VIEWING BETTER

Fed up of dealing with spectacles or lenses on a daily basis? Here are the things you need to know about the laser eye correction surgery.

Need one of the best examples of how the times have changed? Simply look at, the number of people proudly sporting the classic ‘four eyes’ look and the thriving eye-wear market!

But while it all looks pretty dandy on the surface, it does get frustrating to spend the day with the glasses perpetually perched on your nose, or navigating a blurred reality after finally removing the lenses at night. If you are looking at the possibility of getting your eyesight fixed through laser/eye correction surgery, in the near or distant future, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Refractive surgeries are performed to correct vision problems like myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism and reduce an individual’s dependence on glasses or lenses. The procedure mainly involves altering the imperfections in the curvature of an eye and restructuring the cornea to improve eyesight. This can be done in multiple ways through different types of surgeries, the most common being LASIK, LASEK and PRK.

After some preliminary eye check-ups and screening, your ophthalmologist/eye surgeon will be able to, guide you to the laser procedure that best suits your eye. With the development in the field of technology, effective and reliable surgeries are available for even those with a particularly high power.

But remember to analyse every aspect and consult your doctor regarding your life style before taking the major decision to undergo the laser treatment. While, it is a tried and tested method of improving eyesight, the refractive surgery is not devoid of its own limitations. Complications like double or blurred vision, or inflammation for a period of time are some of the typical side effects while extreme cases include permanent damage to the eye or vision defects. There is a possibility that you may still have to use corrective eyewear to completely restore the power of sight.

But risky or not, few things in life can replace that miracle of witnessing the hazy world come into sharp focus for the very first time and thus it is not surprising that laser surgery remains quite popular among people of all ages.

It is extremely important to choose your clinic for the treatment wisely. Always go for well reputed doctors or read up the feedbacks that they have received before making the decision. Here are some of the best hospitals offering competent physicians across the nation.

– Dr. R.P Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS (New Delhi)

– Centre for Sight (New Delhi)

– Sankara Nethralaya (Chennai)

– Vasan Eye care (Chennai)

– Narayana Nethralaya (Bangalore)

– L.V Prasad Eye Institute (Hyderabad)

There are no specific guidelines for preparing for the surgery except that the folks with lenses should avoid wearing them for the week before the big day. The procedure will generally take no more than 15-20 minutes, and keeping calm is the only advice one needs to follow during that time. After the process, since the eyes would be extremely sensitive, you will be instructed to protect them from light hence flaunt away those trendy shades!

Also, dry eyes and light sensitivity are to be expected for a day or two after the operation so just follow the guidelines provided, use the eye drops prescribed and take a day off to relax and rest in dim light. You can resume your normal routine within a week. My advice? Use this time to say a final goodbye to your spectacles or lenses.