Lasik Results

Lasik is the acronym for "laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis," a procedure that has helped people worldwide reduce their dependence on wearing glasses or contact lenses. Despite potential complications and risks, the outstanding benefits of Lasik, for most people, far outweigh the potential risk.

Benefits Of Lasik

Many people simply do not like feeling dependent on wearing glasses or contact lenses. This dependence can be frightening at times, especially during emergency situations. Many people with poor vision are concerned about how they could function without their glasses or contact lenses. Lasik surgery eliminates this anxiety. Even if the vision is not corrected to a perfect 20/20, they will almost certainly be improved over what it was prior to the surgery. Ultimately, this makes patients less dependent.

Contact lenses and glasses are simply uncomfortable for many people with poor vision. Glasses can be heavy and dig into the bridge of a person's nose. They can fall off easily, or cause headaches by clinging too tightly to the head. Often people don't like searching for their glasses during the night or they misplace them. Many people feel that eliminating the need for their glasses or bifocals will be a blessing.

Many people can't wear contacts because they can't bear the feeling of having an object in their eye. For others, contact lenses cause dry eye, which can be very uncomfortable. For these people, Lasik provides an appealing option to contact lenses and glasses. Furthermore, Lasik corrected vision is often improved over that obtained from eyewear.
 

Getting Results

Most people find their vision is immediately improved following the Lasik surgery. Others find their vision improves gradually over the days or weeks following the procedure. Lasik improves the vision of most patients to 20/20 vision or better, while others achieve 20/40 or less. This is still good enough to drive in most states.

Some patients will still need to wear glasses or contact lenses following Lasik surgery. The prescription will likely be much lower than it was before the procedure.

Should problems occur from the surgical procedure, it's usually best to have your Lasik surgeon, who will know best what needs to have done to correct any problems, fix the problem. If you've lost confidence in your doctor, find another Lasik provider who you can turn over your records to and provide all the background of your surgery and your previous and current conditions.
 
Professional Membership

CRSQA is a Lasik surgeon certification organization that has placed strict requirements on its members. One of the requirements is that all members prove that at least 90% of their patients achieve at least 20/40 uncorrected vision after undergoing the corrective surgery. In addition, CRSQA requires members to show that at least 50% of its members achieve 20/20 vision.

Furthermore, surgeons will set a corrected vision goal for their patients prior to performing the surgery. To maintain membership in the CRSQA, surgeons must be within one diopter of this target with 85% of their patients, and half of these patients must be within a half diopter. Most surgeons find these guidelines to be reasonable.

This means that because your member surgeon has a proven success rate, you have at least a 50% chance of having perfect vision following your surgery. Theoretically you also have an 85% chance of meeting the vision goal your surgeon has established with you prior to the surgery.

Surgeons who are not members of CRSQA are likely to establish and maintain these same standards, as most professionals consider these figures to be easy to attain, or exceed. For your own security and benefit, your best bet is be to locate a CRSQA member.