If you are an eyeglass or contact lens wearer, you might be considering Lasik treatment to correct your vision. Lasik surgery will reshape the cornea. If you are wondering what the cornea is, it is the round dome in front of your eye. Here are some points to contemplate before you decide to have laser eye surgery.

Basics on Lasik

Lasik is performed on a delicate part of the eye. It is a surgery but it carries minimal risks. Millions of people have had this procedure and the treatment has a success rate of 96%. In most cases, Lasik will give you near perfect vision. 9 times out of 10, patients will achieve 20/20 vision and 20/40 vision.

What are refractive errors?

If the light coming into your eye doesn’t focus on the retina, the image will appear as blurry; this is known as refractive error. Refractive errors are the result of an imperfectly shaped lens, eyeball or cornea.

Types of refractive errors

Myopia or nearsightedness

Only nearby objects are distinct

Hyperopia or farsightedness

Only far away objects are distinct

Presbyopia or aging eye

This condition develops in people from the ages of 40 to 50 and seeing close becomes a challenge. It can be corrected through the use of reading glasses and bifocals, and now with advanced technology Lasik treatment is also a viable alternative.

If you want to know whether you are a good candidate for Lasik treatment, consider the following?

You are over the age of 18

You are not on certain prescription drugs.

You have a stable prescription

You are in good health

In the instance, you have had dry eye in the past you need to talk to your doctor about its impact on Lasik. Your eye doctor will screen you for this condition before any refractive surgery or Lasik is performed.

Here are more factors to look at before Lasik treatment

Discuss your lifestyle activities and workplace requirements with your eye doctor. Are you involved in sports? Do you plan to be actively engaged in physical activities?

What are your expectations of Lasik? If you have poor vision laser eye surgery will give you the best chance at leading a normal and healthy life, which allows you to go about your daily activities without the hassle of eyeglasses and contact lenses.

What to expect from Lasik treatment

Before Surgery

You will need to go in for a comprehensive eye examination. If you’ve gone for any preliminary eye exams, bring these records with you. If you are a contact lens wearer avoid wearing them before the evaluation. For example, stop wearing soft lenses for 2 weeks and hard lenses for 4 weeks. Contact lenses can temporarily affect the shape of your cornea which means your eye doctor might not get precise measurements. You might also be asked to stop wearing perfume, makeup and lotions prior to surgery. This is to ensure there is minimal risk of infection during Lasik procedure.

During Surgery

As an outpatient procedure, during Lasik surgery your eye doctor will apply numbing drops into the eye. Each eye will take up to 15 minutes at most, and if you plan to do both eyes the entire surgery will take half an hour. You may request for both eyes to be done on the same day, else, it can be done a few days or weeks apart. It is a minimally invasive procedure, painless and with no stitches.

After Surgery

Your eyes will heal relatively fast, however, it is best if you rest for 24-48 hours post surgery. Patients who have a busy schedule can get back to work and day to day activities within 24 hours. Avoid physical activity like sports up to 3 days post surgery and contact sports for 2 weeks.

Additional information