Do the Benefits of Glaucoma Surgery Outweigh the Risks?

As with any surgical procedure there are potential risks that need to be weighed against the benefits, Glaucoma is no different.  Even the most advanced cases of Glaucoma can be treated, patients need to collaborate with their eye surgeon to ensure the benefits offset the risks.
Glaucoma is a disease that is associated with aging.  It is a disease of the eye that causes advanced decline of the optic nerve.  The optic nerve which is at the back of the eye carries the visual message from the retina to your brain. Glaucoma is caused by increased pressure within the eye that doesn’t provide an environment for the nerve’s health.

In order to treat Glaucoma, the IOP (intraocular pressure) must be lowered.  Lowering the intraocular pressure prevents (or slows) the damage to the optic nerve.  Treating Glaucoma begins with the use of medication.  If this fails to treat or your eyes do not tolerate the treatment your ophthalmologists will often turn to surgical procedures.

There are two different types of surgery that can be performed to treat Glaucoma.  One method is using a miniscule incision into the trabeculectomy.  This can be done with or without the ExPRESS microshunt implantation, tube shunt implantation (which is a glaucoma drainage device), and cyclophotocoagulation.  Another surgical Glaucoma procedure that is often performed is known as MIGS, or minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.  Surgical procedures all have their own unique set of risks and rewards. Before you have any surgical procedure on your eye, especially for the treatment of Glaucoma, it is important to have talk with your surgeon about your specific diagnosis and the benefits and dangers of the specific Glaucoma surgery best for your specific situation.

Glaucoma Surgery Benefits Outweigh the Risks in Most Situations Even in Advanced Cases

 

There are risks involved with any surgery however, the results with Glaucoma surgery are typically successful.  Success in Glaucoma surgery slows the progression of the disease.  Success means that the intended eye pressure was achieved.  If Glaucoma was left untreated, the loss of your vision is almost guaranteed. Surgery can help to prevent additional vision loss, often improving your vision.  This however is temporary as the damage with Glaucoma has already occurred and is permanent.  Surgery doesn’t reverse the damage it does however slow down the progression.
Although side effects do occur with Glaucoma, they are rare.  Here is a list of occasional side effects that patients have reported:

•     Vision Loss
•     Bleeding
•     Infection
•     Eye Pressure
•     Scarring
•     Cataracts

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to suit your lifestyle and visual needs.  As a leader in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, our goal is to help you achieve the best vision possible without glasses or contact lenses.  More information can be found online at https://michiganlasik.com.

Is LASIK Right for You?

Having LASIK performed may mean that you no longer have to wear corrective lenses to properly see. However, how do you know if you are a good candidate or not?  What should you consider when you are weighing out your corrective vision options?  Obviously if you are tired of having to put contacts in every morning or are sick of wearing glasses you start to consider laser eye surgery. 
LASIK is a type of refractive eye surgery that is done that helps patience achieve 20/25 vision or greater.  This is optimal for most activities that we will participate in.  Often, patients do eventually need glasses as they age or even for nighttime driving.

The complications experienced with LASIK are rare.  In fact, LASIK has a high success rate.  Dry eye is the most common issue experienced after LASIK.  This usually ends up clearing up with the use of eye drops.  It can last up to a few months however, this is rare.
Your specific results will depend on a number of factors including your refractive error.  Patients that suffer from mild nearsightedness have reported greater success from refractive surgery than patients with a high degree of far or near sightedness or an astigmatism. 

What Happens During LASIK?

 

There are a number of variations of laser refractive surgery.  For our purposes we will refer to them under the term LASIK. With normal vision, images are focused on the retina in the back of the eye.  When your eye sight is less than perfect it means that the image is being focused elsewhere, which results in blurred vision.

Normally, images are focused on the retina which is in the back of your eye. With nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism, they end up being focused elsewhere, resulting in blurred vision.  This is corrected by reshaping the cornea to provide the proper refraction thus correcting your vision.   Before your surgery begins your eye, surgeon will take detailed measurements of your eye. The laser is then used to properly remove parts of the corneal tissue until proper vision has been achieved.

In order to be a candidate for LASIK there are a number of requirements that must be met.  Patients must be in good health and free of diseases that could restrict healing.  Overall you must have healthy eyes that suffer only a moderate degree of refractive errors and you are not or have not experienced any unusual vision issues.  Age related vision disorders such as cataracts are not cured during LASIK.  Cataract surgery is different than LASIK.  If you have an active job or lifestyle where you can not take time off to recover, then LASIK is not appropriate for you.  Recovering from LASIK surgery is fairly simple but does require you to avoid intense workouts or activities where you could suffer a blow to the head for at least a month.

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to suit your lifestyle and visual needs.  As a leader in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, our goal is to help you achieve the best vision possible without glasses or contact lenses.  More information can be found online at https://michiganlasik.com.

Answering Questions Common to LASIK Surgery

Preparing for any surgical procedure comes with its fair share of anxiety, LASIK is no different.  Laser surgery for vision correction has a number of benefits.  Knowing the end benefit, vision without corrective contact lenses or glasses, is only half the battle.  Preparation ahead of time to put your mind at ease is the other half.  Below we will answer the top questions we get during LASIK consultations.  As always, if you have questions that did not get answered during your FREE consultation with the LASIK specialists at Rohr Eye & Laser Center, patients can call the office at any time.

