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

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

• 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

Cosmetic surgery abroad is becoming more popular as people realise the standard of care and quality of equipment can be just as good as in the UK yet the prices are often far cheaper. Even taking into account the cost of travel and accommodation, people can make considerable savings on treatment overseas. Many people decide to combine their treatment with a holiday with the added bonus of being able to recuperate in the sun!

Going abroad for treatment used to be something that was considered a last resort but as the number of people doing so increases, so the mystery surrounding it disappears. There really should not be any fear surrounding going overseas for treatment as long as you do your research and are able to make a fully informed decision.

To read more about cosmetic surgery abroad vision www.treatmentsaver.com

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

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

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

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

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

A women’s breast does not contain muscle and therefore it is difficult to tone them by doing exercises. It is for this reason that women who are not happy with their breasts often consider surgery. Breast enlargement in the UK is generally quite expensive and you will typically pay about £5000 for the procedure. For people who are on a tight budget then this may not be an amount they can afford and so consequently they consider breast enlargement abroad.

The price of cosmetic surgery abroad is often much cheaper than the UK and even taking into account the cost of flights and accommodation there are still savings to be made. Some cosmetic surgery clinics abroad will actually include the cost of your flights and hotels in your treatment price so you know exactly the amount of money you can save. Breast enlargement in spain is extremely popular as is breast enlargement in poland. The most important thing when travelling abroad for cosmetic treatment is that you feel fully confident with the clinic you are choosing. Be sure to do your research about the quality of the clinic and also the expertise of your surgeon. Ideally you would have some sort of personal recommendation from a friend or family member.

If you are interested in finding out about breast surgery abroad you can visit www.treatmentsaver.com.