Do It Yourself Lasik Surgery – You Be The Judge

Lasik surgery, the procedure developed by Dr. Lucio Barretto and Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris in 1991 has come a long way. From an expensive, niche eye surgery procedure that used state of the art new technology, it has now become a niche procedure that is easily available to anyone who wants it done. The simplicity and speed with which lasik surgery can be done coupled with the high precision results makes it one of the most sought-after procedures in the world today.

While the popularity has been gaining for lasik surgery, the prices have still been on the higher side, costing more than $1,000 for the procedure to be done on a single eye. This makes it still an expensive proposition, despite the many easy payment options on offer at the different clinics providing the facility. Surgeons and researchers have been constantly working to update the technology to increase the accuracy of functioning, trying and reducing the side effects, and making it generally affordable and available to all.

One such development is the Lasik-at-home system developed by Dr. Amir Khadim, M.D., Ph.D, in 2004. A pioneer in lasik surgery with over 2,000 operations to his credit at the Bennett Eye Care Institute in New York City, Dr. Khadim developed this patented procedure to make lasik surgery as easy to perform as possible.

The USP of the Lasik-at-Home system is that you can use it to do a lasik surgery yourself, in the comfort of your home! This is a big leap over the other conventional lasik procedures, which required a visit to an eye care facility. Lasik-at-Home enables you to perform a lasik procedure yourself by taking out of the equation all the extra equipment that you are confronted with at a specialized facility.

The Lasik-at-Home consists of a hand-operated laser that takes away the necessity of other secondary equipment. It has a combination femtosecond/excimer laser called the Scal-PalTM Scanning Adjusting Laparoscopic Personal Laser. The Scal-Pal is unique to Lasik-at-Home, and is manufactured by Walton Group Manufacturing. Besides this device, the other components of the kit include a mild sedative (usually diazepam 4mg), a protective sleep mask for post-operative use, No-Blink eye drops, and also a detailed Instructions and Quick Start Guide.

This is how the Lasik at Home works. The Scal-PalTM, a combination of two lasers, as mentioned above is the key to the functioning of the Lasik at Home. The femtosecond is laser of Scal-PalTM is used to cut a small flap of the cornea. Once the corneal flap has been cut, the excimer laser is used to vaporize a portion of the lens. There is no damage to the surrounding tissue during the procedure. Your lasik surgery is done, and all it took was a few minutes of your time, at your convenience, in the comfort of your home.

With Lasik-at-Home, you can do the lasik surgery yourself in a few minutes time, in a four-step process. First, you need a quiet place that has no distractions. Once you are settled in this place, open the Lasik-at-Home kit, perform the lasik surgery as per the instructions in the Instruction Guide, and then have clear vision. However, there are few things you need to follow. Most importantly, do not blink during the procedure. Also, do not train the laser unnecessarily on the eye, or attempt to use any other laser than the one that comes with the kit.

This article is for information purposes only and the author does not make recommendations on the use of any product or procedure. As always it is important to thoroughly research any non medically approved procedure and seek the advice of a qualified medical doctor before you use such a device.

Candice Sabrina
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/do-it-yourself-lasik-surgery-you-be-the-judge-103203.html

Which LASIK Surgeon Is Right For You?

Have you determined if you are the right candidate for LASIK laser surgery by considering all the things that can go wrong, and looking at all the available options? If you have, and you still think it is the right thing to do, then the next logical step is to start looking for a LASIK surgeon.

Even though the risks associated with LASIK are relatively smaller than other conventional types of surgery, you should still take researching a LASIK surgeon seriously. Do your homework by compiling a set of criteria and evaluating each surgeon against this set of criteria.

Carefully consider what each LASIK surgeon regard as their procedure of choice. Do they use the traditional LASIK that uses a blade to make the incision or do they prefer “bladeless” InterLase lasers to make all the cuts. Ask them as to what they regard as the most reliable and what they mostly use.

