‘Glaucoma is an eye disease caused by an increase in the pressure within your eye which leads to damage to the optic nerve’

Damage to your optic nerve will eventually lead to loss of your peripheral vision if it is not treated quickly enough. There are various different treatments for Glaucoma including laser treatment but by far the most common method of controlling the eye pressure is by using eye drops. It is important to understand that the laser treatment that is sometimes used to treat Glaucoma is a completely different type of laser compared with that used for laser eye surgery which corrects your vision. To read more about the different types of Glaucoma you can click here.

Can I have laser eye surgery if I have Glaucoma?

The simply answer to this is that it depends on the type and severity of the Glaucoma. This is something that will be assessed during a laser eye surgery consultation and your surgeon will need to know all the details of your Glaucoma before they consider you for treatment. If your eye pressures are not well controlled and you already have peripheral vision loss then you are likely to be deemed unsuitable for laser eye surgery. If however your eye pressure is well controlled with eye drops and you have no visual field loss there is a very good chance you will be suitable for laser eye surgery. If you have previously had a type of Glaucoma called closed angle Glaucoma which is caused by a rapid increase in eye pressure then the chances are you will be suitable for laser eye surgery. This type of Glaucoma tends to be treated with a one off application of laser which generally cures it completely.

The reason there can be problems performing laser eye surgery on people with Glaucoma is because during the laser eye surgery procedure the pressure within your eye will be raised for a short period of time. This is completely safe in normal circumstances but if your eye pressure is already unstable as a result of Glaucoma then potentially it could exacerbate this further.

In summary there is no definite answer as to whether you can have laser eye surgery if you suffer from Glaucoma. The only way to know for certain is to attend for a laser eye surgery consultation so your exact circumstances can be discussed with you by your surgeon. You should however not rule out laser eye surgery if your have Glaucoma as there is a good chance that you will be suitable.

For more information on laser eye surgery you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

Around 100,000 adults in the UK decide to have laser eye surgery each year in an attempt to free themselves of their glasses and contact lenses. Hundreds of thousands of children need to wear glasses in the UK and there is often a stigma attached to wearing them, making laser eye surgery a tempting option.

Unfortunately the current youngest age for laser eye surgery is 18 years old but most clinics will actually insist that you are at least 21 years old. There are a couple of reasons that surgeons insist that a patient is this age and the most common ones are below:

Stable prescription: This is by far the most important factor when deciding the age that someone is suitable for laser eye surgery as it is important that the vision has stabilised. It is quite common for prescriptions to continue to change right up until a person’s mid-twenties. Having a minimum age of 21 years old goes a long way in ensuring that the eyes have stabilised. Your surgeon will generally ask to see historical records of your last few prescriptions to check your eyes are not changing so you may still be deemed unsuitable for laser eye surgery aged 21 years old.

Compliance: It is extremely important to follow the post-surgical instructions to give yourself the best chance of a speedy and successful recovery. Younger children are less likely to be as compliant as adults, which is another reason that a minimum age of 18 years old is set.

In summary, whilst in theory laser eye surgery could be carried out on a child it is not something that surgeons will currently consider. In addition to this, laser eye surgery is not covered on the NHS meaning it would be an expensive procedure which would have to be covered by the parents of the child. It is also worth mentioning here that laser eye surgery cannot be used to treat children who have a lazy eye and this is the same regardless of your age. So even once you reach the age of 18 years old, laser eye surgery will not be able to correct your lazy eye. You can read more about this here.

For more information on laser eye surgery please visit TreatmentSaver.com

Up until recently laser eye surgery was not capable of correcting presbyopia, which is an age related reading problem which happens to everyone as they reach their mid forties. There are now however a number of treatments available such as blended laser vision, monovision laser treatment and Kamra vision surgery.

It is estimated that about 95% of all prescriptions will be within the treatable range for laser eye surgery meaning that only a very small percentage of people will have a prescription that is too high for surgery. If your prescription is deemed too high for laser eye surgery then you will have to consider either refractive lens exchange or implantable contact lenses which have no upper limit to the prescriptions that they can correct. Both these procedures are however more expensive than laser eye surgery and this is something you will need to take into account.

Laser eye surgery is however only capable of correcting the prescription in your glasses or contact lenses and cannot be used to treat eye diseases such as Cataracts or Glaucoma. Laser eye surgery is also not able to correct people with a lazy eye and this is something that you will be screened for during a consultation. You can read the following guide on laser eye surgery and lazy eyes for more information on this.

In summary laser eye surgery can treat all types of eye sight problems and it can even treat very high prescriptions. Only a very small percentage of people will be unsuitable for laser eye surgery and this is likely to be as a result of general health problems or previous eye diseases. You can read more about the suitability for laser eye surgery here.

