Are you tired of wearing contacts or glasses all the time? If you are, chances are you’ve considered LASIK.
LASIK is an increasingly common procedure that’s proven to be both safe and effective. But there may be something or even more than one thing that’s holding you back from going in for a consultation.
First, you should know getting evaluated for LASIK is easy and requires no commitment. So even if you’re still on the fence, there’s no harm in getting an evaluation!
If you’re still unsure, there could be many reasons for your hesitation. Some of those reasons may not be based on fact.
Here are a few of those potential reasons and why they shouldn’t stop you from your dreams of perfect vision thanks to LASIK!
Laser Fear
The first thing most people know about LASIK is that it involves a laser. LASIK is a procedure that involves reshaping your cornea. The reshaping uses a laser to correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
But while the thought of having a laser reshape your eye may sound scary, it’s actually a far more mild procedure than you might imagine. First of all, the laser is incredibly small and only touches the outer part of your eye, which is the cornea.
Your eyes don’t need anything other than anesthetic eye drops to numb them so you won’t feel pain. You also may have heard the myth that you can smell the laser burning your eye.
This is false. The excimer laser emits a light beam that fires at a high frequency and doesn’t release any heat.
It cannot burn tissue. Some patients do report a strange smell, but this is the smell of carbon being released by the laser. Long story short, a laser may sound scary, but it’s completely painless!
Safety Concerns
Is LASIK safe? LASIK tends to have good outcomes and is considered a very low-risk procedure.
No surgery is without risk, but complications due to LASIK are usually avoidable by choosing a good surgeon. Make sure you choose someone you trust and feel comfortable with.
What about long term effects? Some people are concerned that since LASIK is a newer kind of surgery, no one knows what effects it may have when a patient gets older. But this is a false assumption.
LASIK has been around for over 20 years, with little evidence of any long-term concerns in even the earliest patients. It is true that patients who have LASIK will still develop vision issues associated with age.
These include presbyopia or cataracts, but having LASIK doesn’t affect your ability to treat these conditions. You can still have your cataracts removed if you’ve had LASIK.
Expense
One thing that is true about LASIK is that it may seem expensive. You should be wary of ads for extreme discounts on LASIK.
When it comes to LASIK, you get what you pay for. If you have a very strong prescription, you’ll pay more. The good news is, while you should avoid suspicious deals, there are many legitimate ways to get discounts.
This can include vision insurance, your employer, or a trusted ophthalmology practice. If you want LASIK, you’ll probably find it comes with a manageable price to save up for or finance through credit.