Don’t limit your criteria to cost or experience alone, but look at what you feel most comfortable with. This decision will affect you for the rest of your life, so don’t do something to please anyone.

Be skeptical about claims such as “20/20 vision” or “your money back guarantees.” Once you vision is messed up, no amount of money may be able to restore it. Go as far as checking these doctors against the consumer affairs office or better business bureau to verify that they are in good standing. Know and understand your rights as it relates to surgery and LASIK in general.

Appreciate what can happen during the surgery and ask your potential LASIK surgeon how he/she would deal with a situation that could potentially end a procedure. Mistakes can happen which can lead to your eyes damaged permanently without even a chance to have corrective surgery.

Also ask your LASIK surgeon how he/she would handle the following situations that may come up after surgery. For example:

-the migration of the flap,

-the inflammation or infection,

-intensive eye drop treatments, or

-additional procedures that may be necessary after

the initial surgery.

There is a FDA standard that all LASIK surgeons are held to, which relates to the type of laser used during the surgery. Find out what type of laser your potential LASIK surgeon uses and compare it to the FDA’s approved list.

Jimmy Roos
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/which-lasik-surgeon-is-right-for-you-60251.html

Even A Chicken Can Get Lasik Surgery

If you take the time to read any of the message boards or chat rooms on the Internet about Lasik surgery, you will wonder how anyone could get the courage to schedule a Lasik procedure, and why on earth they would want it. The various Lasik clinics sound anywhere from impersonal to something similar to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, and the Lasik procedure itself sounds, well, surreal. It seems like the only people that would get Lasik are those with such bad vision that they cannot get out of bed without their glasses on.

Well, let me give you my story of how I chose Lasik. First of all, my vision is not good, but not terrible either. I can actually go to movies and see well enough to enjoy the film without glasses, but I need glasses to drive in order to read the street signs far enough away to act on the information. So for me, Lasik was not necessary, but I figured would simplify my life. I am outdoors very frequently, backpacking, climbing hills, and mountain biking. Glasses do not last long with me, and I am frequently grinding into the dirt which is not the best situation for contact lenses. For these reasons, Lasik looked very appealing.

The paragraph above might make you think I am a “manly guy” (hope so, think so!), so why on earth would I be afraid of a little Lasik scalpel? OK, technically Lasik does NOT use a scalpel but rather a “microkeratome blade”, but it is still a sharp object approaching my eye as part of the Lasik procedure. Nowadays Lasik physicians can get a laser to cut the flap in the eye, which is more than a little better than a sharp blade. But anyway, I had too many spills in my life to think any sharp object nearing my eye was a good idea, even under the skilled hands of a Lasik physician.

After talking with three (yes, three!) independent Lasik physicians, they each assured me that a 28 year old guy in nearly perfect health (OK, I exaggerate a bit) with moderate nearsightedness was one of the very best candidates for a successful Lasik procedure. I decided to schedule my Lasik procedure with the one that had the best track record, and coincidentally took the most time to explain everything about Lasik to me.

The Lasik surgery was not painful, though I accepted nearly everything they offered to give me comfort, including a sedative and a teddy bear. (I even went back to take a picture of me and the Lasik comforting teddy bear.) The only strange thing I remember about the Lasik procedure itself was a smell, something vaguely like hair burning. I suppose that was my eye. I am kind of glad they didn’t tell me to expect that before the Lasik procedure, I am not sure I would have gone in.

After a few years, I guess I was a nearly perfect Lasik client, as my eyes now have 20/20 vision and have remained stable long after the Lasik operation. I say that if you are a good candidate for a Lasik vision correction procedure, grab that teddy bear and go on in.

David Riewe
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/even-a-chicken-can-get-lasik-surgery-305721.html

Lasik: Some Facts You Should Know Before You Undergo a Lasik Surgery

Are you someone who is nearsighted or farsighted, have you ever felt the frustration or inconveniency in having to wear glasses or contact lenses? Try LASIK or Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis! LASIK is a surgical procedure that can reduce a person’s dependency on glasses or contact lenses by permanently changing the shape of the cornea (the delicate clear covering on the front of the eye).

