Does Age Matter? Correcting Your Vision With LASIK Eye Surgery

It's true that LASIK can eliminate a person's dependency on eyeglasses and contact lenses. It can correct a variety of refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. However, LASIK surgery is not for everyone. There are certain conditions that might preclude LASIK in case of a particular patient. Age is one such factor taken into account when determining whether a patient is a viable LASIK candidate or not.

It is a known fact that people experience a constant change in vision throughout adolescence and sometimes well until the mid to late 20s. That is, the refraction stabilizes typically around the age of 18. For myopic people, the benchmark is somewhere between the mid to late 20s. Undergoing LASIK prior to that age is nothing but a futile attempt to achieve enhanced visual acuity, since the patient will nevertheless require another surgery when the prescription stabilizes.

Lasik Surgery Cost

A preoperative examination conducted prior to the age of 18 might result in incorrect measurements, and consequently, an appropriate correction via LASIK. Patients suffering from a higher degree of myopia or astigmatism should defer the surgery a wee bit longer than others - normally until the age of 21 or so. In essence, you must have had a stable prescription for at least two years, and then only you should plan to undergo LASIK surgery. If you wish to go for custom LASIK, the minimum age is the same as that for conventional LASIK.

There is no upper age limit for LASIK surgery. Even a 50 or 60 year old person may opt for LASIK. The point is that LASIK can very well correct the refractive error of a myopic patient at any stage of the patient's life, provided the patient's eyes are otherwise healthy. That is, LASIK will impart clear distant vision to any person irrespective of the age. However, age related deterioration of the vision may still occur. For instance, almost every person suffers from presbyopia (or short arm syndrome) beyond the age of 40. Presbyopia entails the loss of accommodation power of the lens. Hence, people typically require reading glasses after the age of 40.

If you find a LASIK surgeon that you are confident about you will be able to find more information about LASIK laser eye surgery.

Does Age Matter? Correcting Your Vision With LASIK Eye Surgery

The LASIK Surgeons Directory - find a LASIK surgeon [http://www.find-lasik-surgeon.com]. Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news and views about LASIK laser eye surgery at Your Lasik Information.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Your-LASIK.info

Eye Care After Cataract Surgery and Lens Implants

Cataract surgery -- the most performed surgery in the world -- has improved markedly. This surgery has a success rate of more than 97 percent. Still, you need to take good care of your eye or eyes after surgery. The first step is putting in eye drops to prevent infection and control eye pressure.

Your eye or eyes will react to the surgery in several ways. You may have a stinging sensation, an itching sensation, a gritty feeling (your eye feels like there is sand in it), sensitivity to sunlight and bright lights. A Mayo Clinic website article, "Cataract Surgery: What You Can Expect," describes surgery and aftercare. Do not rub your eye or press on it, warns Mayo. You may have a discharge in the corners of your eyes. To remove the discharge wipe your eye gently with a warm wash cloth. Hold the cloth over your eye gently and do not make any pointing motions.

Lasik Surgery Cost

The Cataract Surgery website, in the article "Life After Cataracts: Cataract Surgery Recover Basics," tells patients to take prescribed medicine exactly as the doctor recommended. You can take showers after cataract surgery, the site notes, but keep your eye closed. I had cataract surgery on both eyes and lens implanted in both eyes. When I showered I kept a dry towel close at hand in case I got water or soap in my eyes.

Though my recovery was normal, I had a problem with dry eyes. I have acne rosacea and dry, gritty eyes are a symptom of it. This dryness, combined with the natural itching after cataract surgery, was bothersome, so I used artificial tears several times a day. My eye doctor approved the use of artificial tears, but said I should never use the type that gets the red out.

I also had an odd experience after my second cataract surgery and lens implant. One day, when I was in a hurry, I yanked a t-shirt over my head. I did not know the neck of the t-shit had shrunk, and it scraped against my eyes as I pulled it over my head. Thankfully, my eyes were not hurt. Though I still wear the t-shirt, I stretch the neck a bit before putting it on.

Have you heard of defensive driving? Well, you need to practice defensive living after cataract surgery and a lens implant. Guard your eyes at all times. I found this out after my husband turned over in his sleep, swung his arm over, and barely missed my eye.

Before the surgery I wore prescription sunglasses. Now I do not need them and bought a pair of over-the-counter sunglasses for every day wear. However, I have prescription eye glasses for reading. You can help your eye doctor get the best outcome from cataract surgery and a lens implant by practicing defensive living, using artificial tears if approved, taking your prescribed medicine, and putting in eye drops on schedule.

