What is laser eye surgery? Laser eye surgery or laser corneal sculpting is a medical procedure that utilizes a laser to reshape the surface of the eye in order to improve or correct eye vision (Better Health Channel, 2011). Laser eye surgery has become prevalence and there are several types of treatment available. The most popular laser eye surgery is known as LASIK, which stands for laser in-situ keratomileusis. LASIK is an eye surgery that permanently changes the shape of the cornea to treat the variety of vision problem (Linda, 2012).
The first laser eye surgery was done on a patient who suffered astigmatism and it was successfully performed by E. Faber, a Dutch surgeon. Today as we walk into the streets, we can see many people wearing glasses. There is a study in some areas, such as China, India and Malaysia that up to 41 per cent of the adult population is suffering refractive errors (News Medical, n. d. ). Most of them depend on glasses and contact lenses because they are having eye problems such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness, etc.
It has reached a critical phenomenon in our neighbour country that is Singapore, where 90 per cent of young people are short-sighted, compared with 15 to 30 per cent in Europe and the U. S (Coghlan and Page, 2002). If they had the choice, they would like to be free of this dependence by correcting their vision. One of the solutions to solve eye problems is undergoing laser eye surgery. However, people still worry about the possible problems that will happen during laser eye surgery.
Although laser eye surgery has many adverse effects, in actual it increases a patient’s living convenience and comfort, is highly effective and cost-efficient, and provides surgical patients an improved lifestyle. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to indicate the points of advocating laser eye surgery which could bring advantages in society. There is no doubt that wearing glasses or contact lenses has become a daily routine for many people. A normal eye vision has always been an unimaginable dream especially for those who are having eye sight problems.
Therefore, it is common that people who are suffering from eye diseases consider the beneficial effects of having laser eye surgery to restore their vision back to normal. Laser eye surgery could free one from the hassle of wearing glasses. Especially for those who are active in sports, most of them prefer not to wear glasses or contact lenses because wearing contact lenses or glasses may affect their performance. For instance, people who engage in water sports such as swimming might not be able to enjoy themselves as water splashing is a problem.
Apparently, taking up sports especially water sports are no longer suitable for people who need to wear glasses or contact lenses. Hence, laser eye surgery would be a favourable option for them. Contact lenses and glasses are no longer applicable in their lives after undergoing laser eye surgery. Furthermore, such activities as swimming and even spending a day at the beach become more pleasurable without the worries associated with corrective eyewear (Docshop, n. d. ).
They do not need to worry about contact lenses drying off or glasses falling out, or need to prepare a spare pair of glasses or contact lenses after undergoing laser eye surgery. Patients are able to enjoy their life with a clear vision. In addition, people who have undergone laser eye surgery have found their vision improved. As a result, laser eye surgery improves convenience, comfort and productivity of their daily lives. For instance, people who suffer night-blindness are not able to drive at night. Also, glasses often steams up on cold nights. This has become a problem for people who are wearing glasses.
People who are bothered by blurriness when driving a car are suitable to undergo laser eye surgery. As a result, they could drive easier especially at night. Ninety-nine per cent of all patients are able see well enough, independent of glasses, and able to drive a car by the next day of laser eye surgery (Laser Sight, n. d. ). They no longer need to rub their glasses while they are driving. Consequently, laser eye surgery could reduce the chances of car accidents. Besides, patients see increased confidence as their eye sight is nearly perfect after undergoing laser eye surgery.
Laser eye surgery can be considered not only for people who have eye problems but also for cosmetic purposes especially for those who do not like to wear glasses. Some people may think that they would look better without wearing glasses. Even though contact lenses have the same function as glasses, sometimes wearing contact lenses may dry off and irritate their eyes. Furthermore, laser eye surgery could improve their social life. After undergoing laser eye surgery, many patients find that the ability to see more clearly than ever before help them to be more outgoing socially (DocShop, n.d. ).
