With the many advancements in laser eye surgery that have occurred over the years, there are many aspects of it that the general public is completely unaware of. As a result, and as often happens in scenarios like this, a number of important facts in relation to laser eye surgery are unknown by those who might benefit from it.
If you are thinking about laser eye surgery for yourself or a member of your family is thinking about it, it would be a crying shame if you decided against going ahead with it, because you did not know all the facts about it.
For that reason, we are going to outline 5 important, little known facts about laser eye surgery, so that your decision is based on as much knowledge as possible.
Laser Eye Surgery Is Virtually Pain-free
It is understandable that when you have the words ‘laser’ and ‘eye surgery’ together to describe a medical procedure, that thoughts of pain enter your mind. This thought of it being extremely painful is cited as the reason why more people decide against laser eye surgery than any other.
Modern laser eye surgery procedures mean that patients should feel no pain, thanks to a local anaesthetic which is administered via eye drops. At worst there may a slight feeling of discomfort, which will dissipate very quickly.
Laser Eye Procedures Take Only Minutes To Complete
This fact surprises many who are under the misconception that laser eye surgery procedures take hours. In reality, each eye can be completed within 15 minutes, and even then, the actual time that the laser is ‘live’ is a small percentage of that time.
Where some time is needed is with the recovery, where you might have some blurriness for a short period of time. Thereafter, and to ensure that your eyes are healing properly, follow-up appointments may be necessary for up to 12 months.
Millions of People Have Had Successful Laser Eye Surgery
Many people believe that, because laser eye surgery uses the latest technology, it has only been around for a small number of years, and therefore very few people have been treated.
The reality is that laser eye surgery has been performed for over 30 years, and around the world, as many as 40 million people have had successful laser eye surgery. In Australia, laser eye surgery is a one billion dollar industry and that is almost certain to increase significantly in the years to come.
Complications From Laser Eye Surgery Are Rare
As with any surgical procedure laser eye surgery does have a few risks but the percentage of people who experience complications is less than 1%, and they tend to minor complications. Examples of these complications include dry eyes, halo effect, and vision correction not quite being 100%. All of these are easily remedied, and, in many cases, they diminish as time passes.
One important message we want to give you to help greatly reduce the chances of you experiencing laser eye surgery complications is to only use a fully qualified and reputable laser eye clinic, whose surgeons have the appropriate qualifications and certifications.
Laser Eye Surgery Is Not Expensive
The fee for laser eye surgery is going vary from practice to practice, but what you should not expect is a price that is the equivalent of a year’s salary. In most surgeries, it will be between $6,500 and $8,000 per eye, and many will be able to offer you interest-free credit to allow you to spread the cost.