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People use glasses and contact lenses for eyes. It will not be long before our children talk like this seeing the growing popularity and success of Lasik surgery. LASIK, Laser assisted in situ Keratomileusis, is basically done to correct conditions like hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism thereby reducing the dependency on glasses and contact lens.
Lasik centre is the place where refractive eye surgeries are being conducted by a team of expert ophthalmologists to correct eye diseases or problems. A Lasik centre counsels the patient on his eye condition, explains the procedure of Lasik, the benefits and risks involved in the surgery so that the patient can take a informed decision. There is a lot of world class state of the art Lasik centres on the world. The cost of setting up a world class Lasik centre can be anywhere between two to four crores.
There is another way of refractive correction, which is PRK, photorefractive keratectomy. But as it takes more time to heal, thereby inflicting more pain to the patient, Lasik is preferred to PRK. Teenagers are not operated by Lasik as the eyes are not settled. The patients are advised not to wear contact lenses at least 15 days before the Lasik as it may change the shape of the cornea.
Lasik centres advertise in different media like newspapers, television, yellow pages and web sites. But a patient is advised to take in factors like reputation of the Lasik centre, association of the Lasik surgeon with academic centers and his experience in handling latest procedures and technology.
Lasik cost may be anywhere in the range of 25,000 to 35,000 depending on the Lasik centre, surgeon and disease condition. The patient is awake and mobile during the operation, the duration of which is nearly 30 minutes. In Lasik, a metal blade called microkeratome, is used to create the flap of cornea, thereby revealing the stroma. Then, excimer laser is used to vaporize the tissue in a controlled manner thereby remodeling the corneal stroma.
A course of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops is usually prescribed after the operation. Dark goggles are given to prevent direct exposure to bright light. But the procedure also has some risks or complications. One of the most common post Lasik complications is Sub conjunctival haemorrhage, which can be corrected by drugs. Some of the other complications reported frequently are: Sensitivity to light, dry eyes, wrinkles in flap, double vision, debris under flap, erosion of epithelium. But around 92-98% of patients are satisfied with Lasik.