They feel at ease in dimly-lit atmosphere especially for those people who are formerly disoriented while trying to see in a dark place. They also would have a better appearance without wearing glasses as glasses always been a ‘barrier’ in front of their eyes. Next, laser eye surgery is also highly effective and safe for most people. LASIK has been proven to be safe and effective for most people (Randleman, n. d. ). Ninety-nine percent of people who have had LASIK have excellent results (Carollo, 2010, cited in Dr.Robert, 2010).
Ninety per cent of patients in between the age range of forty to sixty years old who underwent the LASIK procedure said they were happy with the results (Laino, 2011). With the advancement of technology, surgical success rate has increased. The professional skills and modern precautionary measures in addition alleviate the risks of laser eye surgery since there are many safety measures available. Hence, people should not be too worried about the risks of laser eye surgery, but to put more trust in today’s technology.
Furthermore, as laser eye surgery has become more prevalent, the surgical costs have become more competitive. Many clinics reduce the surgical costs of laser eye surgery to a reasonable price so that it is affordable. Instead of comparing the qualification and standard of surgeon, usually people who are considering laser eye surgery will make price comparison so that they would not waste much money. There are also several parties that provide financial assistance and subsidies to help with those who need to undergo eye surgery.
For instance, Lions Club International, Mission Cataract USA, Knights Templar Eye Foundation and many other organizations give out financial help to those who are having financial problem (Helaine, n. d. ). Government also gives subsidies for patients to undergo eye surgery at government hospitals or health institutes. With the aid by government and organizations, patients no longer worry about lack of insurance and they are able to undergo eye treatment. Apart from the costs of laser eye surgery, the efficiency of laser eye surgery is also considerable. For some people, time can be as valuable as money.
Therefore, it is very common that many people worry how long it would take for a laser eye surgery. With the rapid advancement of technology, actually laser eye surgery is not time-consuming at all. Nowadays, the procedure of this surgery is fast. In most cases, laser eye surgery can be done within fifteen minutes for both eyes (Wachler, 2012). This means that the surgery only takes few minutes for both eyes. Furthermore, the healing process after undergoing laser eye surgery is fast too.
If patients listen to the instructions and take good care of their eyes, the recovery will only take a few days (Hamilton, 2011). Besides efficiency of laser eye surgery, it can be also a life-changing chance for the deprived. Laser eye surgery can be a turning point for those who are having difficulty in seeing distant objects. Some people who are born with poor eye vision or eye diseases can be corrected by undergoing laser eye surgery. Laser eye surgery may be necessary for those who are having severe eye diseases to slow down the deterioration of eye vision. Their eyes will feel more comfortable after undergoing laser eye surgery.
Most of the nearsighted patients who have undergone LASIK eye surgery will enjoy “good distance vision their whole life’ (Thau, 2011, cited in Dr. Salz, 2011). However, there are still groups of people who are against laser eye surgery. They strongly believe that going for laser eye surgery can lead to possibility of blindness. This could result from flap-related complications, equipment malfunction, infection, scarring, or extreme changes in corneal shape postoperatively (Randleman, n. d. ). Besides that, some of the patients who have undergone laser eye surgery might have their eye vision improved temporarily.
Their eye sight problem might return after several years of surgery. This is more common in patients with hyperopia, or farsightedness (Randleman, n. d. ). Reading glasses are needed to prevent any changes in their vision after LASIK surgery. They may need to undergo an additional surgery after their initial LASIK. In actual fact, there are many safety measures available in this modern era, so people actually do not need to worry about the implications of laser eye surgery. Laser eye surgery has proven to be safe. It is an effective alternative to eye drops as a first-line treatment for patients (NEI Press Release, 1995).
Besides, laser eye surgery has been available since the late ‘80s in Canada and it was approved in the US since 1995 (Soyouwanna, n. d. ). The number of patients increases every year and it is expected that over one million people have undergone the surgery in the United States. Normally, laser eye surgery is done by a licensed surgeon. Therefore, patients have remote chances of having complications. Actually with any surgical procedures, there are risks. People should understand any possible side effects or complications that might happen by undergoing laser eye surgery.
