LASIK vs. Contact Lenses

Many people are unaware that wearing contacts every day may be a bigger risk than having their vision corrected with LASIK.

The fact is, if you have to wear contact lenses, hard contact lenses will give you the best vision, but they are a real nuisance, uncomfortable, prone to slipping, and easily broken. Soft contacts on the other hand are more comfortable, but due to their composition and design it can be more difficult to correct astigmatism.

Possible Complications of Contact Lenses

     With prolonged usage, especially in adverse environmental conditions, contact lenses can lead to:

• Cornea redness or inflammation 
• Corneal infections 
• Corneal abrasions 
• Corneal ulcers 
• Corneal swelling 
• Dry eye

    LASIK eye surgery may eliminate or reduce the need for corrective lenses. As with any type of surgical procedure, there are potential risks of LASIK surgery, including:

• Dry eye syndrome 
• Visual symptoms, such as halos, glare, starbursts or double vision 
• Vision loss

Cost of LASIK

      The average one-time cost of LASIK ranges from $1,600 per eye for non-customized LASIK to $2,500 per eye for customized wavefront-guided procedures. When these costs are compared to the ongoing expenses of contacts and glasses, LASIK often makes sense financially. Over any 10 year period the average vision impaired person will spend around $12,000 on:

• New eyeglass prescriptions 
• New frames and lenses 
• Replacement lenses or an endless stream of replacement contacts 
• Cleaning and sterilizing solutions

Not every person has the right eye conditions to support a LASIK procedure. If you are tired of wearing contacts or glasses and want to explore the LASIK option, the only way to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK is by scheduling a LASIK Consultation. Contact Buckley Chang Eye Institute in Colorado Springs today at 719-444-3000 or buckleychang.com to start on the path!

Cool Facts About Dolphin Eyes-Part 3

“A dolphin’s pupil has a type of built-in shade. When our eyes are exposed to light, our pupils get smaller to let less light in. Dolphins have a kind of lid, called an operculum, that slides down to cover most of the pupil when it is bright. It almost looks like two pupils when this ‘lid’ comes down.”

-          Joy Clausen Soto, Senior Dolphin Trainer at SeaWorld

Humans don’t have instant shades on our eyes. We have to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from the harsh sun. When you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, it’s often necessary for you to purchase expensive prescription sunglasses to be able to see in sunlight.

LASIK has allowed millions of Americans to expand their sunglasses collections with a multitude of cheap sunglasses by correcting their refractive errors.

In a LASIK procedure, a surgeon creates a thin flap on the cornea that is peeled back to allow access to the underlying corneal tissue. This can be done using a microkeratome or femtosecond laser. Once the flap has been created, an excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea (correct the refractive error) so it can properly focus light on the retina (the back of the eye). This is the actual vision correction step in the procedure. Once the cornea is reshaped, the flap is put back into place so it can heal. The entire procedure only takes minutes per eye.

Like any surgical procedure, LASIK does carry risks. You should always have an open discussion about all of the risks of LASIK with your surgeon before you make any decisions to move forward with the procedure. You should also remember that even if you have 20/20 vision, it’s still important to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. You’re not a dolphin, after all!

Find out if cheap sunglasses might be in your future. Contact Buckley Chang Eye Institute in Colorado Springs to schedule a LASIK Consultation and see if you’re a good candidate for LASIK. Call 719-444-3000 or visit  buckleychang.com today.

Potential Risks of LASIK Surgery

If you ever have a doctor tell you that there are no potential complications of LASIK, run the other way – and don’t look back! LASIK eye surgery, not unlike any type of surgery, carries with it possible risks. More than 14 million Americans have had LASIK, and if you search hard enough, you will find people who are willing to share their LASIK horror stories.

You may hear of LASIK patients who experienced:

·         Temporary vision problems and discomfort, such as light sensitivity, halos, glare, double vision or hazy vision

·         Corneal flap complications (this is the flap that is created on your cornea to allow the surgeon access to reshape your underlying corneal tissue and correct your refractive error), such as flap wrinkles, irregular healing, inflammation under the flap, epithelial ingrowth

·         Decreased tear production leading to dry eyes

·         Need for glasses after surgery due to incomplete vision correction

·         Eye infection

·         Vision loss

People who do report negative outcomes of LASIK may be the receiving end of:

·         Inferior technologies

·         Inexperienced surgeon

·         Not being a suitable candidate for LASIK in the first place

The fact is that LASIK has an overall excellent safety record and very high success rates for the majority of people who want to reverse their nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Studies in the 1990s showed that up to 5% of people who had laser vision correction had some type of problem; today this percentage is under 1% for serious complications. When you are researching different LASIK providers, be sure to ask them hard questions to find out what their LASIK success rates are. If the surgeon isn’t willing or able to provide you with a satisfactory answer, keep looking.

A LASIK Consultation will provide answers as to your candidacy for this popular procedure. Your eye health and unique vision characteristics may not be suitable for LASIK, and the Consultation is the only way to properly determine this.

Contact Buckley Chang Eye Institute to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. You can find out if your eyes are right for the procedure and have all of your questions answered. Call 719-630-3937  or visit buckleychang.com.