Laser surgery myths and facts

It is often hard to figure out where one should turn for info about vision correction eye surgery in Sydney. One section of the society that is to be blamed for numerous rumors and myths floating in the market these days is media which has often found itself guilty of circulating conflicting stories that often adds to the confusion that people already have in mind about these kinds of treatments. And these confusions have given rise to a lot of misconceptions. Here we will make an attempt to address some of these myths about vision correction surgeries.

When it comes to myths, the first and perhaps the most rampant is that laser eye treatments are not real surgeries, which is the reason why many people do not treat it as such. However, you should and must treat it as any other kind of surgery. Of course, the procedure is not as risky or dangerous as some of the other surgical procedures but that does not mean you need to take it complacently as doing so can prove harmful for you both in the short and long run. The risks associated with this procedure are moderate but that does not mean that they can be ignored. However, there have been a few clinical studies which have indicated that the chances of any vision related complication through this kind of surgery are extremely low, if not rare.

Another similar myth is that this vision correction eye surgery can lead to some complications such as night glare and dry eyes. Many people therefore do not go for this surgery due to fears they have in mind regarding such complications. But the fact remains that this is not true at all because as mentioned earlier, the complications related to this surgery are very rare. Moreover, if you do happen to experience some kind of problem after the surgery, then they can easily be treated with some treatments or medical care. As far as complications are concerned, some of the most common ones are glares and dry eyes which are moderate in nature. Most of these side effects last no more than 4 to 6 months time period even without any special kind of medical attention, which in itself is a relieving factor.
So get rid of these baseless misconceptions from your mind and approach this vision correction surgery with confidence as it will help you live a life without glasses and contact lenses.

A brief intro of PRK treatment

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) is one of the oldest yet among the most effective vision correction treatment on offer. Numerous people in Sydney and other parts of the globe have benefited a great deal through this refractive surgery. This advanced surgery can correct a wide range of vision related problems such as myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism among others. What might come as a bit surprising for you is the fact that PRK treatment happens to be the first laser eye surgery treatment on offer, which is the reason why it is being termed as the predecessor to the now popular LASIK procedure which millions of people are opting for to restore their normal vision in a painless manner. Although the people who go for PRK treatment take longer to recover or heal when compared to LASIK surgery patients, there are still many reason why people go for the former due to some of the important benefits it offers to patients.

The basic functioning of PRK treatment is very much similar to that LASIK and other laser eye surgeries on offer. Like other laser eye surgeries, it provides results by reshaping the cornea. Anexcimer lasers are used for this procedure. Proper passage of light through the lens of the eye to reach retina is important for clear vision.
One of the major differences between PRK and LASIK treatment is that LASIK createsa very thin and hinged flap on the cornea of the eye to enter and treat the problematic area. PRK, on the other hand, works by removing the epithelial or upper most layer of the cornea so as to expose the area underneath. Also, no such flap is created as is the case with LASIK surgery. The next step of the process is very similar for both the surgeries as they utilize excimer laser to reshape the stromal layer of the cornea to correct certain vision related problems and restore normal eyesight.

Another variation of PRK treatment is also on offer in Sydney and other major cities of the world these days. This variation is called LASEK. In this procedure, epithelial layer of the cornea is lifted instead of being removed as is the case with PRK treatment. A surgical instrument called trephine is used for this purpose. Once the procedure is completed, this layer can then be replaced on the eye’s surface. It has emerged as a better alternative to PRK due to the fact that it requires lesser downtime.

3 common myths related to cataract

Cataract happens to be one of the most common eye related disorder which can pretty easily be corrected these days. The reason behind this disorder is actually the building up and coagulation of protein as well as dead cells in front of the lens of the eye, which in turn results in blurry and cloudy vision, thus hampering the day to day activities of the person suffering from this sort of problem. However, it is quite unfortunate that despite huge sources of information being available related to this disorder and its treatments on offer, many people in places like Sydney do live with inaccurate information, which in turn adds to their confusions and fears regarding it. Here are some of these myths about cataract and cataract surgery which are being uncovered through this short piece of article:

  Myth 1: Cataract gets complicated if you put a lot of stress to your eyes
Fact: There is absolutely no relation between formation of cataract and straining of your eyes. As mentioned earlier, cataract results because of the deposition of protein and dead cells in the lens of the eye over a period of time. In some cases, they can also be a result of trauma caused to the eyes or some form of disease but straining of eyes or reading fine print is not going to cause cataract. In fact, there have been cases where infants have been born with cataract.

