Many people who wear glasses or contacts have heard of the procedure called Lasik. It's the laser vision correction surgery that is supposed to make those who cannot see without the assistance of corrective lenses be able to see the clock when they wake up at night and be able to carry on with life as normal without the hassle of contacts or glasses.

Let's first discuss what condition this type of surgery can treat. I feel I must first mention however that the procedure can never be said to be 100% for 100% of the people who get it done. You will still be told that there is always the possibility that the use of corrective lenses may still be needed later on. That being said, a person who has clear vision is one with a normal eye where the light rays pass through the cornea, pupil and lens and focus directly on the retina. This is the goal of Lasik surgery.

¨ Nearsightedness is one of the conditions, or refractive errors, that can be treated with the laser. This condition, also known as myopia occurs when the cornea is too long or curved, light to focuses in front of the retina, resulting in blurry vision at a distance. Most people with refractive errors have nearsightedness.

¨ Farsightedness, or hyperopia, is what happens when the eye is too short or when the cornea is flatter than normal causing light rays to focus behind the retina, resulting in blurry vision up close. This refractive error can also be treated with the laser procedure.

¨ Astigmatism can also be corrected with this laser procedure. In this condition, the cornea is not uniformly curved causing light to focus at multiple points on the retina. Blurry and distorted vision at both near and far distances is a result of this condition.

How does a laser treat these conditions? The Lasik procedure uses a cold beam laser to reshape the cornea improving the natural focus of the eye. By correcting the overall shape of the eye, the laser procedure can eliminate most or all of any blurriness in vision. The computer controlled laser re-sculpts the cornea into the shape required to bring light into focus. This method reduces or eliminates refractive errors.

Many individuals are rewarded with clear vision and eliminating the need for corrective lenses. As nothing can ever be 100% in everyone, some folks many need a lighter prescription for lenses or may need to wear their glasses for night driving or reading.

Coming from someone who recently had this procedure done, it is worth it. In my own personal case, I have yet to require any additional help from corrective lenses but even if I had, it still would have been worth it. Prior to having the procedure done, I was unable to see my hand in front of my face at an arm's length away, so any assistance was welcomed on my part.

Before scheduling the surgery, a pre-screening is done. The eyes are checked thoroughly to determine if you would in fact be a candidate for Lasik. If not, there may be other options available. But if so, then surgery is typically scheduled relatively soon. In my own experience, on the big day they told me to arrive about 30 minutes early so paper work can be gone over and signed. Once that was finished, I was taken back to have my eyes numbed and marked for the placement of the laser equipment. I was even given a "goodie bag" filled with required eye drops, protective goggles, sunglasses and other freebies. After only a few minutes, I was taken into the Laser Room while my family was taken into the Family Viewing Room where they would be able to watch the procedure via a television screen. The nurses sat me in a chair, that was quite comfortable, and the doctor began to tell me everything that was going to happen. It all boiled to "focus on the orange blinking light". So that's what I kept telling myself; "Keep looking at the light and don't think about anything else". Turns out, I didn't have to think about anything else. He told me when my vision would fade to black, and it did. This was the time when a flap was being cut at the front of my eye to be peeled back to allow access into the eye for the laser. He told me when it would come back, and it did. He also told me when the laser was doing its work and that it would take less than thirty seconds. During this point, I counted in my head to thirty, but for both eyes, I only made it to 15 before he was finished. When both eyes were done, and I sat up the nurse asked me if I could see the clock on the wall across the room. And I could! My vision was smoky, as expected, but I could see the clock right away! A procedure that took less than 10 minutes in its entirety made my vision even more clear than it had ever been in my entire life.

I was taken into the lobby to meet my family, who were ecstatic over what they had just witnessed on the television screen, and was told to sit with my eyes shut for 20 minutes. At that time I would be taken back and my eyes would be re-examined. Given the all clear, I was told to go home, put on my protective goggles and go to sleep for the rest of the day. I was to instill eye drops every four hours and return the next day for a recheck appointment.

Vision was smoky for the better part of the first day. The next morning, there was no smokiness left and I was amazed. I found myself getting up during the night just to find out what I was able to see. For my one-day recheck, I was even able to drive myself to the doctor's office. I was given the OK by my eye doctor and was told to continue to use my eye drops for one week, and wear my goggles to bed, and return then for another recheck. A week later, after told that my eyes have healed well, I am no longer required to take the eye drops and no longer required to wear my goggles to bed.

The procedure, to me, is a miracle. To think that they can correct someone's vision as bad as mine and take away my dependence on corrective lenses is amazing. I have had only one single regret and that is that I didn't do it sooner. I experienced no pain and no irritation and while I realize some people do have some slight discomfort, this was not the case for me. I followed my instructions carefully, dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's and carried on exactly as I was told to. Today, I am able to see clearly; I'm able to wake up in the middle of the night and not have to fumble around for my glasses; I'm able wear fashionable non-prescription sunglasses and I'm able to forget all about sticking my finger in my every day twice a day to put in and take out contact lenses. While the price range on the procedure appears to vary from $3,000 - $5,000 depending on location, it is worth every penny. It's a very small fee in exchange for sight.

Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/167289/lasik_laser_refractive_s...