Fears and Misconceptions of Vision Correction – Losing Your Vision

Glasses and contacts have their benefits – mainly helping people with refractive errors see clearly. Since the late 90’s, lasers have been used to correct these refractive errors in very safe and effective ways. Procedures such as LASIK and PRK have been providing patients with clear vision for over 15 years now. However, many people continue to put up with the inconveniences of glasses and contacts because they have fears or misconceptions about laser vision correction, like LASIK.

One of the most common fears of laser vision correction is losing vision as a result of the procedure. This fear comes from not understanding how your eye works and how specifically laser vision correction works.

How LASIK Works

There are three main parts to the human eye: the cornea, the lens, and the retina. In normal vision, the cornea refracts (bends) light so it can be directed correctly through the lens and onto the retina. The retina works as a transmitter to transfer the message to your brain, where it processes the message to tell you what you are looking at. Refractive errors – nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism – are caused by the cornea being slightly misshapen. LASIK utilizes cool lasers to reshape the curve of the cornea so you can have normal, clear, vision.

Prior to surgery, your surgeon maps out your specific eye and plans out exactly how to correct your vision. Your surgeon will then programs this plan into the laser, ensuring that the correct amount of your cornea is altered.

There are risks associated with laser vision correction, mainly dry eye. It is essential to ensure that you are an excellent candidate prior to receiving treatment, to give you the best results possible.

Officially there is no reported case of a patient losing their eyesight from LASIK.

To find out more about LASIK, including risk information, see our website. To schedule a Free LASIK Consultation, give us a call today at 415.921.7555 in San Francisco and 650.755.6900 in Daly City.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Your Eyesight

Omega-3 fatty acids are definitely a plus in your diet. They are known as a ‘good fat’ for your diet – one that protects the cell membrane and is reported to protect you from certain health issues. One of these health issues, as reported by NPR (National Public Radio), is age-related macular degeneration. 

Age-related macular degeneration generally occurs in older adults. This condition results in vision loss in the middle of your line of sight, due to retina damage. According to the article, “Women who ate fish, a prime source of omega-3s, at least once a week were less likely to get age-related macular degeneration compared with women who ate fish just once a month, a new study finds.”

While all of this information is interesting to look at, the article also points out that the study is not complete.

There are always studies being done on vitamins and minerals. It’s important to know what is fact and what is fiction. Doing your homework is essential in preventative medicines, but the most important thing is having a complete eye examination. You eyesight is like a fingerprint – it is unique to you, and what may work for 5 or 10 other people may not necessarily be the best thing for you. If you think you may have an eye disease or your family has history of eye diseases, you should schedule regular eye exams for the best way to keep on top of it.

If you would like to read the article, you can find it here.

Laser Vision Correction and Dry Eyes

Perhaps the most common side effect to laser vision correction is dry eyes after a procedure. Most of our patients experience a little dry eye after a procedure. This temporary issue can be relieved with eye drops and it will correct itself within a couple of weeks.

According to FDA trials, 20% of LASIK patients still experience dry eye even six months after a procedure, like LASIK. While this side effect may be annoying, it can be treated with punctual plugs or medications.

At Pacific Eye Specialists, most all of our patients are free of this irritation after one year. This is why the post-LASIK follow-up appointments are absolutely necessary. We take your vision very seriously and we want to make sure you can see clearly for years to come.

LASIK works by correcting the cornea of your eye. LASIK can have you seeing clearly for many, many years, depending upon what age you receive treatment. If you are not a good candidate for LASIK, there are other procedures that can be performed to correct your vision. Learn more about laser vision correction with Pacific Eye Specialists.

LASIK and Your Retina

There is a misconception when it comes to laser vision correction procedures, like LASIK, and the retina in your eye. Some patients think that because they are having laser vision correction, any issues with their retinas will also be corrected.

This is not true.

Your retina is found at the back of your eye. It is responsible for sending messages to your brain. These messages tell your brain what you are looking at.

You have LASIK to correct a refractive error. Refractive errors occur when the cornea in your eye is misshapen. The cornea, which is found in the front of your eye, should be round and bowl-shaped. If the cornea is not perfectly shaped, then you will experience a refractive error: nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.

Light is reflected off of objects and is filtered by the cornea of your eye. When the cornea is perfectly shaped, this light will refract directly onto your retina. If the cornea is misshaped, then the light will not shine directly onto your retina, and this causes double vision, blurry vision, or fuzzy objects.

LASIK works to reshape the cornea into a bowl-shape so that the light will reflect directly onto your retina. It does this through the use of a laser, guided by a surgeon. The laser only affects the cornea and not the retina, therefore it does not correct any issues you may be experiencing with your retina.

A board-certified surgeon should carefully analyze your eyes prior to approving you for LASIK surgery. Most of the risks associated with LASIK occur because the person may not be an excellent candidate for the procedure. Some of these risks include double vision, a fixed or rotating glare, rings of light (“halos”) or starbursts of light. There is also a risk of dry eye, however most patients will experience dry eye for a short time after surgery.

To learn more about laser vision correction procedures and how to find out if you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction, please visit our website.