The thought of having a laser pointed at your eye can make LASIK seem like a scary procedure for many people. The reality is, laser eye surgery is an easy and safe FDA-approved procedure. There are many misconceptions about LASIK, including what to expect on surgery day, LASIK cost, recovery time and much more. Below are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about laser vision correction.
1. LASIK recovery time is lengthy and extensive
In reality, for most people, the recovery time for LASIK is very minimal. In fact, most patients are able to resume most normal daily activities within a day or two following their procedure, and while everyone heals at their pace, most patients can head back to work within two days.
2. Laser vision correction is incredibly painful
Laser eye surgery actually is virtually painless. While some patients describe feeling mild discomfort from a slight pressure or vibrating sensation, most report feeling no pain during their procedure. Actually, most patients say that the feeling of anxiety and fear of the unknown is worse than the actual LASIK procedure.
Anesthetic drops are used to numb the eyes just before surgery begins, and you may be given a mild sedative as well. After your procedure, your eyes may have a foreign body sensation or irritation for a few hours, but for most patients, these side effects will go away in a few hours after taking a short nap.
3. LASIK is a “cure all” for glasses and contacts
LASIK surgery was designed to help reduce your dependency on glasses and contact lenses, but it does not guarantee that you will never need them again. LASIK patients are still susceptible to presbyopia, which occurs naturally with age and may require patients to need a pair of low prescription readers. While the majority of patients are able to go day-to-day without the use of glasses or contact lenses, it is best to consider LASIK as a procedure to reduce your dependency on them rather than get rid of your lenses forever.
4. LASIK is a lengthy procedure
In actuality, LASIK takes minimal time and can have life changing results. The average procedure, including prep time, ranges from 60 to 90 minutes, but the laser correction itself only takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Lasers used during LASIK can cut through your eye
This is very false. Do your research on the safety of LASIK. The lasers used during LASIK emit a cool beam of light, which is not capable of penetrating your body via your LASIK procedure. Rather than burning or cutting the biological matter of your body, excimer lasers used during LASIK have a useful property where they can remove exceptionally thin layers off of the surface of your eye with almost no heating or change to the remainder of your eye, making them ideal for these delicate surgeries.
If you’re considering LASIK, schedule a free consultation to understand if you’re a candidate for laser eye surgery.
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