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Published : July 22, 2009 |
Author : admin
Category : LASIK | Total Views
: 273 | Unrated
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Dr. Charles Cowan, an optometrist at Auburn Eye Care, described the ideal candidate for Lasik eye surgery.
“Broadly
speaking, the procedure has been done on patients of all ages," Cowan
said. "Obviously, it's not healthy for children, but some doctors will
perform the operation for patients 18 and older, and some require that
they are 21.”
Cowan said the procedure was created as a means of
correcting nearsightedness. Therefore, it's more effective for people
with nearsightedness than farsightedness.
"People who might make
good candidates are those with low and medium amounts of
nearsightedness and in some cases, even high levels of
nearsightedness," Cowan said. "Those with low to moderate amounts of
farsightedness typically receive effective results, as well."
The goal of Lasik eye surgery is to reduce the patient's dependency on lens correction, Cowan said.
"My
older sister is 23 and had Lasik surgery three years ago," said James
Casey, a senior in accounting. "She was really happy with the results
and has been able to be lens-free since. Her vision is just now
beginning to fade back a little bit, and she may need a re-treat in the
future."
Cowan said a patient should wait three months after the
surgery to allow the eyes to completely heal before considering a
re-treat.
He also suggested for patients considering the surgery to wait until they have had a stable lens prescription for two years.
“Nearsightedness
is progressive throughout teen years and early adulthood, but around 30
it tends to stable out, and a patient will have the same prescription
for multiple years,” Cowan said.
Cowan also said typically the
surgery takes about 20 minutes in addition to pre-surgery preparation
and explained other details about the surgery.
"If one is
squeamish about eye manipulation procedures, they should know that they
will be fully awake throughout the procedure."
Cowan advised
that before the surgery patients consider the costs and save up,
because most insurance does not cover the $800 to sometimes $2,200 per
eye procedure.
Another requirement before surgery is for
patients to stop wearing contacts for two to four weeks, depending on
how often they wear them, Cowan said.
However, despite the
high costs and numerous requirements, the rate of satisfied patients is
high, about 95 percent, and the surgery can be effective in yielding
beneficial results, Cowan said.
"I have been interested in Lasik
since the moment I first heard about it years ago, but I wasn't old
enough yet," said Amy Reid, a senior in political science. “I have worn
glasses since I was 3 and began wearing contacts in fourth grade. I
hate wearing glasses because my lenses are so thick and they make my
small eyes appear even smaller.”
Reid said even if the surgery could not fully correct her vision, to have glasses with thinner lenses would be an improvement.
"I honestly cannot imagine what life is like with good vision, because I haven't had it since I was 3," Reid said. |
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