You’ve no doubt heard that LASIK can eliminate your dependence on glasses and contact lenses. This is true, but patients have wondered just what results that can expect after LASIK surgery. We’d like to take a few moments right now to look at this matter. When you visit our Rapid City laser eye surgery, we’ll be more than happy to go into each of these issues in greater detail.
Will I need glasses or contact lenses after LASIK surgery?
By far the majority of patients will be able to see better after undergoing LASIK surgery than they did when wearing contact lenses or prescription glasses. Most of these patients will not need to wear prescription lenses until much they are much older. (This will be due to presbyopia, a natural part of the aging process affecting the lens of the eye, rather than refractive errors.) Our eye doctors and ophthalmologists in Rapid City are confident that after undergoing LASIK, you’ll note a marked improvement in your eyesight.
Is 20/20 vision likely after LASIK surgery?
While 20/20 vision is possible, we don’t like to make guarantees about perfect vision or better than perfect vision. (LASIK has been known to achieve better than perfect vision in some patients.) In general, our Rapid City LASIK patients can see just fine without prescription lenses, often with perfect vision or vision that is very close to perfect.
How can patients achieve the best LASIK results?
In most cases, the best results from LASIK can be achieved when the patient follows the surgeon’s pre-operative and post-operative care instructions to the letter. By doing this, patients reduce the chances of adverse side effects and complications occurring.
In addition, patients can undergo iLASIK (bladeless custom LASIK) rather than traditional LASIK surgery. iLASIK is the safest and most accurate form LASIK surgery available today.
How does iLASIK work?
iLASIK uses the latest laser vision correction technology to create an extremely detailed map of the cornea. This digital map identifies very tiny imperfections in the corneal surface that result in higher order aberrations, such as glare, halos, and issues with contrast sensitivity. This information is input into a computer, which guides the LASIK laser during the procedure, correcting all imperfections for optimal vision.
In addition to the digital map, iLASIK also eliminates the need for any physical tools to create the corneal flap. In the past, this was done using a metal instrument. Today this is done with a precise surgical laser.
How does iLASIK compare to traditional LASIK?
Traditional LASIK could only address lower order aberrations (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism). iLASIK is able to address both lower order aberrations and the higher order aberrations mentioned above, meaning that iLASIK patients can see with greater clarity than traditional LASIK patients.
Learn More About State-of-the-Art Eye Care
For more information about advanced LASIK technology and how it can benefit you, be sure to contact our South Dakota vision correction and eye care center today. The entire team here is eager to meet you in person and help you achieve excellent vision and optimal eye health in the process.
