Lasik Eye Surgery In South Carolina
LASIK (acronym for Laser-Assisted In-situ Keratomileusis) corrective eye surgery has been performed in the United States since the 1990s. It combined the best of other pre-existing forms of eye surgery in that laser technology allowed the procedure to be more effective and efficient. Although the data fluctuates, literally tens of thousands of people in South Carolina have had LASIK eye surgery since the first LASIK eye clinic opened in Greenville in 1994. Although there are risks associated with LASIK, most eye experts agree it comparative to other corrective eye surgeries. Below is the information you’ll need to make an informed judgment about if, when and where to have LASIK done and the potential outcomes. The basis for all laser eye surgery is to reshape the cornea so that it changes the focal point of the eye. Ideally, LASIK changes the focal point so that it focuses perfectly on the retina, just like a normal eye. LASIK is very effective in treating myopia (nearsightedness) and, in many cases, can correct vision problems resulting from astigmatism and hyperopia (farsightedness) as well. However, presbyopia is not easily corrected through the use of laser eye surgery. LASIK eye surgery works by pulsing a tightly-focused beam of laser light onto the surface of the eye. Upon contact with the surface of the cornea, the laser vaporizes a microscopic portion of the cornea. By controlling the size, position and number of laser pulses, the surgeon can precisely control how much of the cornea is removed. Since the cornea has several different layers, LASIK surgery helps correct the cornea tissue layer that has become misshapen to create the resulting eye vision problem (farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia). As with any other surgery, there are always potential risks and follow-up issues. Over the course of almost two decades of the LASIK eye surgery has been performed in South Carolina hospitals, medical universities and private eye care professional offices from Charleston to Columbia to Greenville. However, the most common problems associated with LASIK involve to what degree it alters the vision of the patient. Undercorrection of vision has resulted when not enough cornea tissue is removed during the surgery. Overcorrection occurs when too much tissue is removed and some wrinkling happens when the corneal flap has a small fold or wrinkle in it when it is replaced on the eye during LASIK. This latter development can cause a small blurry area in the patient’s vision. Another possible complication following the LASIK eye surgery is a condition known as -dry eye.” When this occurs following LASIK, it’s because your eyes are not able to produce moisture or tears any longer. If this condition arises, you are likely to have some discomfort in your eyes. This may also lead to a disruption in the quality of vision you should possess following a LASIK procedure. Most people who have dry eye have blurry vision although they may also have other various vision symptoms like redness and itchiness and a feeling of a foreign object being in the eye. Dry eye after LASIK surgery is one of the more common risks associated with the procedure that can turn into a permanent condition that you can not alter. In some cases, having LASIK eye surgery does not mean that you won’t have to continue to wear some kind of corrective lenses. In the case of both nearsightedness and farsightedness LASIK may correct the vision so much that reading glasses may be required for close-in work. These and other potential risks associated with LASIK or any corrective eye surgery should always be discussed with your licensed and board certified South Carolina optometrist. While many South Carolina eye care specialists consider LASIK the best surgical procedure for vision correction, there are other surgeries still available. These are some other options that you may wish to consider with your South Carolina eye care doctor when considering if eye surgery is right for you. The other corrective eye surgeries are: Another form of LASIK eye surgery that has arrived on the scene is called IntraLase. South Carolina practitioners of the IntraLase procedure claim it is worth the extra cost to the patient. These experts say IntraLase is a safer, less invasive, more precise alternative to using a microkeratome for corneal flap creation in laser vision correction. A computer-controlled laser is utilized to create a thinner, cleaner flap. LASIK eye surgery is generally considered to be more expensive than other more conventional surgical procedures previously mentioned mostly due to the inclusion of the high-tech laser equipment itself. However, the cost of LASIK has continued on a downward spiral due to continued improvements that have been made in the LASIK eye surgery. The cost of the laser equipment has also been reduced as these devices have become more efficient. Even today, South Carolina LASIK providers will occasionally offer special price reductions for a certain time period. In order to find a LASIK eye surgery surgeon in South Carolina, go to www.eyes.sc for more information. In South Carolina, the average cost for doing the LASIK eye surgery on both eyes was around $2,000 in 2000. