There are many patients throughout Nashville, Tennessee, that have had LASIK surgery and experienced a great deal of success. It is a great procedure for restoring eyesight for those who have suffered from nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism. However, there are different types of LASIK. Two of these types are custom LASIK and conventional LASIK surgery.
Custom LASIK Surgery
Custom LASIK surgery has been around since the early 2000s. It wasn’t very common at first, but now the procedure has grown in popularity. The procedure involves taking a 3-D system to examine light refraction from the back of the eye. This locates distortions. Measurements are taken to determine the eye’s topography. In most cases, both eyes are different. By having a map of the eye, the surgeon is able to better guide the laser to smooth out the surface of the eye.
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive surgery said in 2004 that custom LASIK provides a higher-quality outcome. Vision is better and sharper than with traditional LASIK surgery.
So far, studies have indicated that patients are experiencing fewer glares and halos. There seems to also be an improvement in night vision. Patients are reporting good results, but the true test won’t be completed until several more decades as more patients live out their lives after having this surgery.
Traditional LASIK Surgery
Traditional LASIK surgery doesn’t map out the eye. It tends to be more affordable, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery still says that traditional LASIK is a viable method for correcting vision. Vision may not be as sharp as with a custom procedure, but the result is still a very good one. Patients tend to report much better vision than they had before, which changes their quality of life.
Which Procedure Is Right for You?
Some Nashville, Tennessee, area patients who have had custom LASIK have said that they are experiencing benefits that they wouldn’t have received through traditional LASIK surgery. To know which procedure is right for you, it is best to consult with your ophthalmologist.
The procedures followed before and after surgery are generally the same. Before surgery, a patient must have an eye exam. Contact lenses must not be worn for a specific period before the surgery. There will also be a discussion about the risks and benefits of the chosen procedure.
After surgery, there will be discomfort, but there shouldn’t be any pain. Vision improves within a day. The differences in the procedures lie in the sharpness of the vision after the procedure. Other than this, everything else is practically the same. Even steps taken during the procedure are the same, such as the use of numbing drops on the eye.
All in all, LASIK surgery is a step toward improving the quality of life by eliminating corrective lenses and some of the problems that plague a person who has impaired vision.