  Myth 2: Cataract happens only at old age
Fact: While it is true that majority of cataract related cases are reported in people who are above 65 years of age, but that does not mean at all that younger people cannot develop it. The reason why it is seen mostly in older people is because it gets formed over a period of time. However, younger people can also suffer from it due to certain eye related injury. In addition, excessive smoking or high blood pressures have been some of the health related problems that have been linked to cataracts. And congenital cataracts have also been seen in newborns. So there is no upper or lower age limit to this condition.

 Myth 3:Cataract surgery is dangerous
Fact: You would be rather surprised to know that cataract surgery happens to be one of the safest surgeries in the medical field. It has almost achieved perfection over a period of time.

Common concerns related to eye surgery

One of the most irritating tasks that people with vision related problems face is to clean their contact lenses on a regular basis and driving in a winter morning with fogged up glasses. These are some of the important reasons why a lot of people, especially in Sydney, are being towards the option of laser eye surgery. However, the moment people hear the word ‘laser,’ they automatically get thrown into the world of those sci-fi movies where red colored laser lights prove to be so very dangerous for all those people who come in contact with it. They either get blown up or lose the part of the body which comes into contact with these lasers. But there is absolutely no reason for you to be afraid of laser eye surgery because of the simple reason that the advanced laser machines being used for laser surgeries achieve their objective without causing any sort of harm to the patient’s eyes.

It can now be safely assumed that the pace at human race is progressing, it has easily outpaced its very own evolution. Although it is going to take quite a few centuries before our eyesight gets evolved with time, the advancement the field of eye surgery has made in the past couple of decades has ensured that most of the vision related complications can now easily be treated within minutes with the help of this surgery.
There are some highly advanced eye care clinics in Sydney with state of the art infrastructure. These types of clinics are making use of the latest and the most advanced laser treatments to treat a variety of eye related problems such as myopia, hypermetropia and presbyopia. You can, therefore, get this treatment done to treat your ageing vision and restore your perfect vision with ease.

There are some people who do not opt for such types of eye surgeries because of the belief that the results of these procedures are not going to be permanent. However, this is a huge misconception. The simple fact is that the results of this surgery prove to be permanent in almost all cases. Although you might experience some minor changes in vision after a certain period of time, but those changes will be due to ageing. So you need not worry about going for multiple eye surgeries over a period of time as the results are very much likely to remain with you the rest of your life.

Different types of eye specialists

When people develop some sort of eye related complication such as poor eyesight, astigmatism or some serious infection in their eyes, the first thing that comes to their mind is to find a good eye specialist in Sydney or their town of residence. After all, they are left with no other choice in such cases as only an eye specialist can treat such conditions. However, it is equally important for you to make the right choice while hunting for eye specialists in your area. This is because of the simple reason that your eyes happen to be one of the best gifts nature has given to you. Without proper eyesight, you will not at all be able to perform daily chores and enjoy the human life. Therefore, any problem related to eye should be taken seriously and only the best physicians or specialists should be consulted for the treatment of such problems.
So the question that comes to mind is what steps should be taken to pick the right optician or eye specialist in Sydney?

The first thing that you need to understand is the simple fact that your choice of optician would depend a great deal on the type of problem you have. For instance, if you have developed some sort of vision related problem such as myopia or hypermetropia, you will have to seek the services of an eye specialist. In other cases, even an optometrist could prove to be a good option for the treatment of such problems. What you, therefore, need to understand is that there exist a lot of specialties within the field of optometry.

