1Laser Eye Surgery
By Jessica Worthington
Research Question:
What is Laser Eye Surgery, and what are the effects on the eye?
A Brief Description:
Eye laser surgery has been continually perfected over the last several years, bringing forth great relief to those visually impaired. The surgery, with a low risk percentage, can cost anywhere from $800 to $3,000 per eye. Although the price does seem steep for a surgery that only lasts between 15-30 minutes, it doesn't seem to matter to those expected 2.3 million people who will have the surgery next year.
History Timeline:
Background Information:
The eye is very similar to a camera, in that it works by focusing light. When you cannot focus it well, you must then get refractive lenses (glasses or contacts), or even have laser surgery performed. As light enters the eye, it first passes through the cornea. The light then travels through the lens where it is focused properly on the retina in the back of the eye. Finally, the image is sent to the brain by the optic nerve. This is a very intricate process, and so if the light does not focus percisely onto the retina of the eye, the image appears blurred.
Pre-Surgery:
Before the surgery begins, you should do a baseline checkup
with your doctor to make sure that you are a good candidate for the procedure.
At this appointment, be sure to discuss with your doctor any current eye
problems and about any medications you may be taking. A day before the surgery
you should stop wearing makeup, perfumes, lotion, or creams. The residue
from these could cause an infection post-surgery.
During the Surgery:
The first thing that the doctor will do is place eye drops
in your eyes to numb them. Next, an eye lid speculum will be used to hold
your eyelids open. A ring will be place, which creates a suction to the
cornea. (see first picture below) Then the doctor will cut the flap in your
cornea. This flap is then pulled back and the tissue of the eye is exposed.
The medical examiner will then ask you to stare at a light. It is at that
time that the laser will come on, and begin it's work. Lasers may vary depending
on the institute you decide to use. For instance, at the Lexington Eye Institute
in Canada, they use fourth generation lasers. The Chiron 217C laser has
a wavelength on 193nm. The benefits of this technology is fast visual recovery
and a higher chance of a successful recovery. Using this particular laser
is beneficial during the surgery because if during the surgery, if the patient
moves their eye then the laser has a quick enough reaction time to turn
on and off if not pointed in the correct spot on the eye. Finally the flap
is placed back to it's original position. The total surgery time is between
fifteen to thirty minutes.
1
2Post-Surgery:
Once the surgery is over, you will not feel immediately better. In fact, for several days afterwards you vision will most likely be blurry, and your eye will experience discomfort or pain. You can take mild pain relievers, as necessary. For the first couple of days, you need to stay inactive, due to the fact that sudden movements could cause the flap to disconnect. The average amount of time it takes for the eye to completely heal is three to six months.
Interviews:
Elizabeth
Clinical Counselor
Lexington Eye Institute
Question 1: Approimentaly what is the cost?
Answer 1: For both eyes it's $1,275. This includes both pre and post surgery care, the surgery itself, medications, a follow up check with a doctor in your area, and finally a pair of sunglasses. Additional costs would be if you were from out of town, many choose to stay a night in the hotel a jointed to the hospital.
Question 2: What are the immediate effects on the eye?
Answer 2: While the surgery is taking place your eye feels irritated and similar to sandpaper. A couple of hours later the irritation continues as the numbing eye drops wear off. Finally, it takes a few weeks for the eye to completely heal.
Mike Worthington
Past Patient
Question 1: What was your vision prior to the surgery?
Answer 1: 20/400 (very bad!)
Question 2: After the surgery?
Answer 2: Right eye - 20/25 Left eye - 20/20
Question 3: Did you feel any side effects afterwards?
Answer 3: None
Question 4: How did it feel during the surgery?
Answer 4: I didn't feel anything during the surgery because of the eye drops, but I could smell the burning of the laser.
Question 5: How did it feel the week after?
Answer 5: I felt mild irritation.
Risks:
There are no guarantees that this surgery will be a success. In fact, there are many risks involved. Here are some of the negative possible outcomes.
Besides these several risks from the surgery, there may also be other personal discomforts. For instance, you may still have to wear reading glasses after the surgery. This bothers some patients, but for others they are happy to not have to wear them all the time. Also, if you are having both eyes done, but at separate times, be aware that they two eyes may not work together as you are in between surgery times, and while they are at different healing stages post-surgeries.
Conclusion:
Overall I think that this procedure is only the first in many to come in improving the health of human beings. I myself have had several family members and even a neighbor complete this surgery, and all have had tremendous success with no side effects to date. I myself would even contemplate having this surgery if I had poor vision, as I know that sight is one of the precious senses we have. While I didn't conduct an experiment for this project, there are still some errors that may have taken place. For instance, because this is a fairly new piece of technology, most of the information I gathered came from webpages, which may be false. Most of the information I found was consistent, however there are many bed webpages on the internet these days. Also, if I could do this project again, I would have tried to do the interview first, so that I could have fully understood the process of the surgery before I started my research. Also, Will Vision and Laser Center in Portland do seminars, and sometimes even do the surgery in front of you during these seminars. That would have been awesome to include in this report, had I know about prior to 3 days before the due date.
Bibliography:
http://search.excite.com/search.gw?c=spider.mial&search=laser+eye+surgery&onload=&lk=apple
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/12/01/lasik
http://www.fda.gov/features/1998/498_eye.html
Interview at Lexington Eye Institute
Interview with father