Patients contemplating LASIK imaginative and prescient correction surgical procedure ought to weigh the dangers in addition to advantages and see a health care provider who can assess whether or not they’re an excellent candidate for the process, in accordance with an ophthalmologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
At UT Southwestern, we use a patient-specific strategy to LASIK with know-how that calculates the exact sample of a affected person’s eye, like a fingerprint, and adapts the remedy to these measurements. This degree of customization is among the keys to lowering the potential for unwanted side effects.”
William Waldrop, M.D., Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern’s Department of Ophthalmology
New tips proposed by the Food and Drug Administration would require physicians to offer higher communication in regards to the dangers related to LASIK, which may embody dry eyes; visible phenomena equivalent to glare or halos; decreased imaginative and prescient in low-light settings; eye ache; and momentary distortions in imaginative and prescient. Many of those unwanted side effects dissipate after three to 6 months.
Each yr, an estimated 700,000 sufferers within the U.S. endure LASIK to scale back their dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The process, which has been accessible within the U.S. since 1998, is quick, painless, and normally, supplies improved imaginative and prescient for 10 years or longer.
“From the start, LASIK outcomes have been excellent, and we have regularly improved the process to permit for the next probability of higher imaginative and prescient and better high quality imaginative and prescient,” Dr. Waldrop mentioned. “Ultimately, although, the reply could also be ‘no’ to LASIK, and generally that’s the most secure selection. LASIK is not all the time one of the best or solely possibility for imaginative and prescient correction.”
Dr. Waldrop mentioned sufferers contemplating LASIK ought to focus first on choosing the proper surgeon. UTSW ophthalmologists are expert in a wide range of imaginative and prescient correction surgical procedures, together with superior floor ablation and refractive lens trade.
“You need a surgeon who will take the time to do an intensive examination and pre-surgical workup to find out if it is acceptable to your distinctive traits,” he mentioned. “Has carrying contacts modified the floor of your eye? How thick is your cornea? What is the probability of your cornea taking over an irregular form after surgical procedure? Those are all elements that may impression the success of your surgical procedure.
“If you are not an acceptable candidate for LASIK, you need your surgeon to be upfront with you and supply another,” Dr. Waldrop mentioned.
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