Laser eye surgery which includes both Lasik and Lasek is an expensive procedure and people are right to question whether or not it is worth the money. This is obviously an extremely difficult question as it depends on all kinds of different factors. I think the first thing to mention is that laser vision correction is rarely as cheap as what you sometimes see advertised on the TV, as this typically relates only to a very limited prescription range. For example the typical range may be from -0.50 to -1.25 Dioptres (this is what prescriptions are measured in). Most people who are considering having laser eye surgery fall out of this range and so their treatment will be more expensive. Taking all things into account, I would estimate that the average cost of laser eye surgery (total for both eyes) is about £2200.

When considering whether laser eye surgery is worth it or not I think you can look at it from 2 different perspectives. The first is whether it is worth it from a financial standpoint and the other is taking into account how much it will improve the quality of the person’s life:

Financial: Some people may literally want to do a calculation to work out how many years of paying for glasses and contact lenses will it be, before It would have covered the cost of the laser eye surgery. If for example your laser eye surgery is going to cost you £1000 and you pay £200 per year on contact lenses and buy a pair of glasses for £200 every 4 years, then you will have paid for your laser eye surgery in 4 years. The calculation is broken down as follows:

4 x £200 (for contact lenses each year) plus 1 x £200 (for glasses every 4 years). Total spend over the 4 years is £1000. If your laser eye surgery cost £2000, then it would take 8 years to cover the cost.

Quality of life: This is probably the most likely reason people choose to have laser eye surgery and it is difficult to attribute how much something like this is worth. The following lists a few examples where laser eye surgery would greatly increase the quality of your life:

• If you really dislike wearing glasses and are unsuitable for contact lenses.
• You have a high prescription and your glasses have thick lenses.
• If you find contact lenses uncomfortable.
• You are very sporty and don’t like wearing contact lenses.
• You spend a lot of time on holiday and hate having to take contact lenses with you.
• You are a keen swimmer and hate having to worry about whether you can wear contact lenses or not.

As you can appreciate from this blog post it is difficult to give a definite answer as to whether or not laser eye surgery is worth it. However, I think is fair to say that for those people who have had laser eye surgery, regardless of how much it cost them, the vast majority will tell you that it was worth every penny.

If you want to read more about laser eye surgery cost or laser eye surgery in general, you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Thanks for reading

Tim

The question of whether or not cataracts cause laser eye surgery is something that people commonly ask. In order to understand this, it is best to first consider where exactly on the eye, laser vision correction is carried out. The procedure is carried out on the cornea which is the clear outer most part of your eye, whereas a cataract involves the lens inside your eye, which is behind your pupil (deeper inside the eye than the cornea). During laser eye surgery, which includes both Lasik and Lasek, your surgeon will not come in to contact with the lens in your eye, meaning it can in no way cause a cataract to develop.

What is worth mentioning however, is the fact that following your surgery your surgeon will most likely prescribe you steroid eye drops for a short period of time. These eye drops can theoretically cause the onset of cataracts but this is only after prolonged use of them, over a period of months or years. 99% of people having laser eye surgery will only put the steroid eye drops in for a total of about 1 month, with many putting them in for a lesser period of time. For this reason there is no chance they could cause the start of cataracts.

Other points to mention about cataracts and laser eye surgery are as follows:

• Laser eye surgery can not treat cataracts.
• If you have cataracts then you should not have laser eye surgery. This will be assessed during a laser eye surgery consultation. Cataracts can blur your vision and they can also cause your prescription to change. This could mean that following laser eye surgery your prescription could change, meaning all the good work done by the laser would be undone.
• You can have laser eye surgery if you have already had a cataract removed. Imagine the scenario where your cataracts are causing you blurred vision, so you decide to have them removed. If following the cataract surgery you still need to wear glasses to make you see clearly, then you are a candidate to have laser eye surgery.

I hope this has helped explain the relationship between laser eye surgery and cataracts, but if you still have any doubts you should ask for advice during a laser eye surgery consultation.

If you want to read more about laser eye surgery or book a consultation then you should visit  www.treatmentsaver.com

If you are considering having laser vision correction then you will almost certainly be asked whether or not you want wavefront. Wavefront is a premium add-on to laser eye surgery and can be used in conjunction with both Lasik and Lasek eye surgery. Whether or not it is worth the extra money is something people like to question before they agree to pay the extra £300 to £400 per eye. In order to decide whether it is worth the additional cost, it is helpful considering the main advantages of wavefront which are as follows:

• Less night vision problems.
• Better visual results: You are more likely to achieve 20:20 vision following wavefront laser eye surgery.
• Lower chance of needing a re-treatment.