Ophthalmologist, for instance, is a type of eye doctor who specializes in advanced eye surgeries and medical procedures. So if you have suffered from some sort of an eye injury, eye disease or certain type of eye related problem that can only be treated with a surgery, then ophthalmologists should be your first choice. Such eye care professionals usually have an M.D. or D.O. degree. These professionals have to undergo a specialized training which lasts for a period of around 4 years.
Another specialization exists in the form of optometrists. These are those eye doctors who hold an OD degree, which comes down to Doctor of Optometry. These eye care professionals specialize in diagnosing and treating some of the more common eye related problems such as myopia, astigmatism, hyper-metropia, cataract, etc.

PRK Treatment in Sydney

A type of refractive surgery bases of laser technique which is performed by expert-eye-surgeons to correct types of refractive errors is known as PRK. PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy. And it is performed to treat or correct refractive errors of myopia (also known as nearsightedness), hyperopia (also known as farsightedness) and astigmatism. It, is one of the commonly performed surgeries, offers advantages over LASIK for some patients. Almost all types of laser eye surgeries or refractive error correction surgeries work by reshaping the cornea. PRK is also work by reshaping the cornea by using an excimer laser which allows light to enter the eye to be properly focused onto the retina for clear vision.

Let’s understand the difference between PRK surgery and LASIK surgery. Actually in LASIK surgery procedure a thin, hinged flap is created on the cornea to access the treatment area. On the other hand, in PRK surgery procedure the cornea’s entire epithelial layer which is an outer layer is removed to expose the area and no flap is created. In PRK surgery, procedure a corneal flap, which contains both epithelial and the deeper stromal tissues, is not created that is why the entire thickness of the underlying stroma is available for treatment. But, for both the procedures, PRK and LASIK, the excimer laser then sculpts the stromal layer of the cornea to correct refractive error.

In Sydney, PRK procedure is performed by highly experienced eye-surgeon. Procedure involves; an eye surgeon removes a central area of corneal epithelium with an alcohol solution, a “buffing” device or a blunt surgical instrument. Then, an excimer laser is used to precisely reshape the curvature of patient’s cornea’s surface. Computer-controlled highly specialized laser delivers pulses of cool ultraviolet light that remove microscopic amounts of tissue in a precise pattern.

Then, a soft contact lens or bandage is placed on the cornea. This helps in to protect patient’s eye. Typically within a week’s time, new epithelial cells grow back post which the bandage contact lens is removed by eye-surgeon or eye-doctor. People gather more necessary details regarding eye-clinic-center in Sydney, expert eye-surgeons, variety of laser eye correction surgeries and other treatment procedures offered by them and about the cost of the services.

Laser vision correction surgery

Laser Eye Surgeries have become very popular. These procedures have proved their effectiveness and efficiency by showing great and successful result rate. The surgery is performed for patients suffering from different eye problems such as refractive errors, or disease etc. The procedures are performed by expert-eye-surgeons. Patient will meet with an eye surgeon for a consultation-session before laser eye surgery. Patient’s responsibility is to openly share each and every important detail related to health condition, medical background and about the eye-problem. Expert will listen, understand what patient shares. Expert will conduct some examinations and eye-tests.

For your information, the initial examinations and tests include measuring corneal thickness, refraction, corneal mapping, air pressure, and pupil dilation. And after evaluating all information, reports etc expert will decide whether a patient is a good laser eye surgery candidate and which type of laser technique based procedure will be best suited to patient’s condition. Then, an eye-surgeon will schedule an appointment for the procedure. Some precautions are to be followed by patient going under the laser vision correction surgery. These precautions are categorized as before, after precautions. If a person (going under surgery) wears rigid gas permeable contact lenses, he/she should not wearing them for at least three weeks before evaluation.

And people who wear eyeglasses, they need to make sure to bring their eyeglasses to the surgeon so that their prescription can be reviewed by the expert. During the NASA approved laser eye surgery procedure, eye surgeon uses an instrument called a microkeratome or femtosecond laser to create a thin flap in the cornea. The cornea is then folded back and the underlying corneal tissue is reshaped using another laser. After reshaping the cornea, which is done so that it can properly focus light onto the retina, the flap is put back in place and the surgery is complete. In the beginning of the surgery, expert will give patient a local anesthesia in the form of eye drops. These drops will numb the eyes so that the minimal discomfort can be eliminated too. Many Eye-Care-Clinics and expert eye-surgeons are available. Experts performed variety of laser eye surgeries for patients suffering from different types of refractive-eye-errors. Important is to make sure selecting best and highly qualified eye-surgeon to get the surgery done.

