| Article (Changes Frequently): |
| A Day in the Life of a LASIK Procedure |
By: Jay B Stockman
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It is 9:00am, I must get up, I have been waiting for this day my entire life. As far as I can remember I have needed glasses, not the kind that would flatter a person, the kind that would bring pity to the faces of strangers who looked at me. I mean, my glasses where thick! . This is the day I am going to have LASIK. LASIK is an acronym for laser assisted in situ keratomileusis, which refers to creating a flap in the cornea with a microkeratome and using a laser to reshape the underlying cornea. I have done the
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research, I have met with the surgeon, there is no turning back, its almost show time.
On my way to the doctor’s office, my mind is racing, am I making the right decision? Will I experience the debilitating side effects that others have warned me about? My journey originally began at my eye doctor’s office, who does not perform LASIK. I asked him for a referral, and he suggested a local Ophthalmologist. An Ophthalmologist is a Medical Doctor who is licensed to perform LASIK procedures, after additional LASIK-specific training. After an extensive checking of his credentials, and experience, this was going to be my LASIK doctor.
I finally arrive, and a very friendly, and helpful staff greets me, and assures me that this procedure will be painless, and quick. Easy for them to say, they all probably have perfect vision. My name is called; I proceed to a cold, large room, which looks like a scene from the movie Independence Day. My hour of reckoning is here, I think about going blind, what I would miss most. I have to start thinking positive thoughts. I briefly meet with the Surgical Counselor who explains to me the different steps I am about to go through. He asks me if I require a sedative, I tell him a Bombay Sapphire Martini would do just fine. He reminds me it is 10:00 am in the morning. I opt out of taking any sedative; I want to be awake for the entire procedure. With this, in walks his royal highness, THE LASIK SURGEON.
I lay down on what is referred to as the treatment bed, a bit hard, but totally acceptable. The surgeon places drops in both of my eyes, within seconds my eyes feel very heavy, and numb. He assures me this is normal, and will not affect my brain. He starts on the right eye first, he places clamps under my eyelids to keep them wide open. My heart is racing; I want to cry out for my mommy. Next he places a contraption on my eye, that he calls a keratome, the instrument that will be used to create the cornea “flap”. At this point, I only feel some pressure on my eye, absolutely no pain. His assistant is constantly pouring artificial tears in my eyes to keep them wet since I cannot blink. I am now directed to focus on a red fixation light, which I do obediently. The surgeon activates the keratome, I hear a noise my cornea is being sliced like a bologna, and I still feel no pain. Next the laser is activated, I smell something like burning hair, again no pain, just pressure. Within minutes the surgeon is finished with the right eye, on to the left. The entire procedure lasted about 20 minutes. That is it!
My procedure is over, and I am in recovery. I am almost in tears, I open my eyes, and for the first time in my life I have VISION, a bit cloudy, but vision nonetheless. I am overwhelmed at this point. The LASIK surgeon walks in, checks me briefly, and informs me everything went well. I wanted to hug and kiss him, however there is a time and place for everything. I am given some drops, and instructions, and within 24 hours of surgery I am back at work. Absolutely amazing, how quick the recovery period was. My vision at this point is cloudy, and I am told this is normal, since the cornea is still swollen.
Six weeks have passed, and I am doing great. The vision in my right eye is 20/20, my left is 20/25 all with no glasses, or correction. The cloudiness is completely eliminated, I still have a noticeable glare at night, but far from debilitating. There is no dryness in my eyes at all, and I rarely use lubricating drops. I am completely satisfied with my entire experience, and highly recommend it to any potential candidate.
About the Author
Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for The Contact Lens Resource Visit http://1contactlenses.com/ for more information.
Dr. Jay B Stockman is an individual contributor to Google Health Co-op
Dr. Jay B Stockman's public Google Health Co-op profile
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| The optics of Prescription Eyeglasses |
| By: Timothy Gorman |
There are estimated 168 million people who wear prescription eyeglasses in the United States. Only a very small percentage of those people could tell you what strength their lenses are or read an eyeglass prescription.
The strength of prescription eyeglasses is measured in what we call diopters. Optometrists abbreviate that with a D. The stronger the lens, the higher the diopter measures. Prescription eyeglass lenses are measured in positives or negatives. If you look through a negative lens the object that you are focusing on will look smaller. If looking through a positive lens, the object will look bigger.
There are three professions that deal with prescription eyeglasses that many people are not aware of. The first profession is called an Optician. An Optician makes the lenses, frames and contact lenses. They analyze the prescription and then dispense medications and prescription eyeglasses.
The Ophthalmologist is an eye doctor who is licensed to perform surgeries that are needed to correct vision or aid in curing eye diseases.
The Optometrist is the eye doctor who usually will give the eye exam and checks for any diseases and medical conditions. They are licensed to dispense prescription eyeglasses and medications.
There are three very common eye disorders that can be treated by wearing prescription eyeglasses.
* Mypoia, another name for nearsightedness. The symptoms are blurred vision and inability to focus on objects that are in the distance.
* Hyberopia, which means farsightedness. It is the opposite of Myopia. The symptoms are headaches, eye fatigue after reading or watching television.
* Glaucoma, which is the build up of fluid on the retina. There are no warning signs to this disease and it can cause loss of sight if left untreated.
A person should have their eyes examined by an optometrist every two years until they are the age of 60 then the examinations should be annually.
About the Author
Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Vision-Doctor.com. He provides more discount sunglasses, contact lenses, LASIK information and discount prescription eyeglasses information that you can research in your pajamas in your home.
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