To find out more about laser eye surgery you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

Botox is commonly used to treat problems around the eyes such as crow’s feet (smile lines) and injecting in the wrong area could in theory affect the muscles the control eye movements. Although extremely unlikely, this could lead to problems with your vision such as double vision and eye strain. If the Botox is inadvertently injected into the muscles which control the eye lids, you could also experience a drooping eye lid which may also affect your vision.

Should you experience any of these symptoms you should return immediately to your practitioner to get confirmation that this is the cause. If it is the eye muscles that have been affected then there is very little that can be done about it other than to wear glasses to correct the double vision. The good news however is that the effects of Botox typically only last around 4 months, after which time both the positive cosmetic effects and the potential side effects will fully wear off. If you have a drooping eye lid then it is possible to treat this with daily eye drops until the Botox wears off. To read more about how long Botox lasts you can click here.

In summary, although Botox can affect your vision the chance of this happening is extremely rare. If your practitioner has caused such a problem then it means they have injected into an area that they should not have done. This is likely to mean that they are either inexperienced or under qualified and you would be best advised not to have treatment off them again.

To read more about Botox including how much it costs then visit TreatmentSaver

Botox would not normally be considered the best option to treat drooping eye lids and most practitioners would generally recommend a surgical procedure such as a brow lift. Droopy eye lids are typically caused by excessive sagging skin or fat which weighs the eye lids down. Botox can be injected into the muscles which pull the eye brows down which causes them to relax. Relaxing these muscles has the effect of raising the eye brows up slightly, which can in some cases improve the appearance of the drooping eye lids. The effects tend to be very subtle and should only be considered for mildly drooping eye lids. It is important that your practitioner manages your expectations as you are unlikely to see a significant improvement in the position of your eye lids.

Botox can be used in other ways to improve the appearance around the eyes and it is particularly effective at treating the smile lines (crow’s feet) which can develop around the corners of the eyes. Treating these lines can make you appear more awake and younger looking and it is one of the most common uses of Botox. Botox is also very effective at reducing frown lines and wrinkles of the forehead which can also appear as we get older.

In summary, although Botox can improve the appearance of droopy lids it would generally not be considered the treatment of choice. You are likely to get a far better result with a surgical procedure such as a brow lift and this should be discussed during a cosmetic consultation.

To learn more about Botox including cost information and potential side effects you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

There are 3 main factors that cause Jowls to develop and they are as follows:

1. Gravity: Unfortunately gravity is always acting against us and over many years our cheeks start to sag as a result.
2. Loss of elasticity of the skin: As we get older the amount of elastin and collagen in our skin starts to reduce. Both these proteins are essential for the health and elasticity of our skin and as their levels drop, it means our skin is less able to retain its shape and therefore is more susceptible to sagging.
3. Skin attachment to muscle: The attachment between the skin and the underlying muscle becomes weaker meaning the skin has less to ‘hang on’ to. This will significantly accelerate the development of sagging jowls.

Unfortunately sagging jowls is not a problem with the muscles and therefore no amount of facial exercises will have any effect on the appearance of jowls. So what is the best treatment and can Botox lift jowls? It is generally agreed that the best form of treatment for sagging jowls is a face lift, possibly combined with liposuction to remove the excess fat.

For those not wanting to undergo surgery there is a Botox alternative which is called the Nefertiti Lift. The way Botox lifts jowls is by nullifying the effect of the muscles that are pulling the jaw line down. By injecting Botox into specific nerves that supply these muscles, the jaw line will become visibly lifted and more contoured. It is important to realise that Botox injections will need to be repeated every 4 months or so depending on individual circumstances if you want to maintain the same results. You can read more about how long Botox lasts here.

Although Botox can lift jowls, its effectiveness really does depend on the extent of the sagging. If you have large drooping jowls then Botox in unlikely to give you the results that you desire. In such cases you really would be better off considering a surgical procedure. The main advantage of using Botox to lift the jowls rather than surgery is the fact that there is no recovery period required. The Botox procedure can be carried out very quickly and it is extremely safe. Botox side effects are rare and the cost of the Botox procedure is far cheaper than surgery, although it does need repeating.

In summary, Botox can lift jowls although there is a limit to what it can treat. Known as the Nefertiti Lift, Botox can raise the jaw line and improve the contours of your face whilst requiring little or no downtime following the procedure. When considering the procedure it is important that you use a practitioner who is experienced in performing the Nefertiti Lift as it will mean you are more likely to get the results you desire.

To learn more about Botox you can visit TreatmentSaver

As to whether you can drink alcohol after Botox injections then the answer is that there are no studies to say that you can’t. Typically practitioners will advise that you avoid excessive alcohol immediately before and after the injections as it can cause increased fluid retention, which may lead to more bruising. Having said this, plenty of people will drink both before and after Botox injections and show no increased bruising whatsoever.

