Posted by: Chicago Arbor Eye Institute in Ophthalmology
LASIK is one of the most popular elective surgeries in America. Millions of people have undergone this procedure to improve their vision and enjoy life without the need for glasses or contacts.
LASIK is safe and effective, especially when performed by highly experienced, qualified ophthalmologists. The team at Chicago Arbor Eye Institute offers the most advanced LASIK in Chicago and Orland Park.
If you are considering LASIK, there has never been a better time to take advantage of all the benefits of laser vision correction surgery. Keep reading to learn more about the procedure including eight reasons to consider LASIK in Chicago!
Top 8 Reasons to Consider LASIK
1. Safety and Efficacy
LASIK has a very high rate of success and patient satisfaction, with more than ninety-five percent of patients happy with their results. It also has a very high record of safety, with a very low rate of complications.
Eye surgeons are meticulous about ensuring that each patient will truly benefit from LASIK. Each prospective LASIK recipient meets with their eye doctor to give a full health history and undergo a thorough eye exam.
In the event that your eye doctor determines that LASIK is not the right procedure for you, they can suggest that a different vision correction procedure would be safer and more effective.
2. Clearer Vision
LASIK can result in better vision correction than glasses or contacts. In addition to offering correction for refraction errors, your vision after LASIK won’t be as limited by the drawbacks of glasses or contacts like smudged glasses or dry, gritty contacts won’t compromise your vision.
3. Reduced Dependence on Visual Aids
Wearing glasses or contacts can add a layer of complexity to ordinary activities. After LASIK, you can do things like working out and swimming without concerns about how well you’ll be able to see.
You will notice that travel is less of a headache when you don’t have to pack contacts and cleaning supplies or worry about losing a pair of glasses while you’re away from home. And you won’t have to worry about your glasses fogging up when you walk indoors during the cold weather of winter.
4. LASIK is Permanent
LASIK surgery permanently corrects your refractive error. The results for this don’t wear off.
You won’t need to have repeat procedures in the future. LASIK is a lasting investment in clearer vision.
However, it is important to mention that LASIK will not prevent any vision changes that may occur later in life due to the development of other eye conditions.
5. Improved Self-Esteem
LASIK can make a big difference if you have felt awkward about wearing glasses or had anxiety related to being unsure if you’ll be able to see clearly in certain situations. You might feel more confident about your appearance, making you more self-assured during job interviews, presentations, and social events.
Consistent, clear vision without glasses or contacts may give you a new confidence to try new activities and travel to more places.
6. Ecological Benefits
Glasses and contacts are made with plastics that cannot be easily recycled. As a result, millions of disposable contact lenses and their packaging wind up in landfills every year.
Getting LASIK reduces the need for glasses and contacts, so you reduce the amount of landfill waste you create.
7. Improved Safety Profile
Clear vision is critical for everyday activities such as driving, reading, and caring for children. For people who work in fields like construction, medicine, airline pilots, or the military, clear vision is a mandatory element in workplace safety.
LASIK ensures you have clearer, sharper vision without glasses or contacts, which can make your workplace safer for you and your colleagues.
8. Long-Term Cost Savings
On average, people who wear contacts spend between $120 and $1200 per year on them. A pair of glasses can cost $200 or more, and you may need to purchase a new pair every year.
If you started wearing glasses or contact lenses when you were 15 years old, you could spend as much as $25,000 by the time you’re 65. LASIK eliminated the annual cost of vision correction devices.
What To Expect During LASIK
Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, better known as LASIK, is a surgical procedure in which an eye doctor uses specialized laser tools to adjust the shape of the cornea to improve visual acuity. The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye.
It plays a role in focusing light onto the retina, which sends images to the brain via the optic nerve. Making minor adjustments to the shape of the cornea can improve common refractive errors, including astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness.
LASIK is an outpatient procedure that often happens in your eye doctor’s office. The whole procedure only takes about thirty minutes, with minimal discomfort.
Your eye doctor will use drops to numb your eyes to ensure you are comfortable. Once you’re prepared, your eye doctor will make a tiny flap in the outer layer of tissue called the epithelium.
They will open that flap so they can reshape the cornea using a specialized laser. The shaping will vary depending on your specific vision needs.
For nearsighted patients, LASIK can reduce the steepness of the curve of the cornea. In farsighted patients, LASIK makes the cornea steeper.
Astigmatism is caused by an irregular shape of the cornea. LASIK corrects irregularities to create a more uniform eye shape.
Once your Chicago Park LASIK surgeon has finished reshaping the cornea, they will complete the procedure by closing the initial flap, which will heal without sutures. Many people notice improvements in their vision immediately after the procedure, and the results gradually improve over the next several weeks.
Are you ready to explore the benefits of LASIK? Schedule a LASIK consultation at Chicago Arbor Eye Institute in Chicago, IL, today!
