The 5 Biggest Fears About Laser Vision Correction

As we spend more and more time in front of screens, eat poorly, move little and do not devote enough attention to rest, all sorts of refractive errors start to develop. The most common ones are myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Some correct their vision with glasses, others choose contact lenses, and others opt for vision correction surgery. All the methods have both advantages and disadvantages, but the last one is by far the most surrounded by fears and by the myths that arise from them. The progress of technology in medicine surprises us more and more with its possibilities, so it would be quite a pity not to make use of them because of a lack of knowledge or unfounded fears. We invite you to get acquainted with the fears of patients most often named by the clinic's doctors.

1. The surgery may be painful.

People are afraid of what causes pain, whether it is physical or emotional. But the good news is that laser vision correction is completely painless. In preparation for the surgery, anaesthetic drops are put into the eyes, which numb them and remove any possibility of feeling pain during the procedure. Usually patients see and feel well immediately after the surgery. The only discomfort may be drier eyes, watering or blurred vision for the next few days or weeks, depending on the type of vision correction surgery chosen, but to reduce the discomfort, eye drops or artificial tears that soothe these sensations are given. So after a month most patients forget the drops and can enjoy improved quality of vision.

2. Laser eye correction is ineffective.

There is a fear that the positive reviews about laser vision correction seen on the internet are only theory. We hurry to deny this myth. Laser vision correction surgeries began to be performed in the world back in 1987. Since then lasers and methods have only improved, and a great many studies in this field and observations of patients have been carried out. A little more than 30 years later, enough scientific material has been accumulated to prove that the effect of these surgeries is astonishing. During the procedure, eyelid holders are placed first, which prevent the eye from blinking. The laser is a computer — the doctors switch it on and off, and during the surgery it does its work itself. While the laser is working, you only have to look at a light, and the laser observes and records the position of the eye as many as 4000 times per second. If micro-movements occur, it evaluates them; if larger ones occur, it switches off immediately, so it is always possible to continue from exactly the point where it stopped. These safeguards guarantee that the surgery is performed precisely and effectively.

3. Laser vision correction may fail.

According to the American Refractive Surgery Council, which supports research in refractive surgery, develops technologies and studies techniques, laser vision correction in itself does not cause complications. They develop not because of human error by surgeons or a technical error of the laser, but because of chronic or autoimmune diseases. Laser eye correction is considered one of the safest procedures in the field of modern medicine. The only unpleasant side effect that occurs more often is the dryness of the eyes mentioned above. The procedure is so safe that for many people the correction can be performed even several times — for people with myopia, with hyperopia and with astigmatism. Of course, the surgery is really not possible for everyone who wants it, so beforehand the doctors always assess whether it can be performed on the patient according to their current state of health and which method of surgery is best to choose. During the procedure a smell may be felt — during the surgery the laser breaks down the molecules of collagen, of which the greater part of our eye consists. There is nothing to worry about: all the lasers used to perform vision correction surgery emit cold and concentrated light. Such concentrated radiation of cold light technically cannot injure the eyes.

4. An expensive pleasure.

According to the data of a public opinion and market research agency, as many as 84 per cent of people consider health to be the greatest value, and yet they spend the most money on details of their appearance. Laser eye correction costs about a thousand euros on average. Such a price may perhaps not be immediately affordable for everyone, but if you count how much a person with a refractive error invests in a year in spectacle frames, lenses, cleaning supplies, contact lenses and their solution, without counting the time spent looking for all these things, the sum turns out to be no smaller. Despite the price, glasses and contact lenses have drawbacks: when doing contact sports it is very inconvenient to wear glasses, they can easily be broken or lost. When choosing contact lenses, a lot of attention has to be paid to using them in a sterile way, which becomes especially complicated when travelling in nature in the summer. You also have to remember to take them out in time, because wearing them for too long can harm the eyes even more. Today the laser vision correction service is also available in instalments, so perhaps it is worth investing once and enjoying the comfort for all the time that remains?

5. Surgery lasts a lifetime.

It has to be emphasised that if you do not take care of your vision after laser eye correction, it can get worse. If you go on looking at glowing screens for a long time without taking a break, eat improperly and do not get the vitamin A that the eyes need so much, and do not move yourself, vision can deteriorate again. Eye correction surgery is not a final result guaranteeing that you will not suffer from any eye diseases in the future. For example, with age the natural process of age-related long-sightedness (presbyopia) begins — when the elasticity of the lens of the eye decreases and the eye is unable to focus up close. After surgery performed with the SURFACE method, once a certain time has passed, no microscope will be able to confirm that surgery was done. The eyes will look exactly the same as before the surgery — you will see perfectly, but at the age of 40–50 everyone, even healthy people, needs reading glasses.

Do not let myths created in your imagination stop you from living a brighter life — better consult an eye doctor.