As to whether the effectiveness of Botox can be altered by drinking alcohol either before or after the Botox procedure, then there is no evidence to suggest it can. There is no known mechanism of action of Botox that could in anyway be affected by drinking alcohol and consequently this not a reason to avoid it.

In summary, it is always a good idea to check with your practitioner as to whether or not they would advise you to completely avoid alcohol both before and after Botox. The chances are however that they will just tell you to drink in moderation as is always the advice of a medical professional. If you recently drank after having Botox injections and are worried that the effects will not last as long as they normally would, then this is definitely not something that you need to be concerned about.

To learn more about Botox including information on the price of Botox and the side effects of Botox then you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

The amount of Botox that is administered is small and it is specifically targeted to affect a particular nerve. The Botox molecules quickly bind to proteins and there is no evidence to suggest that is can cross the placenta to affect the baby. Having said this, the general advice on taking any medication during pregnancy is only to take it if there is medical justification to do so and this can hardly be true of improving your cosmetic appearance. The manufacturers of course also recommended that Botox is not used during pregnancy or Breast feeding so this is that advice that you should take.

If you are reading this article and have already had Botox injections during pregnancy and didn’t realise you were pregnant then you really shouldn’t worry about it. The chance of it affecting the baby is minute and worrying will actually do more damage. As said above, the main reason that there have been very few studies on the effects of Botox on pregnancy is the fact that the tests would have to be carried out on a pregnant women and this is not something that women would be likely to agree to. As for breast feeding, the advice is the same as it is for pregnancy, you should not have Botox whilst breast feeding because of the theoretical risk to the unborn baby.

Another point worth mentioning is that you are less likely to need Botox injections whilst pregnant as the body tends to retain water. This results in the face being slightly puffed out which tends to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles!

To read more about Botox, including information on the cost of Botox and the side effects of Botox you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

There are very few side effects of Botox but there have been some reports of Botox causing spots. Based on the mechanism of action of Botox, there is nothing that occurs that could result in an increase in acne. If anything the opposite is true, as in theory Botox could actually reduce the prevalence of spots. When injected Botox will often reduce the nerve impulses to the sweat glands which may actually decrease the amount of oil (sebum) produced. Less oil in the skin is known to reduce the chances of developing acne. Other reports suggest that Botox can also reduce the size of facial skin pores, which again you would expect to reduce acne, not increase it.

If you have had Botox and it resulted in an outbreak of acne then the likelihood is that you have had some sort of mild allergic reaction to the Botox or anaesthetic. This could appear as mild blisters or acne in some cases. If this has affected you then the best thing to do is to go and see the practitioner who administered the Botox in the first place. If you have Botox again and the same thing happens then I would suggest never having Botox injections again.

Botox is generally considered to be extremely safe but occasionally there will be surprising and unwanted side effects. For the vast majority of people the effects of Botox are impressive with a significant reduction in wrinkles and frown lines the norm.

To read more about Botox including Botox prices you can visit TreatmentSaver.com

Unfortunately there is no known ‘antidote’ to Botox although this does not necessarily mean there is nothing that can be done if you experience certain unwanted results. The most common unwanted problems that may be able to be corrected are as follows:

• Uneven appearance on one side of the face to the other: If for example your crow’s feet have been reduced more on one side than the other side, then it is possible for a skilled practitioner to ‘even out’ your appearance by adding more Botox to the least affected side.
• Drooping eye lid: One of the potential side effects of Botox is that the upper eye lid (Levator muscle) is inadvertently affected causing the lid on that side to droop. This will give a particularly undesirable look but thankfully your practitioner will be able to prescribe you with some special eye drops to help give that eye lid a lift. These drops will have to be put in every day until the effects of the Botox completely wear off.

Unfortunately however if it just a case of too much Botox being injected then there is nothing that can be done to reverse the effects. For example, if you have had too much Botox injected in to your forehead you may develop the ‘Frozen face’ look and unfortunately there is no way of reversing it. That is the bad news about reversing Botox but the good news is that the effects are not permanent. The body naturally metabolises Botox and after a period of about 4 months most of the effects (either positive or negative) will be completely reversed. You can read more about how long the effects of Botox last by reading a previous post that I wrote: How long do the effects of Botox last?

Although Botox cannot be reversed this should not particularly give you cause for concern as complications of Botox are extremely rare. Practitioners will be especially cautious if it is the first time you have had Botox injections as they can never be 100% certain how your body will respond to it. Your practitioner will generally start by administering low doses of Botox and then increase it until they get the desired effects. It is far easier to add more Botox than it is to deal with people who have been over injected.

In summary, the Botox procedure cannot be reversed but having said this it is very rare that it would need to be reversed. An experienced practitioner till take particular care if you are a new patient or if it is your first time so as not to over inject you with Botox. It is very rare that people get undesirable effects from Botox and if you are one of the unlucky ones then you at least know it will not be permanent, lasting an average of 4 months.

For more information on Botox you can visit TreatmentSaver.com