With the rapid advancement of technology, the invention of laser eye surgery decreases the complication into a very low rate and it brings hope for those who are having eye sight problem. Nowadays, many scientists have invented new technologies in order to change the way the world operates. However, new technologies are not trustable. This is because people are unable to enhance the new technologies since they are all new. Even the professionals need some time to learn to utilize the new installations. The ability of a surgeon is more important than promoting the technology.
Lack of ability and practice in handling new equipments might cause disastrous consequences to the patients. Insufficient of standard professionals also remain a difficulty for the department of ophthalmology. The ratio of ophthalmologists to population was 1:200,000 and that of mid-level ophthalmic personnel was 1:229,126 (Husainzada, 2007). The lack of human resources in eye care makes it unable to provide efficient eye medical services to the patients. This will likely affect the quality in delivering the medical care to the patients. At the same time, patients should do preparations before laser eye surgery.
If people want to undergo laser eye surgery, they should find suitable qualified doctors. They should do more researches on surgical providers’ credentials and qualifications. The surgeon should be an experienced specialist. On the other fact is that if patients follow the instructions strictly, the complications can be reduced. Patients should know what they have to do or don’t for their surgery. With careful patient selection, reasonable expectations, and in the care of an experienced surgeon, most of the patients will be happy with their results (Randleman, n. d. ).
Next, there are also some problems to be faced while considering laser eye surgery. Laser eye surgery can be the best way to restore one’s vision back to normal. Somehow, it may worsen the vision after undergoing laser eye surgery. For instance, glare is experienced by many laser eye surgery patients which results in decreased night vision (Dlxguard, n. d. ). They could not drive at night as they could not see clearly while they are driving. This condition could not be corrected by wearing glasses and contact lenses. Laser eye surgery, like any procedure, carries with it some degree of risk.
On the other hand, side effects are uncommon and only happen on a small percentage of patients. There will be no significant vision loss if the condition is treated early. The procedure is generally accurate and precise because the laser is guided by a computer. According to a study done by at ARVO reporting on 1,510 eyes that underwent wavefront-guided LASIK using VisX CustomVue technology and IntraLase flaps and the results showed that 95. 6% of the eyes were 20/20 or better in three months (Helzner, 2010, cited in Dr. Probst, 2010).
If the patients are really involved in any complications, enhancements can be done. Further treatment can improve the vision if it is treated early. Patients have to undergo additional surgery after initial surgery for a better vision. Somehow, most of the complications can be solved if it is discovered early. All in all, laser eye surgery not only increases a patient’s living convenience and comfort, it also provides surgical patients an improved lifestyle. In addition to that, it is highly effective and cost-efficient because it can reduce expenses in the long run.
Hence, it is worth to pay for the surgery as it could change how a person sees the world differently with a perfect eye sight. The false beliefs of the risks of laser eye surgery should be corrected as people should understand that every surgical procedure has its risks. Nowadays, the technology has developed in many countries. This shows that the technology is trustable to be utilized as many safety measures are available. Patients should follow the precautionary steps to prevent any possible complications occur. Complications are rare. Even if it really happens, further treatment can be done.
Therefore, laser eye surgery has become safer. In conclusion, laser eye surgery has beneficial effects for society and it is a better way to return their vision quickly. Eye is a unique creation of God. It is like a window that keeps us stay connected with this beautiful world to let us see what is happening around us. Nobody would ever want to be without vision. Hence, people should not neglect the importance of eye care. The discovery of laser eye surgery has revolutionized the eye care industry. Ever since, the laser eye surgery has become increasingly popular and people are looking forward for further improvement of laser eye surgery.
The government and relevant authorities should implement strict regulatory enforcement, so as to ensure surgical providers comply with the required standards and safety measures. Individuals contemplating the surgery should also be aware of the potential risks and make informed decisions. Therefore, laser eye surgery should be encouraged as there are some beneficial effects for society, such as being highly economical and effective, improving patient’s appearance and productivity, as well as enhancing patient’s lifestyle. (2491 words).