There are certain instances where your surgeon will insist that you have wavefront and you will have no choice but to pay the additional money. Examples of situations where this is likely to be the case are as follows:

• If you already have night vision problems even before you have had laser eye surgery. Your night vision aberrations will be measured using a wavescan during your laser eye surgery consultation. If they are high you will be advised to have wavefront laser eye surgery.
• If you have a high prescription. Wavefront is generally recommended if you have a high prescription as it produces a more accurate result.
• If you have large pupils wavefront is recommended. This is because people with large pupils are more likely to have night vision problems following laser eye surgery. You can read more about night vision and laser eye surgery in our detailed guide.
• If you have high astigmatism (over +/-3.00) then your surgeon will insist you have wavefront eye surgery.

So I think you can see that Wavefront certainly has its advantages and if you are not on a tight budget then it is certainly worth the extra cost. If you have small pupils and only a mild prescription then standard laser eye surgery is likely to give you pretty much the same results as wavefront would. I suggest listening to what your surgeon advises and make your decision based on that. If money is not an issue then few people could deny that it is worth having it done.

If you want to read more on wavefront laser eye surgery or laser eye surgery in general you should visit www.treatmentsaver.com.

Thanks for reading

Tim

Intralase is growing in popularity and it is quite simply a type of Lasik eye surgery. Intralase relates to the way in which the flap is created during the Lasik procedure, using a laser instead of a surgical blade (microkeratome). Intralase is therefore considered a bladeless procedure and many people choose to have it as they don’t like the thought of having a blade anywhere near their eye. It is worth mentioning here however, that even if you have standard Lasik eye surgery you will not be remotely aware of any blade being used, as it is all built into the machine.

Whether Intralase is worth the extra money or not is a tough question to answer as some surgeons will have pretty much equal results and complication rates with both standard and Intralase Lasik. Intralase will typically cost around £300 extra per eye and for some people this may be too expensive to justify. The following lists the main advantages of Intralase:

Results: Intralase gives a slightly higher risk of achieving 20:20 vision following surgery when compared with standard Lasik. This may not be the case if the surgeon is highly experienced and competent with the standard procedure.

Recovery: Recovery is generally quicker following Intralase, meaning you can sometimes return to work and normal activities sooner.

Complications: There are slightly less Lasik complications with Intralase, as most of the problems that occur during Lasik are related to the creation of the flap. The flap created with Intralase is generally cleaner, thinner and more precise, resulting in fewer complications.

Corneal thickness: Intralase can be carried out on people with thinner corneas when compared with standard Lasik as the flap created is thinner.

There are other advantages of Intralase but these are the main ones to consider. I think you can probably see why Intralase is generally considered the gold standard in Lasik eye surgery as it generally results in a slightly more accurate and safer procedure. These advantages however are not as pronounced if you compare Intralase Lasik with a highly skilled surgeon carrying out standard Lasik. It is sometimes said that standard Lasik requires more skill and experience from the surgeon, whereas Intralase Lasik is a slightly more automated procedure.

When deciding whether to have Intralase Lasik or standard Lasik, I suggest asking to see the surgeon’s statistics for both types of surgery. If there is very little difference in the complication rates and the visual results, then you may decide it is not worth the extra money. If however money is no object, very few people would argue that Intralase is the method of choice.

If you are interested in finding out more about Intralase or laser vision correction then you should visit www.treatmentsaver.com

This is one of the most commonly asked questions about laser eye surgery along with ‘Is laser eye surgery dangerous’? Both these questions pretty much mean the same thing and I will do my best to answer them during this blog post.

Like with all surgical procedures, there is always a degree of risk and this is something you need to weigh up before deciding to have the treatment. It is important that you fully understand all the risks of laser eye surgery before you can make an informed decision. The chances of their being any complications during the procedure are greatly reduced if your surgeon is highly experienced and competent. It is estimated that assuming your surgeon is highly skilled, the chances of something going wrong during laser vision correction is about 1 in 1000 procedures, which is far less than 1%. Of these complications, only about 1 in 30,000 will result in a problem that cannot be rectified by a highly competent surgeon. It is estimated that the chance of going blind following laser eye surgery is only about 1 in 5 million which is extremely low.

In 2006, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the official body that produces guidance for UK doctors on the effectiveness of medical treatments completed a two-year study of laser eye surgery. The conclusion from the study was that laser eye surgery “is safe and efficacious for use in appropriately selected patients”.

