIK recovery of eye surgery is to never rub your eyes even though after surgery they may itch or burn slightly. Try to resist the urge and wear your protective shields or sunglasses if you have to. Your eyes need to be relaxed and untouched to get fully better.

Try taking baths versus showers in the first week and never apply makeup to the eye area, just tiny dust fragments from eye shadow can get under the corneal lens before it fully fuses back together and this can cause a massive infection. Also, make sure in your LASIK recovery that you avoid smoking yourself or being around other’s that do as this can also get into your eyes, literally and at the least really cause a lot of pain.

Complications from LASIK are very rare and most patients have such a speedy LASIK recovery that they can return to work and or normal daily activities the very next day. Most people report only very little pain in their LASIK recovery period and in a short period of time many surgeons will request a follow-up exam to make sure your eyes are healing properly.

In these visits you will be able to track your LASIK recovery and how you epithelium is growing, responding, and healing and of course see how much closer to that perfect 20/20 vision you are getting. Most people are very happy with their LASIK recovery and results and hopefully you will be too.

Positive results of LASIK surgery were done by the AAPECS (or American Association of Professional Eye-care Specialists) and they report that over 55% of people undergoing LASIK surgery achieved 20/20 vision or better. Meaning these LASIK Statistics show over half of all people going through a LASIK surgery can now see perfectly. Further results of LASIK surgery by the AAPECS show that around 93% had at least 20/40 vision after their surgeries. Meaning almost all patients showed some visual recovery after LASIK.

Most common results of LASIK surgery show patients see clearly within a day and are able to drive and return to their normal daily activities. The long term results of LASIK surgery are usually good with most patients able to see better everyday. The rare complications that pop up are almost always minor and are just a healing process of their individual eyes.

Though in looking at the results of LASIK surgery, a few patients will still have to wear contacts or glasses after their surgery. This depends on what condition they had and how serious or progressed it was. But, at over 90 percent of patients with 20/40 vision as a result of LASIK surgery the outcome is good overall, 20/40 vision is good enough to pass a driving test and most people with or without this surgery require reading glasses in older age.

The most common results of LASIK surgery directly afterward are a slight painful, burning and itching sensation. This is true especially after the numbing shot to their eyes wears off. Some patients have blurry vision for up to a few days and many patients have light sensitivity at first as well, this usually gets better within the first week and is a very expected result of LASIK surgery.

The very good thing is statistical results of LASIK surgery show there are no reported cases of anyone ever going blind from LASIK type procedures and very few serious vision-threatening problems ever surface after a LASIK operation. There are however, in results of LASIK surgery, some risks involved and there are rare cases of reduced or damaged visual acuity. These are usually caused by an uninformed surgeon and include infections, scarring, permanent haze, and improper positioning of the flap or a flap cut incorrectly to begin with.

Many of these unpleasant results of LASIK surgery got better over time, but sometimes in months to a couple years, and others required future surgeries to correct. But, overall LASIK procedures are relativity safe and have great outcomes for patients suffering from vision problems.

As you may already know, the main advantage to Lasik surgery is to eliminate the use of eye glasses and uncomfortable contact lenses. The popularity of Lasik surgery is increasing more and more regularly.

What Not to Do When Searching for a Good Lasik Surgeon

Do not pick the first provider you find. There are many surgeons who perform Lasik surgery. The lowest price provider does not guarantee best quality.

Avoid contracting eye centers who offer special pricing. The advertisements are usually for low quality services that may not do a thing for you. Don’t get scammed out of money for non-quality service.

Those who are offering low prices for Lasik surgery are out to make money and not provide service. Only dollar signs are in their eyes and not the patient.

Tips to Find a Good Lasik Surgeon

• Since the popularity of Lasik is ever growing, chances are you know at least one person who has had Lasik surgery. Ask your friends or family members who have experienced laser surgery who their surgeon was and what their results were. Find out if they had any side effects or complications.
• Interview the provider. Ask what equipment is used. Find out the manufacturer of the equipment the laser surgeon uses. Obtain information whether you are a good candidate for Lasik surgery. Do research on the Lasik surgeon’s credentials and how long the surgeon has been in this field. Know what the doctor’s success rate is and how many surgeries he has performed as well as how long he or she has been doing Lasik surgeries.
• Select a Lasik surgeon who is well know in the industry and locally. The surgeon should have a track record and will not disappear. There are many surgeons who have stable surgical practices, find one that has been around for a very long time.
• Ask the surgeon how many surgeries he or she completes on a monthly basis. Find other patients that can vouch for the surgeon’s competency and verify the success rate that his or her patients have experienced.
• Make sure the equipment is not too old. Look for a surgeon who uses newer advanced technology to complete the task of laser surgery.
• Visit several eye care centers and get quotes from several doctors. Ensure the doctors’ provide all of the information required, like what are the side effects, what are some of the complications involved with Lasik surgery, how long will the recovery time be. The more you know about what it involves and what your options are the better choice you will be able to make to improve your eyesight with Lasik surgery.

As you can see, there are many aspects that are taken into consideration to select the right surgeon who meets your visual needs. A good doctor will tell you if Lasik surgery is right for you and will tell you also if it’s not.