Today, I have 20/20 in both eyes and the world is a colorful place again. "Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful," Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "for beauty is God's handwriting." God's handwriting has never looked more beautiful.

Copyright 2009 by Harriet Hodgson

Eye Care After Cataract Surgery and Lens Implants

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30 years. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Association of Health Care Journalists, and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska has published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life." The company has also published a companion resource, the "Writing to Recover Journal," which contains 100 writing prompts.

Please visit Harriet's website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

BestBuyEyeGlasses Review

Got a nice pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Since I got them from a website (BestBuyEyeGlasses.com) and at half the price I would get them in the store: I expected the worst and hoped for the best. I can't say I was disappointed. My buddy and I checked out the Ray-Ban website to verify the glasses were legit and they were. Thanks for the half priced sunglasses.

But my friend had a different experience, and he said this to me. I ordered some Diesel Cobrettis for 0 off retail. I can't say I'm impressed, even though my glasses have finally arrived after two weeks. You know, it's great that they offer free shipping, but I would rather pay extra and get them in a reasonable amount of time. I was so peeved I had to wait nearly two weeks to show them off at the beach.

Lasik Surgery Cost

So I finally got my MMJ's. What can I say? Shipping was 4 days. Price was half what they are at the mall and...surprisingly they're the real thing. I ordered a pair of Vogue VO sunglasses three weeks ago. I finally call them and ask where my sunglasses are, then they feed me some line about my credit card company. Apparently my credit card company saw too many charges made online in a 24 hour period and stopped all charges. Lets forget that the credit card company couldn't be bothered calling me to tell me about this.

Lovin' my Bolle Sport Cruise shades. I would be lying if I said I wasn't the coolest dude in the room wherever I go. One thing that was a bit of a bummer was that most of your designer glasses are like 50% off, but I only saved not quite on my Bolles. Don't get excited though, the BestBuyEyeGlasses.com is still cool in my book and the Bolle Sports are the coolest shades on the planet.

Ordering Process
Now that you've heard about some of my experiences, take a quick look at what you'll need when you place your order.

1) Pick your brand.
2) Choose desired coating I.e., anti scratch, UV guard, etc.
3) Prescription -- if applicable.
4) Choose any desired accessories I.e., cases, cleaning wipes, etc.

BestBuyEyeGlasses Review

Read a more in-depth BestBuyEyeGlasses review plus many other beauty reviews.

Top 4 Disadvantages of Lasik Eye Surgery

In previous articles, I have written about the advantages of Lasik over other forms of eye surgery. But as with everything else in the field of medicine, there are some disadvantages as well. Here are the top four disadvantages of Lasik surgery:

1. Repeat Surgeries

Lasik Surgery Cost

This could be viewed as both a pro and a con to having Lasik. This type of eye surgery doesn't always produce the optimum level of vision correction on the first attempt. So additional follow-up procedures may be necessary to further improve the patient's vision. That's the down side. The up side is the very fact that patients may undergo repeat treatments for even better vision. Of course, with each additional procedure, there is an extra medical bill as well.

2. A Lot of Aftercare

After a Lasik procedure, a patient will have to follow a regimen of medicine usage, as well as close monitoring by the eye surgeon. In some cases, this aftercare process can go on for several months. While this post-Lasik treatment can certainly be inconvenient, most patients view it as a small price to pay for better vision.

3. Potential Halos and Glares

In some cases, patients of Lasik surgery experience glare or halos around objects, especially at night and in the days immediately following your procedure. The most common reason for this is a corneal flap that did not adhere correctly after it was replaced by the surgeon. In most cases, halos and glares will subside within the first month after surgery. In other cases, additional treatment is needed to correct the problem.

4. Not Always Covered by Insurance

Insurance companies are seemingly random when it comes to Lasik eye surgery. For everyone company that covers the procedure, there's another company that does not. Some insurance providers consider Lasik to be an elective surgery that is not necessary (since the vision problem can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses). If the provider does not cover the surgery, then the patient must either pay out of pocket or switch insurance companies altogether.

All surgeries have their pros and cons, and Lasik eye surgery is no different. If you are considering this type of procedure, there are several key actions you should take. Educate yourself about the process, ask your surgeon plenty of questions, talks to your insurance company about coverage and, ultimately, make a well-informed decision.

Top 4 Disadvantages of Lasik Eye Surgery

Brandon Cornett is the publisher of LasikLearning.com, an educational website with information on Denver Lasik surgery and other U.S. cities as well. Learn more by visiting http://www.Lasiklearning.com