The most important thing when it comes to ensuring you have the highest chance of achieving a safe and successful laser eye surgery treatment, is in choosing the right surgeon and clinic for you. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists recommends that anyone considering undergoing laser eye treatment should ask their surgeon for details of their qualifications, training, length of practice and results. Ideally, the they should be a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists or the Royal College of Surgeons as this signifies they have achieved the very best in training and assessment.

Following your laser eye surgery it is vitally important that you precisely follow the instructions given to you by your laser eye surgeon. Ensure you take all medications that are prescribed (eye drops) and attend all your after cares. Providing you do all this, then the chances are you are unlikely to have any complications following surgery. In summary, both Lasik and Lasek eye surgery are extremely safe procedures providing you are seen by a competent surgeon.

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Hope this has been helpful and thanks for reading

Tim

Night vision problems following laser eye surgery is one of the most commonly reported side effects, but just how big of an issue is it? The vast majority of people have little or no night vision problems following the procedure and even for those that do, it rarely causes any major problems. Most people who develop night vision problems following surgery, will normally find they disappear over  the 3-6 months following the procedure. Night vision problems are caused by something called higher order aberrations and you will be assessed for these during a laser eye surgery consultation. Lasik and Lasek are types of laser eye surgery and both can cause night vision problems.

Higher order aberrations and Laser eye surgery:

During a normal eye test your optician will only measure your lower order aberrations which are long sightedness, short sightedness and astigmatism. These only represent 90% of the reason that your vision is blurred. This lower order blurriness can be corrected using glasses or contact lenses. Higher order aberrations account for the other 10% and are the reason people experience night vision problems such as glare, haloes and star bursts. During laser eye surgery, these higher order aberrations can be increased and hence night vision problems may develop.

Laser eye surgery and Night vision problems:

It is true that laser eye surgery does increase your night vision aberrations, but even though this is the case, not everyone experiences any noticeable deterioration. During a laser eye surgery consultation there are some key measurements that need to be taken as part of the screening. These are as follows:

• Pupil size: People with large pupils are more likely to experience night vision problems following laser eye surgery.
• Your current higher order aberrations: Your higher order aberrations will be measured using a wavescan. If you already have a significant amount of these aberrations, then you will be at a higher risk of having night vision problems following surgery.

If you fall into one or both of the above risk factors then your surgeon is likely to insist that you have wavefront laser eye surgery. Wavefront greatly reduces your higher order aberrations and dramatically decreases the chances of you developing night vision problems.

Other points about laser eye surgery and night vision problems:

• Lasek results in slightly less night vision problems when compared with Lasik.
• Intralase Lasik produces less night vision problems when compared with standard Lasik.
• The higher the prescription the greater the chance you have of developing night vision problems.
• If you have large pupils you are more likely to develop night vision problems.

I hope this blog has helped explain the relationship between laser eye surgery and night vision problems and that you are now better informed about your treatment.

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Thanks for reading,

Tim

After laser eye surgery people want to know when they can return to the same activities they were doing prior to their treatment and swimming is one that people often ask about. Lasek and Lasik are both types of laser eye surgery and it is extremely important that following both procedures, you allow your eyes to heal without poking or rubbing them in anyway.

Although swimming itself is not a contact sport, the chlorine in the water tends to make your eyes sting/itch which means you are more likely to want to rub them. It is this rubbing of the eyes rather than the actual chlorine that is the main cause for concern. This is especially the case if you have had Lasik eye surgery, as during this procedure a flap has been created. The flap needs to be allowed to heal fully without it being moved or dislodged, which can occur with rubbing or itching of the eyes. If this was to happen it would most likely require surgical intervention by your surgeon. If following your surgery your eyes ever feel itchy or stingy, you should put in your dry eye drops instead of rubbing them.

There is also an increased risk of infection immediately following your laser eye surgery which is another reason not to swim. You are more likely to pick up an infection if you get water from the swimming pool in your eyes.

It is generally advised that swimming should be avoided for at least 2 weeks following Laser eye surgery. Most surgeons will probably suggest that when you do start swimming, you should wear goggles for up to 6 weeks post surgery. You may be able to swim sooner after Lasek as there is no flap created, but this should be checked with your surgeon. As with all advice your surgeon’s word is final and you should always check with them when it is safe to carry out certain activities. Everyone’s eyes heal at different rates and this may affect how soon you can begin such activities. Your surgeon is best placed to know how well your eyes are healing.

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Having a lazy eye is probably more common than you think, affecting approximately 2% of the population. The medical name for the condition is amblyopia and if it is not treated before you reach the age of about 7 years old then it will no longer respond to treatment. The normal treatment for a lazy eye is patching, where your good eye is covered in an attempt to make your Lazy eye work harder thus improving your vision. The younger you are, the more successful the patching will be, but once you reach the age of about 7 it will no longer have any effect.