            In order for a person to be able to view images clearly, their eye’s cornea and lens must be able to refract light rays properly so that images are focused on the retina. If these light rays aren’t clearly focused on the retina, they will see blurry images. This blurriness is called a “refractive error” and is caused by an imperfect eyeball, cornea or lens. LASIK helps solve this problem by using an Excimer laser which is an ultraviolet laser to precisely remove corneal tissue to correct the shape for better focusing.

            LASIK eye surgery is often performed on people who have nearsightedness or myopia, but is sometimes used to correct farsightedness and astigmatism. By using the Excimer Laser, the technology is able to correct nearsightedness up to 12.00D with -4.00D of astigmatism, and farsightedness from +1.00 to +6.00 with 1.00D of astigmatism. (Diopter, symbol D, is the measurement of the refractive error. A negative D value indicates nearsightedness and a positive D value indicates farsightedness.)

Before having a LASIK eye surgery, a complete eye examination is done to make sure your eyes are healthy. Doctors will then make sure that there are no irregularities that would prevent having a LASIK by measuring the curve of the cornea, the size and position of the pupils and the shape of the eyes. They will also make sure that there will be enough tissue left after the cornea is cut and reshaped by measuring the thickness of the cornea. The surgical procedure takes place within the consciousness of the patient, using only a mild sedative and anesthetic eye drops. The surgical procedure will take only 10 to 15 minutes for each eye and may be done on both eyes during the same session.

But before you think of going for a LASIK eye surgery, there are several things you must consider before undergoing the procedure. First of all you must be at least 18 years old since the vision of people younger than the age of 18 still continues to change. You should also not be pregnant or nursing and not taking certain prescription drugs that may interfere with the laser vision correction results. People with diabetes, rheumatoid, arthritis, lupus, glaucoma, or cataracts are not recommended to undergo the procedure as well. Mind that you should carefully weigh the risks and benefits based on your own personal value system and fully understand all the potential issues and complications.

LASIK is a good solution for people with nearsightedness and farsightedness. Surveys have also determined that most patients are satisfied with the results. You too may be satisfied from the procedure, but this only depends on your expectations and your research on the subject.

Hedin Johan
http://www.articlesbase.com/dental-care-articles/lasik-some-facts-you-should-know-before-you-undergo-a-lasik-surgery-738897.html

Your Medical History May Affect if You’re a Candidate for Lasik

As the most popular form of laser eye surgery available, Lasik has helped millions achieve better vision. Patients who have myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or suffer from astigmatism may be able to reduce the need for corrective eye wear. In many cases, Lasik has eliminated the need for glasses or contacts altogether.

The Quality Standards Advisory Committee reports a 90 percent success rate among patients achieving 20/40 vision or better. 20/20 vision results stand at about 65 percent. Some patients have achieved even better results. Less than three percent of patients experience complications six months following Lasik surgery.

While Lasik has accomplished an astonishing success rate, elements pertaining to medical history can affect individual results. In order to qualify for Lasik, patients are required to complete a medical screening. Your Lasik surgeon will conduct a medical eye exam and an evaluation of your complete medical history.

The Ideal Candidate for Lasik

Like all surgical procedures, Lasik involves a necessary degree of risk. Even the perfect candidate will incur some risk. The ideal candidate for Lasik surgery is at least 18 years old. Patients should also have stable vision, no prescription changes for at least one year.

Your Medical History and Eye Conditions

Eye conditions that affect the healing process can make recovery time longer. Conditions such as dry eyes and inflammation associated with allergies, ocular herpes and viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can cause additional post-operative discomfort. It is best to postpone laser eye surgery until symptoms are at bay. Any injuries to the eye should also be discussed with the doctor.

Certain eye conditions may fully disqualify you for Lasik surgery. Lasik is not appropriate for patients with cataracts, Keratonocus and certain levels of glaucoma. Discuss vision correction alternatives with the laser eye surgeon.

