Can You Afford LASIK Eye Surgery?

November 10th, 2008

LASIK eye surgery is generally considered to be more expensive than other more conventional surgical procedures. This can in part be attributed to the use of high-tech equipment such as lasers.

Having said that, I think it is worthwhile to mention that the cost of LASIK continues to come down. This is in part due to improvements being made to the overall process, such as the use of more efficient and cheaper lasers.

According to the FDA the average cost of LASIK eye surgery was in the region of $1,344 in 2005. This is a significant reduction from the original numbers listed in 2002 of nearly $1,600.

However, be as it may, when deciding on the type of LASIK eye surgery or surgeon, price should never be the overriding factor. Remember you re not buying shoes you re taking a risk, so why not take the best calculated risk by going to someone who has built up a good reputation?

Here are a few things that may help you understand why the costs of LASIK laser surgery are high.

The fee of leasing the building where the surgery is located

The leasing or purchase of the laser as well as maintenance of the blades or lasers can increase LASIK cost. Surgeons may also be upgrading to newer and more efficient lasers.

There may be additional, per eye fees to be paid to the developer or manufacturer of the laser, if the machine is leased.

You may need special gowns, masks, gloves, medications, or surgical solutions to keep the operating room sterile and safe.

There may be Advertising and insurance for the office.

When you are considering different LASIK surgery options it may be a good idea to ask your surgeon the following:

What is and what isn t included in the cost of the LASIK eye surgery?

What if complications occur or if enhancements are needed. Will I be charged and if so, how much?

What about the cost of LASIK medications such as anti-inflammatory or painkillers?

Will I need temporary contact lenses after LASIK? Are they included in the cost or will they be paid for separately?

What about follow-up visits after LASIK? What are the costs if they are not included in the fee for the surgery?

Don t forget to contact your insurance company to determine if they cover the cost of LASIK laser surgery. Some insurance companies don t cover the cost of LASIK because they see it as a cosmetic enhancement.

If financing is not a problem you should strongly consider using a LASIK surgeon who best fits your needs and addresses your concerns.

For those who already had successful LASIK procedures, the cost of LASIK laser eye surgery is a small price to pay compared to the joy offered by their newly improved vision.

The author L Jimmy Roos writes widely, offering solutions on various topics that affect the human condition. For more information on Lasik laser eye surgery and how it can help you, please visit now http://www.lasikeyeadvice.com

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How You Might Cure Your Blurred Vision

November 6th, 2008

Presbyopia, also known as “short arm syndrome”, is a medical term used to describe a vision defect where the natural lens loses its accommodation power. Accommodation power refers to the ability of the eye lens to change its focal distance, depending on whether the object in view is placed up-close or far away. This is a common disorder that virtually everyone experiences in their middle age. Specifically, at the onset of the 40s, people experience blurred vision while looking at nearby objects, such as when reading or sewing.

Presbyopia is different from other vision disorders, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism - these are all concerned with the shape of the eyeball or the corneal tissue and are caused due to genetic factors, trauma, or disease. However, Presbyopia is an age related disorder and is believed to be caused due to a gradual loss of elasticity of the natural eye lens. As the eye lens stiffens with age, it is difficult for the lens to focus up close.

Presbyopia is not normally curable, but the loss of accommodation power can be compensated for by using eyeglasses or contact lenses. A few patients might require bifocal or progressive lenses. As the ability to focus deteriorates, the prescription lens needs to be changed accordingly. In order to eliminate the dependence on bifocals or reading glasses, some people opt for a method called “monovision”, where one eye is corrected for near and the other for far. However, monovision may interfere with depth perception, and not everyone can adapt to monovision.

When Presbyopia sets in, LASIK can be used to produce monovision. However, it’s recommended that at first you try monovision with contact lenses, in order to be sure that you can adapt to the change. Another surgical option, which was approved in March 2004 by the Food and Drug Association (FDA), is a procedure known as conductive keratoplasty (CK).

Research is ongoing and it suggests that a cure for Presbyopia is quite possible. New surgical procedures also promise solutions for those who don’t wish to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses while suffering from Presbyopia.

About the author:

You will find the LASIK Surgeons Directory useful. Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about LASIK eye surgery at Your Lasik Information.

Copyright http://www.Your-LASIK.info This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links remain intact.
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FDA Approves Lasik Eye Surgery

November 3rd, 2008

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new custom lasik procedure in September of 2005. This new procedure can now treat many patients who were previously ineligible for the surgery. Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness occurs when the eye is too long and light rays focus in front of the retina, instead of focusing on the retina. Some of the symptoms of nearsightedness are blurred distant vision, eyestrain, and squinting, along with having a difficult time seeing at night.

Although nearsightedness can be easily fixed with glasses or contact lenses (when not too severe), many people don’t like to hassle with either one. With this new lasik procedure, folks will now be able to have pure vision.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is the effect of the eye being shaped like a football, instead of round like a baseball. This deformity — where the light rays focus on two points on the retina instead of one — results in blurred vision, double vision, and shadows on letters when reading. Until recently, this deformity has prevented some people from even getting contact lenses. Breakthroughs in contact lenses have only helped those with slight astigmatism.

However, with this new lasik procedure, patients can now have their eyes repaired to normal, or at least be repaired enough to comfortably wear contact lenses. Either way, their vision is enhanced and many are happy just to get rid of the glasses and finally be able to wear contacts, or possibly nothing at all.

Farsightedness

Farsightedness happens when light rays focus behind the retina instead of on the retina, resulting in blurred near vision. Some patients with severe farsightedness have to step back from what they are reading and others require magnifying glasses to see something that is right in front of them. People with farsightedness can see you 30 feet away, but when you get right up close they can’t see you! This can be embarrassing and cause the afflicted person much insecurity along with the feeling that they are going blind.

Farsightedness is easily remedied by wearing glasses to read and see things up close, but it’s very inconvenient to constantly be taking your glasses on and off. Not only is it inconvenient, you take the chance of leaving your glasses behind. Some patients keep their glasses on a chain so they won’t lose them, but this makes them feel old. Now, lasik surgery is another option for these patients.

New Laser Technology

The FDA recently approved the new Visx STAR Excimer laser system. This fantastic breakthrough in technology allows doctors to do more than they ever could before, giving them the ability to reshape the eye to correct astigmatism, farsightedness and nearsightedness. Before this marvelous breakthrough these patients were not good candidates for lasik eye surgery. They now can join the rest of the vision impaired and have the option for lasik.

Recent FDA studies show that over 98% of all patients receiving these new procedures were seeing 20/40 or better 6 months after surgery. Over 84% were seeing much better than 20/20 after 6 months. Now that’s reason to celebrate!

New breakthroughs in lasik eye surgery technology are happening all the time. Now people don’t have to be inconvenienced by the hassle of glasses or contacts. All they want to do is to be able to get up in the morning and see normally. These breakthroughs in lasik technology are giving them an improved quality of life that once was unattainable.

About the author:

Visit Lasik surgery to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer with a Website Here.

Copyright 2006 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.
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