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the average cost of LASIK eye surgery was in the region of $1,344 in 2005. This is a significant reduction from the original numbers listed in 2002 of nearly $1,600. A number of insurance plans and companies still will not pay for the LASIK eye surgery because they consider it to be cosmetic in nature. This translates into the bottom line where common practice holds that other forms of vision correction (eyeglasses, contact lens, etc.) are more cost effective. However, more insurance companies are beginning to provide for LASIK eye surgery benefits in their health and vision care plans. One of the first such companies to offer LASIK insurance benefits is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina. The program launched a discount LASIK vision correction program under which more than 1,300 patients had the LASIK procedure. LASIK eye surgery is now offered in many more eye care venues across South Carolina as more and more eye surgeons have become certified to perform the procedure. However, two of the larger and longer established programs are at both the University of South Carolina Medical School in Columbia and the Albert Florens Storm Eye Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Both have been offering comprehensive eye care for a quarter of a century.
Storm Eye in Charleston also enjoys notoriety around the world for its research efforts in many eye care fields including intraocular lenses, retinal function and the study of retinal diseases, and glaucoma neuroprotection. In addition, the eye care teaching programs at MUSC attract many of the best applicants from across the country. These facilities have been known to offer clinical eye care services for fees that are a great reduction to those costs found elsewhere. Not everyone is a good candidate for the LASIK vision correction surgery. Some of the common considerations to determine your suitability for LASIK includes that you must be an adult without refractive instability. This condition is common among patients who are age 20 or younger with fluctuating hormones. In adults over the age of 20, refractive instability is caused by several conditions including diabetes, pregnancy and breastfeeding or taking medications that cause fluctuation in vision. In addition, people who regularly engage in contact sports or suffer from a condition or disease which may affect the healing of a wound might have to consider an alternative to the LASIK vision correction surgery. There are a number of other situations one should discuss with your South Carolina eye care doctor prior to deciding on LASIK laser surgery. Conditions such as herpes or shingles that affects the area around the eyes, glaucoma, ocular hypertension, eye diseases, eye injuries, previous eye surgeries, or keratoconus should also be discussed. As a matter of routine, your doctor should also screen you prior to LASIK eye surgery for: Here are several other good questions to ask your South Carolina eye doctor to when trying to determine if LASIK if for you. As with any surgery, you will need to make preparations although it won’t be as tedious as with other types of surgeries. However, if you wear contact lens you will want to take some extra precautions prior to undergoing LASIK eye correction surgery. Here are some U.S. FDA recommendations based on your contact lenses: This is done so as to allow your cornea to regain its shape and size. Don't use any perfume, cream, lotion or make-up the day before the surgery. This is to prevent any debris form getting into your eye. The LASIK surgeon may even ask you to scrub and wash out your eyes thoroughly before LASIK surgery to prevent any type of infection from occurring.
Lastly, it would be prudent that you arrange with a family member to be transported to and from the surgery center. Occasionally the doctor may order that you be given medicine to help you relax that could impair your vision and reaction time. After your LASIK surgery you may have impaired vision and may need a few days just to recover your eyesight. Fortunately, the majority of LASIK patients are able to return to work and school two days after the surgery.
LASIK has been proven to be a Godsend to those South Carolina recipients. Talk to your friends and family who have had the surgery, talk to your optometrist or other South Carolina eye care specialist and price the myriad locations that offer the procedure. You’ll be glad you did.How LASIK works
Problems associated with LASIK
Corrective eye surgeries other than LASIK
The cost of LASIK
Where LASIK surgery is performed in South Carolina
Proper candidates for LASIK
Preparations for LASIK surgery
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