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How Do You Know What To Expect From Laser Eye Surgery?

Friday, December 26th, 2008

LASIK is a safe and efficacious refractive surgery procedure. It is also the most prevalent of all refractive eye surgery techniques. With such overwhelming prominence, LASIK is often believed to be a panacea for all refractive anomalies. Therefore, the expectation of patients undergoing LASIK is unduly high. But LASIK is a surgical procedure and it s bound to have a few potential complications and risks. Patients who conjure up an image of LASIK, believing it to be an elixir for the eye , are often thwarted at the outcome of the procedure. Satisfactory results often require realistic expectations.

In most patients, LASIK is capable of enhancing un-corrected vision (without the aid of corrective lenses). Over 90% of patients with low to moderate myopia are imparted 20/40 vision, which is the benchmark for qualifying for a drivers license in most of the US states. Over 50% of LASIK patients are expected to achieve Snellen 20/20 vision. However, a 20/20 post-LASIK vision does not necessarily mean that you would enjoy crisp and sharp vision. While the Snellen benchmark is a useful visual acuity test, it is not the only way to assess vision. For instance, a Snellen eye exam doesn t evaluate color and light sensitivity, night vision, or the accommodation power of your eyes (the ability to focus on nearby and far away objects intermittently).

LASIK involves rapid visual recovery and visual acuity is restored within a day or two. But it may take a fair amount of time for the complications and side effects, if any, to subside. During this period, normally 3 to 6 months, the patient might experience halos, glare and starbursts around light sources at night. Ghost vision or double vision is another reported side effect. In general, after LASIK surgery, myopic patients recover hastily when compared with hyperopic patients.

Though LASIK often eliminates the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses, some patients might still require a minimal prescription for certain activities. The need for reading glasses would typically surface beyond the age of 40, since this is when presbyopia (also called short arm syndrome ) sets in. LASIK may also pronounce the dry eye condition. LASIK is an irreversible procedure and the physical results are permanent. However, eyes may experience age related changes even after LASIK surgery.

If you find a LASIK surgery that you are confident with, you will be able to get more information about what to expect from LASIK laser eye surgery.

The LASIK Surgery Directory - find a LASIK surgery. Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports, provides news and views about what to expect from LASIK laser eye surgery at Your Lasik Information.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Your-LASIK.info

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More about LASIK

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

A Brief Introduction to LASIK

With the advent of laser, LASIK procedures shot into prominence ever since the first LASIK procedure was performed in 1991 in the United States. Since then, there has been a boom in LASIK eye surgery centers started all over the United States. The number of LASIK vision correction procedures performed in the United States alone so far stands at more than three million. The growth in the number of LASIK eye centers was due to:

Shorter recovery times
Faster operation times
Increased precision levels

Where to Find LASIK Clinics?

Now you may ask the question where do I find a LASIK clinic? More importantly, how do I determine which is a good LASIK center? The Internet makes your job that much easier. You can log onto the Internet and put out a search for whatever aspect of LASIK you want information on. For basic information about the availability of LASIK centers in different parts of America, just type the location you are looking at and the word LASIK after or before it. This becomes the keyword based on which you search for the information you require.

To look for a LASIK clinic in New York, you would type the following in the Search field of your Internet search engine:

lasik new york
lasik nyc

To look for information regarding LASIK in New Jersey, you would type:

lasik nj
lasik New Jersey

Some other examples for location-oriented searches for LASIK-related information are:

lasik dallas
lasik san diego
lasik colorado
lasik denver
lasik virginia
lasik niagara
lasik washington
bellevue lasik
lasik milwaukee
lasik houston
lasi sacramento
lasik seattle
lasik michigan
lasik austin
lasik texas
lasik tampa
lasik phoenix
lasik kansas city
lasik atlanta
lasik san francisco
lasik los angeles
lasik cincinnati
lasik boston
manhattan lasik
lasik washington dc
lasik md

Finding the Right LASIK Center

With so many LASIK clinics around, how do you zero in on a good one? Each clinic s website claims it to be the best, providing cutting edge technologies, etc. So how do you know which of them to go to? Here you should keep one thing in mind what is best according to them might not always be what is best for you. So a good idea is to go through these sites, do some research on the Internet, make comparative studies (like doing comparative shopping when buying health insurance online) and then take a call on which one suits your requirements best. That has to be the criteria that determines which is the best.

Another way to find out is if you know people who have been to these clinics, or from friends. You can always take an opinion from experienced people. Their opinion can go a long way in taking you to the clinic of your choice. You can also take your optometrist s advice and choose the one he thinks would be best for you.

How much does LASIK Cost?