Patients with extreme myopia may not be good candidates for Lasik. Extreme myopia requires a great deal of tissue removal in order to garner any success from the procedure. Patients with corneas that are too thin can also incur additional difficulties. Other refractive surgeries may offer better results for your condition. Discuss alternatives for advanced myopia and hyperopia with your doctor.

Patients with large pupils are also at risk for complications following Lasik surgery. There is an increased risk for developing problems with night vision, such as glare and halos. Wavefront Lasik may be a better alternative for patients with large pupils. The doctor will also need to consider any previous laser eye surgery to determine whether an additional refractive surgery is applicable.

Medical History and Refractive Instability

Refractive instability can be caused by many factors, such as age, pregnancy and nursing, medical conditions and medications. Patients who have diabetes commonly experience fluctuations in vision due to hormonal changes. Additionally, many medications cause refractive instability. Discuss all medications and health conditions that affect vision with your Lasik surgeon.

Health Conditions That Affect Immunity

Health conditions that pose a hindrance on your ability to heal should be thoroughly discussed with the doctor. Diabetes can not only create changes in vision, but also lowers immunity. Other conditions such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, HIV and other immunodeficiency states may create potential difficulties during the recovery process. Certain medications such as steroids and retinoic acids compromise the immune system, as well.

Discuss Your Medical History With the Lasik Surgeon

Keion Moradi
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/your-medical-history-may-affect-if-youre-a-candidate-for-lasik-229553.html

Dr. Teplick is Featured on Oregon News KPTV LASIK Procedure Video

http://www.oregonlaser.com Dr. Teplick performs a LASIK procedure on a Fox News Video for Oregon television. During the procedure, Dr. Teplick walks you through the entire procedure from start to finish. The LASIK operation generally only takes a few minutes and you will be able to see clearly in hardly any time at all.

For more information about laser vision correction procedures, please visit http://www.oregonlaser.com.

You may contact Dr. Stanley Teplick at:

Beaverton Laser Center and Corporate Office
Pacific Place Center
9989 SW Nimbus Ave.
Beaverton, Oregon 97008
Phone: 503-520-0800

Bend Laser Center
143 SW Shevlin Hixon Drive,
Suite 101
Bend, Oregon 97701

Albany Laser Center
2310 14th Ave. SE
Albany, Oregon 97321

Salem Laser Center
3400 State St. SE
Suite G770
Salem, Oregon 97301
Phone: 503-585-6700

Toll Free: 800-422-7014
Website: http://www.oregonlaser.com

Duration : 0:6:3

Technorati Tags: Albany, Beaverton, Bend, correction, Eye, kptv, laser, LASIK, NEWS, Oregon, refractive, Salem, surgeon, surgery, VIDEO, vision

Police Officer Lasik Complication Fox News interview

Police Officer Lasik Complication undergoes lasik complication correction with Dr. Gulani
http://www.gulani.com/Reversal_Of_Refractive_Surgical_Complications

Duration : 0:2:11

Technorati Tags: florida, gulani, jacksonville, LASIK, lasik complication, Police officer

How Does the Cost of Lasik Compare to the Other Lasik Alternatives?

LASIK eye surgery is a great option for many people with imperfect vision. This popular procedure utilizes laser energy to correct the shape of the eye and improve eyesight, often eliminating the need for contacts and glasses. One of the big factors that may affect your decision to get laser eye surgery is the cost? For many people, this option is affordable alternative to some other eye corrective methods. Other people may find the costs of LASIK too prohibitive and may instead opt for a lower-cost option.

Costs of LASIK Surgery

LASIK costs vary significantly from surgeon to surgeon. Factors such as the type of laser procedure, amount of follow-up care and degree of correction needed all play a role in the price of this surgery. New techniques are often more expensive the traditional methods, so it is important to ask plenty of questions before deciding which options are right for your eyes.

