Are you considering laser eye surgery? It's a common procedure that can help correct vision problems and improve your quality of life. But how long does it take? In this article, we'll provide a comprehensive guide to laser eye surgery, including how long it takes and what to expect during the procedure. During the procedure, you'll lie on your back in a reclining chair. You may be given medicine to help you relax.
After placing anesthetic drops in your eye, your doctor will use an instrument to keep your eyelids open. At Cathedral Eye Clinic, patients often ask us how long they can expect the results of their laser eye surgery to last. It's a common misconception that the effects of Lasik surgery only last a few years. However, this form of laser eye surgery permanently corrects your vision.
This is achieved by using a laser or a combination of lasers to reshape and alter the cornea of the eye, addressing any abnormalities that may be present. It's important to note that any corneal imperfection that causes conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism will be effectively eliminated by laser eye surgery. However, this procedure won't protect your eyes from the natural aging process. Your eyes will continue to be subject to change, which means that degenerative visual disorders can still develop due to age (such as presbyopia or cataracts).
In either case, your vision will never return to the way it was before your Lasik procedure. In some cases, improvement treatment with Lasik may be required if the previous surgery was unsuccessful or if your vision undergoes significant changes over time. Fortunately, the likelihood that a patient will have to receive Lasik augmentation treatment is extremely low. Research published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology found that only 1-2% of patients require surgery in the first 12 months after the original procedure.
This figure decreases (to 1% per year) as the patient's eye continues to develop throughout his life. Undergoing LASIK eye laser treatment won't affect your eligibility for other treatments in the future (these treatments include corneal implants and lens replacement surgery). As mentioned above, any corrections that are made to your vision after laser eye surgery will be permanent. You might think you don't have time for laser eye surgery if you're a parent, young professional, athlete in training, or always on the road working.
But the good news is that you can have laser eye surgery and get back to driving to carpool, get on a plane for that business trip, work out, or just show up for work when needed the next day. The consultation period is usually the longest period of time you'll ever have to spend undergoing laser eye surgery. Your doctor may use a laser keratoma (a laser device), instead of a mechanical microkeratoma, to cut a flap in the cornea. To help prevent infection, you may need to wait up to two weeks after surgery or until your doctor tells you otherwise before using lotions, creams, or makeup around your eyes. Laser eye surgery is an effective way to improve vision and enhance quality of life. If you're considering this procedure, it's important to understand how long it takes and what you can expect during and after the procedure.