When you do a comparative analysis of the prices of different LASIK procedures, as also the price of LASIK procedures in different clinics, you will notice that LASIK prices vary from one procedure to another. Some of the factors that influence LASIK pricing are:

State of the patient s eyesight
Location of the clinic

The primary reason for variation of the cost of LASIK procedures is the dependence of the procedure on the state of the patient s vision. For a patient with reasonably good vision, the LASIK procedure cost would be much lower than that for a patient with bad vision. This is because in such a case, the amount of correction or corneal readjustment would be much more.

On the Internet, there are sites that dedicate time and space to providing comparisons between the pricing of different LASIK procedures. Offline, the Review of Ophthalmology states that in 2003 the average LASIK surgery cost was $1,700, but in the Midwest it was lower than that, probably lesser by a couple of hundred dollars. Ever since, prices have been steadily rising and today the average cost of a LASIK procedure is anywhere between $1800 and $2000. This kind of figure has been steadily increasing, as pointed out by different publications and surveys online.

LASIK eye surgery cost also depends on the pricing opted for by different centers. Some centers may make use of upgraded technology, and hence may charge more than other centers that still use conventional LASIK procedures. The cost of LASIK surgery may seem a bit steep, but if you are serious about correcting your eye problems, LASIK is a very viable procedure, more so because of the number of procedural options it provides you with.

LASIK Centers

There are quite a few LASIK centers across the length and breadth of the United States. Some of these are LASIK chains, and are very well-known, have more publicity that keeps them visible, and provide excellent facilities. Some of these LASIK chains are:

LasikPlus
The LASIK Vision Institute
TLC
Laser Vision Centers
LCA Vision
Lasik Center
Icon LASIK
The LASIK Eye Institute

There are many more such national chains of LASIK clinics. To find them, you can again put out a search on the Internet. Most of these have their own websites and provide detailed information about their services, their skill sets, equipment used, fees, and any other information relevant to their business. Besides these chains, there are also individual LASIK doctors in various clinics with high levels of expertise in performing LASIKS procedures. A LASIK doctor is much sought after these days, and a good LASIK doctor can be easily found in any of these facilities.

More than that, there are also sites that give you a rating for the different clinics, based on their equipment, cost, service and a host of other factors. So all you have to do is log on, compare what is on offer, check the ratings, and then decide which clinic you want to visit. Remember that the ratings are generic. The top-rated clinic may not be the one that will give you what you are looking for!

Resources
http://www.aboutlasikeyesurgery.com/lasik-cost.html
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:8A4smF2Z0NMJ:icondenver.com/+%22icon+lasik%22&hl=en&gl=in&ct=clnk&cd=1
www.alasiksurgeonnearyou.com/lasik/prices.html
www.allaboutvision.com
www.usaeyes.org
www.lasikvisioninstitute.com

The writer does freelance writing work. Primary areas are keyword-rich articles (especially in healthcare, insurance, credit), creative writing, blogposts, etc.

For more information please visit: http://www.projectrade.com

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What Are the Hidden Costs of Lasik Eye Surgery?

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

It is very important to choose an experienced LASIK surgeon in order to make sure that your Lasik eye surgery is done effectively and with the correct safe guards, remember it is your eyes if anything goes wrong. Quite often Lasik eye surgery centers that are offering discounts attract a lot of patients, but beware of such centers because sometimes they may try to hide the actual cost and just display the charge for part of the procedure. After getting your surgery, you might find that there are a lot of other additional charges such as for consultations, follow-up care, etc. As a result of this your total bill could well exceed the amount that an honest well-experienced Lasik surgeon would have charged in the first place!

In this article, I have listed a few points that you should consider when it comes to the cost of Lasik eye surgery.

1.Do not get caught by the non-refundable deposit gimmick. These are nothing more than a ploy to get you hooked. If you do pay before hand you may find it is really a fee to learn the details of the surgery that the Lasik eye surgery center offers. It doesn’t matter if you find out later that the center is not a good one, they have got your money and if you decide not to go ahead with the surgery there is no refund. Always remember that reputable Lasik eye surgery centers will never ask for any fee to give you the necessary details about their procedures and practices.

2.You must make sure that the advertised cost is for the entire procedure including all preparation and after care. The cost must not be only for a part of procedure. Otherwise you might find that the actual bill will be a much higher amount than you were quoted.

3.You must make sure that the low cost of Lasik eye surgery being advertised covers the follow-up care as well. The follow-up care visits shouldn’t be restricted to just one or two. It should also include any problem that might arise following the surgery.

4.Also make sure that the low price includes all the necessary medical care for up to one year after your surgery. If any additional fees are charged then make sure you are aware of what they will be.

The overall cost of Lasik surgery is reasonable and is falling as more people have this type of eye surgery. Rather than going to the discount surgeries it is always recommended that you go to a reputable eye surgeon in order to get the best results.

Don’t worry, you will not be overcharged, also most surgeons now have payment plans available to fit even the most restricted budget.

For all the latest information about Lasik eye surgery check out http://www.lasikpulse.com

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