Will LASIK hurt?

 

The number one question we are asked involved the pain level that is experienced with LASIK.  The truth is that most patients experience very little pain or discomfort during surgery.  In fact, many patients explain the sensation as a slight pressure that is felt as the laser is reshaping the cornea.  Of course, everyone’s pain tolerance is different but overall this is the experience patients have described after their procedure.

What occurs during the LASIK procedure?

 

The actual LASIK procedure itself is fairly quick and easy.  Numbing drops are applied to the eyes.  Once this occurs, doctors will cut a very thin flap on the surface of the cornea.  The surgeon will use the laser to shape the cornea according to the prescription from the most recent eye exam.  After this is finished the eye surgeon will carefully place the flap back into place and perform the same procedure on the other eye.  Lasers are used in both the creation of the flap and shaping the cornea although in the past a thin blade had been used to create the flap.

Is LASIK performed on both eyes at the same time?

 

YES!  Laser vision correction can be performed on both eyes at one time.  With LASIK, vision improvement is virtually instantaneous, and healing is minimal.  During LASIK the laser is only used for about 60 seconds per eye.  Although LASIK can be performed on both eyes at the same time some patients prefer to have one eye done at a time.  This is possible however, rare.

Do surgeons use anesthesia during LASIK?

 

No, anesthesia is not given during the LASIK procedure but instead eye drops are put into the eye just prior to the procedure.  Some patients with higher levels of anxiety about the procedure require oral medication to be given for relaxation.  Needles and intravenous drugs are not required.

How long does the LASIK process take?

 

LASIK is a quick process surprisingly.  On average the procedure can take less than 15 minutes once the patient is settled in the treatment room.  The laser aspect of the procedure usually takes less than 60 seconds per eye.

If I blink during LASIK what happens?

 

Surgeons use a speculum to keep patients’ eyes from blinking.  Some patients remark that there is a slight pressure from the speculum.  Patients are told to focus on a blinking light throughout the procedure.  Movements of the eye are expected, lasers that are used include an eye tracker which accounts for movement and helps to ensure accurate delivery of laser pulses.  

What are the side effects of LASIK?

 

Although infrequently experienced there are some side effects that patients experience following LASIK.  The most common side effect is dry eye which is easily remedied through over-the-counter artificial tears.  Rare side effects include:

• Inconsistent vision
• Difficult night vision with halos
• Sensitivity to light

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to suit your lifestyle and visual needs.  As a leader in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, our goal is to help you achieve the best vision possible without glasses or contact lenses.  More information can be found online at https://michiganlasik.com.

What Should I Expect at My LASIK Consultation?

When you seek a consultation from a surgeon specializing in LASIK it is to determine if you are a candidate for laser vision corrections surgery.  If it is determined that you are a candidate, the surgeon will begin discussing the most appropriate surgical option to correct your unique vision issue.  During the consultation you will be educated on the benefits and risks of LASIK surgery.   It is important to remember that a consultation with a LASIK surgeon does not obligate you to have the procedure nor does it mean that you are no longer able to ask questions and gather more information.  A consultation is the starting point into the process of determining if surgery is the vision correction route best suited for you.
Candidates must meet a certain set of criteria before they are considered for LASIK which includes:

Age:

LASIK candidates must be eighteen years or older.

Health:

 

In order to be a candidate for LASIK, patients must be generally healthy.  They should be free of health problems such as diabetes, vascular disease, autoimmune disease, or on medication that interferes with the immune response. 

Eye Health/Problems: 

 

Candidates should also be free of eye disease including: glaucoma, cataracts, corneal diseases, retinal and optic nerve disease, or keratoconus.  They should also not have eye conditions such as herpes zoster and simplex.  Surgeons will do an eye exam before surgery however, it is important that candidates inform them of issues such as lazy eye, eye muscle imbalance, and other eye conditions that can affect healing.  Candidates should also inform eye surgeons of other health issues such as mental health or issues with health.  Obviously, the eye should also be free of any injury or infection.  Dry eye should also not affect candidates.

Pregnancy/Nursing:

 

If you are pregnant or nursing you will not be eligible for LASIK.  In fact, LASIK candidates must have had at least three menstrual cycles after they are done nursing and not expecting in order to be eligible for laser surgery.  Pregnancy hormones may affect the effectiveness of your prescription which also makes them ineligible for LASIK.

Stable Vision: 

 

LASIK vision candidates need to have had stable vision for at least one year before they are considered for laser vision surgery procedures. 

Contacts: 

 

In order for patients to have LASIK they must stop wearing their contacts for at least two weeks prior to the surgery.  This helps to stabilize the cornea and will give surgeons an accurate valuation of your prescription prior to the procedure.

LASIK is a viable option in the treatment of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms.  The goal of LASIK is to reduce the dependency of glasses and contacts with the end goal of 20/20 vision, although this is not guaranteed.
Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to suit your lifestyle and visual needs.  As a leader in laser vision correction and cataract surgery, our goal is to help you achieve the best vision possible without glasses or contact lenses.  More information can be found online at https://michiganlasik.com.