- What is LASIK and how does it work?
- Who is a candidate?
- Why do people choose LASIK?
- How long does the procedure take?
- How long is recovery?
- Schedule your LASIK appointment
Contact lenses and glasses are suitable treatments for those with many common eye issues such as nearsightedness and farsightedness.
However, not every patient wants to wear contacts or glasses for the rest of their life. That’s why they choose laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis or LASIK.
What is LASIK and how does it work?
This procedure is a type of refractive surgery that uses lasers to correct astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness. Our Chicago Loop optometrist will provide pre and post operative LASIK care.
This surgery targets the cornea, reducing corneal tissue. This improves vision in one or both eyes.
Who is a candidate?
To be eligible to receive this laser eye surgery, patients must be older than 18 years old to ensure the eye has fully developed.
Before the surgery, for a few weeks at a time, it’s necessary to cease contact use. Also, patients must be in good health.
Why do people choose LASIK?
People choose LASIK because this procedure is moderately inexpensive, fast, and the recovery time is relatively brief (more on this shortly).
While the surgery was somewhat radical at the time of its creation, today, LASIK is a trusted procedure that millions of people have received nationwide.
Many of them report long-term clearer vision without glasses or contacts.
How long does the procedure take?
We mentioned how this surgical procedure is fast, but just how fast is it? For each eye, a surgeon generally requires 10 minutes to do the surgery. That means this procedure takes about 20 minutes total.
You will be awake during this outpatient procedure. That said, you may receive a sedative to reduce discomfort. You will also receive numbing eye drops. LASIK is painless, and you won’t feel the lasers.
How long is recovery?
One of the most appealing aspects of laser eye surgery is the brief recovery time. You only need about a day before your vision should be restored in one or both eyes.
Immediately after the surgery, it’s recommended you rest, so you shouldn’t drive home yourself.
In some patients, they’ve experienced better vision in as little as six or eight hours. For some, it takes longer than that, at least overnight.
About a day or two after the surgery, you’ll have to return to your optometrist. They will inspect the eye(s) to see how it’s recovering after the procedure.
Complications are rare, but they can happen, so a Streeterville optometrist is prioritizing your health with this appointment after the surgery.
For many patients, they don’t have to take off work for very long after getting this procedure done. You may only have to miss a day or two (sometimes three in rare cases).
Schedule your LASIK appointment with Eye Society
Are you looking for an optometry clinic to provide laser eye surgery pre and post operative care? Contact Eye Society, your Chicago Loop & Streeterville optometrist.
We offer vision testing that can catch autoimmune diseases (Sjogren’s Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus), neurologic diseases (brain tumors and multiple sclerosis), stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Contact Eye Society at (312) 640-2405 (Streeterville) or (312) 631-3247 (Loop) to find out how our eye doctors can further assist you or to make an appointment.