Myopia Laser Surgery Treatment in Sydney

Myopia is a type of eye-refractive-error. It is also known as (commonly known as) Nearsightedness. It affects a significant number of people. Some people suffer from this refractive-error due to ageing, some have it by birth (genetic or due to family history). Reasons may vary but this eye disorder is easily corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Use of contact lenses and eyeglasses is a matter of discomfort for many. So there is a surgery procedure. A laser technique based eye-treatment is performed by expert-eye-doctors (eye-surgeons) in Sydney.

This surgery helps people having nearsightedness. Those have myopia actually have difficulty seeing distant objects. They can clearly see objects that are near but they find difficulty in seeing objects that are distant. This condition or vision-problem is caused when the eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature, so the light entering the eye is not focused correctly. Images focus in front of the retina, the light-sensitive part of the eye, rather than directly on the retina, causing blurred vision. There are some symptoms of this refractive-error. People with nearsighted often complain of headaches, eyestrain, squinting, or fatigue when driving, playing sports, or looking more than a few feet away. And, kids or children commonly complain of not being able to see the board at school. If you have any of such symptoms, or child does complain the same, it is call that you immediately go to visit eye-doctor. There are standard eye exams done to diagnose Nearsightedness.

Myopia treatment or a refractive laser surgery corrects refractive-error and can reduce or even eliminate dependence on glasses or contact lenses. There are different types of laser vision correction procedure such as Photorefractive keratectomy (also called PRK) and Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (also known as LASIK). PRK is a type of laser eye surgery performed using a laser to remove a layer of corneal tissue. That flattens the corneal curvature and allows light rays to focus closer to or even on the retina. And in LASIK procedure eye-surgeon uses a mechanical instrument to cut a thin flap through the top of the cornea. Then an excimer laser is used to sculpt the exposed corneal tissue, and the flap is dropped back into place. In Sydney, you can find out eye-care-clinic where expert eye-surgeons offer range of laser-eye-surgery-treatments.

Laser Eye Surgery in Sydney

Type of laser eye surgery commonly known as LASIK is a short form for Laser in-situ keratomileusis. It is a type of laser surgery which is performed to correct refractive errors in eye. This surgery procedure is becoming popular among people, day by day. The type of refractive errors that people suffer from and face problem of incorrect vision is corrected by using this laser based technique. This treatment is done to correct vision in people who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. There are several types of laser eye surgery, also known as refractive correction surgery. And all these laser vision correction surgeries work by reshaping the cornea. Cornea is the clear front part of the eye. And the reshaping of cornea is necessary so that light traveling through it is properly focused onto the retina located in the back of the eye. The laser based surgery for eye becoming popular because of its several benefits and advantages. Let’s understand them one by one, in brief:

• The most important advantage is its main aim which is to correct eye-vision or refractive error. This surgery actually works by correcting vision. And highest percentage of patients has achieved the desire result, their desired vision after LASIK.

• Another important benefit if that the procedure is associated with very little pain as numbing eye-drops are used.

• And, if we talk about result than the vision is corrected nearly immediately or by the day after the procedure.

• The procedure is associated with no use of bandages or no stitches are required.

• Another important advantage is that the adjustments can be made years after LASIK in order to further correct vision if vision changes while patient ages.

• This procedure also helps in eliminating use of eyeglass or contact lens. Many patients have got such a result where they no longer need eyeglass or contact lens at all.

The laser eye surgery is performed by expert-eye-surgeons in Sydney. Before they suggest or start any such laser eye treatment, they conduct a session with patients to consult about patient’s health conditions and medical background. This is done to make sure the procedure is suitable and a patient is a good candidate to go under the surgery. Consultation session help experts to evaluate important points related to patient’s health and medical conditions so that complications and risks can be minimized or rather eliminated completely.