Below is a list of Lasik FAQ's that will help you to get a better understanding of the Lasik procedure. Simply click on the question below and you will be taken to a video explanation by Dr. Richard Blue that will help you get a better understanding of the Lasik procedure.
There are three main parts to the human eye: the cornea, the lens, and the retina. The cornea refracts (bends) light so it can be directed through the lens, onto the retina; giving a clear image. When we experience vision problems these are usually the result of disorders or irregularities of the shape of the cornea. LASIK solves these vision problems by using lasers to reshape the curve of the cornea so that normal, clear, sight is obtained.
Vision correction is pretty simple in the under 40-year-old. We simply correct the prescription that you have and it gives you great distance vision, great intermediate vision, great up close vision.
My goal for every patient with laser vision correction is for you not to need your glasses or contact lenses. Now when we do laser vision correction, we actually give your cornea the perfect shape. And for the majority of patients, that doesn't change.
But you are alive, and you could change a little bit. Now what I tell my patients is that it's possible you could change a little bit. If that ever happens, years down the road we can come back and tweak that prescription and put you right back where you were before.
Nearsightedness is something we've corrected forever. The very first patients that were done in 1996-- and I did one of the first Lasik procedures in the southeast in 1996-- that patient had pure nearsightedness. So originally, that's all we were allowed to do. And then the Lasik procedure went through an exhaustive process where we gained further approvals for different prescriptions.
So you've been told that you can't have Lasik due to astigmatism. I still hear this. It's astonishing. We've been correcting astigmatism very accurately for 10 years. In fact, my favorite patients are the ones that come in that have a lot of astigmatism, been told they're not candidates. We'll do their procedure, they'll come back with terrific vision the next day. Obviously, that's a very happy patient.
So you've been told that you can't have Lasik because your prescription is too high. Those are, again, my very favorite patients, because they come in thinking they're probably not candidates, but they're going to make one more attempt and get an opinion from a doctor that actually does the procedure. When they find out they are candidates they're actually surprised, but not nearly as surprised as they are after they have the procedure done.
How Soon Can I Go Back to Work After Lasik Surgery? It is hard to believe this answer . . . let Dr. Richard Blue explain.
I do seminars, I look at the audience, and they want to ask me the question, Doctor Blue, can I go blind? And the answer is, I've never had anybody lose any vision with our current approach, the all-bladeless approach to laser vision correction. Believe it or not, they're actually studies that have actually demonstrated that Lasik is safer than a lifetime of wearing contact lenses. I know that's a surprise.
LASIK Technology does matter. There's no question about it. And we've always had the very best technology and it has always been our equipment. There are doctors that just dabble in this, that do a few procedures a month. And they have lasers actually brought in on trucks the night before, use the technology, and it's taken away the next day. That's not the best approach. That's not the best technology. So, yes, technology does make a difference. I think the combination of years experience, lots of procedures, and the very best technology is what gives patients terrific outcomes.
That's a good question. What I tell patients is there certainly are levels of disability, depending on your prescription. So a minus one can do a number of things that a minus 10 can't do without glasses or contact lenses. A minus 10 can't go to the bathroom, they can't find their glasses if they forgot where they put them. The minus one can watch a little TV. It's a little blurry. They can see across the room. They may not be able to drive at night, but they can drive in the daytime.
