LASIK in Champaign, IL

If you have worn glasses or contact lenses for years but are growing tired of them, you may be considering getting LASIK in Champaign, IL. If you’ve only heard about LASIK from friends and family, you may think this is a procedure where a surgeon waves a magic wand and gives you perfect vision. However, it is not that simple. Since LASIK surgery is not for everyone, it is crucial you learn all you can from your optometrist and eye surgeon before moving forward with your plans. To get a much better understanding of what is involved with LASIK surgery, here are the facts to keep in mind along the way.

What is LASIK Surgery?

When you have LASIK surgery, your eye doctor in Champaign, IL will use a highly specialized laser to alter the shape of your cornea, giving your eyes the ability to have the proper refraction and improved vision. With most patients, an eye surgeon will use the laser to cut a flap in the cornea, then raise it up to flatten the cornea’s curve or make it steeper. Since individual eye surgeons may specialize in using certain LASIK surgical techniques, always make sure the procedure is explained to you in terms you can easily understand.

Who is the Best Candidate for LASIK Surgery?

If you are considering having LASIK surgery, you will be considered to be a good candidate if you have only a moderate level of refractive error as well as no serious eye problems. In addition, it’s highly unlikely that you can get LASIK if you are under 18 years old, since you must be at a point where your vision has stabilized and does not require prescription changes.

Who Might Not be a Good Candidate for LASIK?

While many people do turn out to be good candidates for LASIK, others do not. As for what may disqualify you from having LASIK, one of the most common reasons is having severe nearsightedness, since LASIK may be less effective on persons with severe nearsightedness. Of course, your eye doctor in Champaign, IL will be better able to determine if you are a good candidate. Other factors that may work against you include having dry eye syndrome, large pupils, glaucoma, or cataracts. Also, should your vision already be good enough so that you only need to wear contact lenses or glasses now and then, LASIK may not be recommended.

What Complications Can Result from LASIK?

Even though LASIK technology has advanced greatly over the years to the point where severe complications in patients are rare, they do still happen from time to time. For most patients, dry eyes and other vision issues such as halos, double vision, and glares may occur in night vision, but should dissipate after several weeks at the most. Also, if your eye surgeon used the flap technique to reshape your cornea, there is always the risk of getting an eye infection or experiencing a loss of vision.

What is LASIK Co-Management?

During your research about LASIK, you may have come across the term co-management. A practice that has become more popular in recent years, it means an optometrist will receive a fee from a LASIK surgeon to whom they send patients for surgery. In addition, the fee will also be given to the optometrist in exchange for them providing pre and post-operative care to the patient.

Is LASIK Co-Management Good?

From the perspective of the doctors, it is a win-win situation. Along with the optometrist receiving fees from the eye surgeon, the LASIK surgeon is more assured of a steady flow of patients coming to their office. For patients, it could mean being referred to a LASIK surgeon who may not have availability to do the LASIK surgery soon. A patient may need to wait longer with a LASIK co-management situation. Therefore, when discussing LASIK with your eye doctor, always find out if they participate in a co-management arrangement.

What Vision Can I Expect to Have After LASIK?

For most people who have LASIK surgery, they typically can wind up with vision that is 20/25 or perhaps a bit better, which is generally good for almost all types of activities. However, you should be aware that even if your LASIK surgery goes very well, you may still need glasses when you get older for driving at night or when reading. Every person’s situation is different, so always confer with your eye doctor in Champaign, IL to learn the details.

Can I Still Wear My Contact Lenses Until the Surgery?

No. If you regularly wear contact lenses, you will need to discontinue doing so for the last several weeks prior to your surgery. Instead, you will need to wear glasses. As to why, it is because the contacts you wear distort the natural shape of your cornea. Since your eye surgeon will need to take extremely precise measurements of your eyes to ensure your LASIK surgery is done correctly, continuing to wear your contacts will result in inaccurate measurements, which could have devastating consequences for you post-surgery.

Since there are so many important details associated with LASIK surgery, always make sure you are well-informed prior to making your final decision. To learn all you can about the surgery, begin by speaking to your Champaign, IL eye doctor. By doing so, you can learn if you will be a good candidate, how to have realistic expectations, and gain the peace of mind you need before embarking on the procedure.