For those people whose patching was not successful, they end up with a lazy eye throughout their adult life. It is quite understandable for such people to wonder whether or not laser eye surgery can fix a lazy eye. Lasik and Lasek are both types of laser eye surgery and they both have limited success at correcting a lazy eye. The easiest way to understand what laser eye surgery can do for amblyopia (lazy eye) is by understanding the following:

Laser eye surgery can give you the vision that you can currently achieve in your glasses or contact lenses. So if with your contact lenses/ glasses on, your lazy eye can only see half way down the eye test chart, then this is the best vision you could expect to achieve following laser eye surgery. The other scenario that is worth discussing is if you decide to only laser your good eye. Surgeons are generally reluctant to laser your good eye if your lazy eye is very poor. The reason for this is that if you assume the worst case scenario and something went wrong with the surgery you may then have to rely only on your lazy eye. If it is a very lazy eye, then it may mean that you could no longer work and drive etc. If your eye is only slightly lazy then your surgeon may consider doing the treatment. If you are in any doubt at all you should book in for a laser eye surgery consultation to see for definite whether you are a suitable candidate. Your surgeon will discuss with you all the issues surrounding laser eye surgery and a lazy eye. The final decision is always down to the surgeon.

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Hope this blog post has been helpful and thanks for reading,

Tim

If you are considering having laser eye surgery and have already booked a holiday you will probably want to know when it is safe to fly after your procedure. Lasik and Lasek are both types of laser eye surgery and the following applies for both these procedures when it comes to flying.

It is generally agreed that there are no real risks related to flying after laser eye surgery but most surgeons will probably say for your own comfort you should wait a week before you travel. If it was absolutely necessary to fly sooner, most surgeons would probably say this was fine but the final say would be down to them. The only real issue with flying is the fact that the atmosphere inside an aeroplane is extremely dry. There are no issues with regards to the altitude as this does not affect the healing process at all. Following laser eye surgery your eyes are likely to be dry so if you combine this with the dry conditions on a plane you might find your eyes are a little more uncomfortable than normal. Longer flights are worse than shorter flights but the general advice is that if you need to fly make sure you take your artificial tears with you to help keep your eyes lubricated. This will ensure that your eyes continue to heal properly and will also offer you some relief from the dry and gritty sensation you are likely to experience.

As with all advice your surgeon’s word is final and you should always check with them when it is safe to fly following your laser eye surgery. Everybody’s eyes heal at different speeds and this may affect the advice given to you by your surgeon. Your surgeon is best placed to know how well your eyes are healing.

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Hope this blog post has been helpful and thanks for reading,

Tim

Yes laser eye surgery can fix astigmatism and it is extremely effective at doing so. Lasik and Lasek are types of laser eye surgery and both can correct astigmatism equally well. There is a lot of confusion as to what astigmatism is, with many people thinking it is some sort of disease. This however is not the case, as astigmatism is just a type of prescription and is in no way different to being either long sighted (hypermetropia) or short sighted (myopia). You can have astigmatism by itself or you can have it combined with either long or short sightedness. You can tell if you have astigmatism by looking at the prescription card you get from your optician. The following is a typical prescription card:

Sph         cyl         axis

-1.50      -2.50      90

The sph (sphere) represents if you are long or short sighted. If it is a minus number you are short sighted and if it is a plus number you are long sighted. The Cyl (cylinder) represents the amount of Astigmatism you have. The axis is the direction of the astigmatism which does not affect whether or not you can have laser eye surgery. In the above example this person is short sighted and has astigmatism. The following lists the key things you need to know about laser eye surgery and astigmatism:

• Both Lasik and Lasik can successfully correct astigmatism and do so equally well.
• Both Lasik and Lasik can treat up to 6 dioptres (this is what prescriptions are measured in) of astigmatism but if your astigmatism is over +/-3.00 Dioptres then your surgeon is likely to advise that you must have wavefront laser eye surgery. Wavefront makes for a more accurate correction of your astigmatism but it is more expensive.
• The recovery period following your laser eye surgery is the same whether you have astigmatism or not.
• The cost of treating your astigmatism is exactly the same as it is if you were just long or short sighted. It is only more expensive if you have to have wavefront treatment.

In summary laser eye surgery can easily treat astigmatism and the chances are that following surgery you will achieve 20:20 vision. The best way to check if you are suitable is to book in for laser eye surgery consultation

If you interested in finding out more about laser eye surgery and astigmatism you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com

Hope this blog post has been helpful and thanks for reading,

Tim