Eye Care Eye Care Treatment

Is Laser Eye Surgery Right for You?

More and more people are trashing their glasses and turning to laser eye surgery for a new view on things. But is laser eye surgery right for everyone? How do you know if you're a good candidate?

Below, ophthalmologist Dr. Julius Shulman sheds some light on the topic.

What kind of vision problems can be treated with these new techniques?
Most vision problems can be treated, such as myopia, which is nearsightedness, hyperopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The laser companies first went after myopia because that's the most prevalent, then astigmatism, and now we can treat hyperopia, so the whole gamut of vision problems is covered.

What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is when light does not fall to a point; It's a refractive error which results in everything being blurred, near and far, as opposed to farsighted or nearsighted. So astigmatism is combination of the two.

What are some alternatives to laser treatment?
Well, the obvious alternative is glasses. Contact lenses now can correct almost all refractive errors: myopia, and even astigmatism. Bifocal soft contact lenses and gas permeable lenses are available. And most people probably will have tried contact lenses and certainly glasses before they come to laser eye surgery.

What are some of the negatives of using either glasses or contacts to treat a vision problem?
Glasses are fine up to a point. After you become extremely nearsighted or farsighted, many people feel handicapped. They go to sleep, they wake up, and they may not be able to find their glasses. They may have sports or hobbies or occupations where glasses are not feasible. It's difficult to scuba dive with glasses. Contact lenses have their own disadvantages. Some people are not very tolerant of contact lenses, and cannot wear them for a full day. People lose them or break them. Contact lenses can cause their own health problems in the eye, such as infection which is rare but it can occur. Irritation and dryness can also occur. So, each modality has good and bad aspects.

Does vision have to be "bad enough" to a certain extent to get this procedure done?
It's generally for people who would have to wear their glasses or contact lenses all the time in order to see. For someone who is very, very slightly nearsighted, it doesn't really pay to do the procedure. It doesn't mean that you have to be severely nearsighted to have this done. People have this done at all different spectrums. But at least the risk/benefit ratio that we talk about should be in effect.