Anupam Chatterjee

SEARCH RESULTS FOR SURGEON……….
OPHTHALMIC SURGEON
practicing at NATIONAL EYE CENTRE DUBLIN IRELAND
Refractive Surgeon
CURRENT POSITION: Head consultant at the National Eye centre, 51 parnell square, Dublin, Ireland.

 Author: Matt Garrett

In the last decade or so, LASIK eye surgery has witnessed a phenomenal growth in its popularity. As of now, millions of people are choosing LASIK to meet their eye surgery needs. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that LASIK eye surgery is still a relatively new process about which a lot still needs to be known. In this article, we will tell you what LASIK eye surgery is and why you must ensure that the LASIK eye surgery you are getting is of high quality conducted by professionals.

First, a few basic facts:

- LASIK eye surgery (Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is a procedure that is used to modify the cornea and allow a patient to see without the use of glasses or other visual aids. It can correct problems like myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (misshapen cornea). While not all patients may experience a complete restoration of vision, they can certainly see much better than before

- LASIK eye surgery involves minimal or no pain and requires much less recovery time than other eye surgery procedures like photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)

- Dr Lucio Buratto and Dr. Ionnis Pallikaris jointly developed the LASIK eye surgery procedure in 1990. They based their technique on two older eye surgery procedures - keratomileusis and PRK. These surgical procedures involved more complications and brought about less than perfect results, so when LASIK offered fewer risks and better results, it proved an immediate success. In 1991, LASIK was twice performed officially by Dr. Stephen Slade, in Europe and later in the US

THE PROCESS

- Before you undergo LASIK eye surgery, you will be instructed to discontinue the use of contact lenses for 1 to 4 weeks prior to surgery to allow the cornea to return to its original shape

- At the start of the surgery, you will be administered a mild anesthetic, usually orally, and numbing eye drops, which will eliminate pain in most cases, though some patients still complain of some discomfort

- A device called a microkeratome is attached to a suction ring placed on your eye, the blade of which is used to cut a thin flap on the surface of the cornea. The flap is folded back, exposing a layer of tissue called the stroma, which is inspected for debris and dried

- You will then be asked to focus on a fixed spot as your doctor begins the laser, cutting and removing corneal tissue based on the measurements taken at the initial examination. The flap is then repositioned and left to heal. Because no stitches are used, you will be required to wear an eye patch to prevent rubbing, irritation, and pressure that might disturb the healing process

- Both eyes can be operated on at the same time if you are healthy enough and have enough recovery time. In some cases, a surgeon will recommend that the patient receive monovision treatment, which is the correction of only one eye. LASIK eye surgery typically takes about 5 to 10 minutes per eye

WAVEFRONT LASIK: NEW TECHNOLOGY ON THE BLOCK

The newest technology in LASIK is the wavefront laser. The first of these types of lasers received FDA approval in 2002. Wavefront technology sends a wave of light to the retina. The light then bounces back to a sensor, which measures the irregularities of the cornea and produces a 3-D map of the eye’s visual system.
The data from the sensor is then translated into a mathematical formula that the doctor uses to program the computer that controls the refractive laser. After wavefront LASIK, 90-94% of patients enjoy 20/20 vision or better as opposed to 80% with traditional LASIK eye surgery.

LASIK COMPLICATIONS

During surgery, complications related to the cutting or hinging of the flap occur in less than 0.5% of patients. Other complications occurring at less than a 1% rate include the development of irregular astigmatism owing to scarring, healing, or beam problems, infection, or other vision problems (halos around lights, blurry night vision), surgery performed off the center of the pupil owing to surgeon error or the inability of the patient to focus on a fixed point.

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE?

This can vary depending on your doctor and the type of laser used. The minimum requirements are that a patient must be at least 18 years old and has had no drastic change in vision over the past year. For patients with severe refractive errors LASIK eye surgery may not be an option, but almost anyone with stable and healthy eyes can be treated with some type of surgery.

COST OF LASIK

Plenty has been said about the cost of LASIK eye surgery. Some clinics, for example, may claim that they can perform the surgery at a starting cost of $299 per eye. But you should realize at once that the amount is far too low and that no one actually gets the surgery at that cost. On average, the cost of LASIK eye surgery is about $1,700.

Author: Uchenna Ani-Okoye

As with any type of surgery there have been documented results that are not complimentary, but having said that, the laser eye surgery procedure these days is fairly commonplace and has come a long way since it’s beginning.

If you find a doctor you are not completely satisfied with the first doctor you see there are plenty of other doctors to choose from.

Get the full names, not just the company name, because there are often improved models developed and you wouldn’t want a surgeon who is still using old equipment when precision is the name of the game in eye surgery.

One of the first things you should research about this form of laser eye surgery is what constitutes an ideal patient. Some surgeons use this type of eye surgery for a small number of people with a disorder called mild myopia.

Therefore, if the doctor acts hurried or seems distracted during your initial meeting, you may take this as an indication of the attitude you will find during and after the laser eye surgery itself.

Those being used in laser eye surgery may not be applicable to those who will need it to treat cancer types. Although the actual laser eye surgery will be uncomfortable from the point of view of having something actually manipulating and interfering with the eye, the surgery does not actually take very long to perform and is carried out under a local anaesthetic.

It is a refractive laser eye surgery performed by ophthalmologists and is considered an ideal alternative to PRK, or Photorefractive Keratectomy.

The easiest way to find a good LASIK surgeon is to find patients who underwent the same eye surgery and have successful results - able to see within hours or a few days.

Advantages of LASIK eye surgery most physicians agree that this kind of eye surgery is very appropriate for correcting very severe vision problems. But you should look for a surgeon who has several years of experience, make sure, though, if the surgeon has been doing corrective eye surgery for 10 years or more that he’s up to date on all the latest procedures.

LASIK eye surgery is basically for people who are nearsighted or farsighted and have astigmatism. Laser eye surgery has given hope to people with eye problems, be it with vision or aesthetic aspects. Laser eye surgery is a procedure that has been used to correct vision over the past 15 years.

Anyone who is thinking about getting laser eye surgery is worried that his or her surgery will be the one that the surgeon messes up on.

However, the benefits most patients have experienced through this type of procedure during the past ten years has been remarkable and remember, if you are deemed an eligible candidate for eye surgery, the final decision is always in your lap to make.

Also, you will be counselled not to drive until your vision has improved, and to forgo swimming pools and hot tubs for 10-14 days after eye surgery.

Facelifts are generally combined with other operations like eye surgery (blepharoplasty) and skin tissue resurfacing with lasers.

This is why younger people cannot go for laser eye surgery. And there are some doctors who reject the need for LASIK eye surgery, claiming that your eyes are still healthy even with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

So what does lasek laser eye surgery entail? Average eye surgery costs laser eye surgery cost has raised steadily during the past four years.