Recent statistics suggest that very few procedures cost less than $1,000 per eye. These less expensive surgeries typically use traditional eximer lasers rather than some of the newer techniques. Recent developments use IntraLase and wavefront procedures, which typically cost between $1,000 and $2,500 per eye.

Costs of LASIK Alternatives

For many years, the costs of LASIK grew at a steady rate, but recent trends have seen prices level out at a steady level. Before you decide if this surgery is right for you, consider the costs of the alternatives. The following are a few of the most common vision correction treatments and their typical costs.

• Conductive Keratoplasty (CK): This procedure utilizes radio waves to shrink collagen in the cornea and help those with far-sighted vision improve their eyesight. Typical costs of the procedure range between $1,500 and $2,000 per eye.

• Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK): This procedure was once the most common type of laser eye surgery. Using a traditional eximer laser, the surgeon uses ultraviolet light to reshape the cornea and improve vision. The costs of this procedure are very similar to those of LASIK, ranging between $1,000 and $2,500 per eye.

• Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE): In this procedure, the patient’s natural lens is replaced with an artificial one to correct vision. While this surgery does not have official FDA approval, surgeons are able to perform it as an “off-label” procedure. However, costs are significantly higher, ranging between $2,500 and $4,000 per eye.

Finding the Best Deals on LASIK

You’ve probably seen plenty of ads promising deep discounts on LASIK surgery. How truthful are these ads? While it is possible to get a good deal on the procedure, it is still a fairly complex medical procedure that will carry a fairly significant cost. Always discuss your concerns with your LASIK eye surgeon, who may be able to help you secure financing or work out a payment plan that is appropriate for you.

Kendra Wagner
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-does-the-cost-of-lasik-compare-to-the-other-lasik-alternatives-205322.html

Research a Lasik Institute Thoroughly – Lasik Institute

The Lasik eye surgery was first executed in 1991 in the United States and since then it has become very popular. What necessary research should a person undertake in order to have a safe and a successful Lasik surgery? First and chief, one should realize that all Lasik centers are not of the same standard. To ensure that one has a comfortable and but a surgical hub where the Lasik surgeries are executed. These Lasik institutes are set up at many places or centers around the world. Right from small private a successful operation, it is requisite to find a reputed Lasik institute that offers the patients all the state-of-the-art technological trials, equipments and a good patient care unit.

A Lasik institute is nothing health center to large centers in cities that are globally connected, Lasik institutes are easy to find. However, searching a reputable Lasik institute requires fortitude and patience. Lasik cost comes to around $ 1,500 per eye.

Lasik works to accurate light refraction in the eyes. In a normal eye, light is captured by the lens of our eye that is, the segment of our eye positioned directly behind the iris. The light is then refracted from the lens to the retina which is at the back of an eye. The retina takes those refracted light rays and renovates them to signals that are sent to the optic nerve in the form of visual images. However due to illness, heredity, injury or aging our eyes experience refractive difficulties and this is what is termed as nearsightedness or farsightedness. Because the light is not refracted properly, the optic nerve accepts a signal of a blurry image. At a Lasik institute, a skilled surgeon makes corrections to the way in which our eyes refract light by resurfacing the cornea which is done with laser technology allowing crisper, cleaner light refraction and better vision.

Surgeons who are vastly qualified with Lasik technology are employed in good Lasik institutes and hence they should be considered while performing custom Lasik surgeries. Try to collect commendation from people who have done Lasik surgeries ad they are the people who had hands-on experience. Internet can also help in conducting follow a line of investigation about good Lasik institutes. A Lasik institute is however only as good as the surgeons who work there.

Arvind
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/research-a-lasik-institute-thoroughly-lasik-institute-215829.html

LASIK-Dr. Christenbury in the news on “Health Wise”-Charlotte North Carolina

Dr. Christenbury on North Carolina’s “Health Wise” television program discusses LASIK and it’s technologies.

Duration : 0:6:41

Technorati Tags: Christenbury, ilasik, IntraLASIK, LASIK, wavefront