Laser eye treatment has become a fairly popular treatment option for patients suffering from far-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism and other common problems in the recent years. This is because of several advances in the field of laser eye surgery treatment which has rendered the process virtually free of any medically-serious side effects. Of course, it should be noted that there is still some risk of total vision lose in laser eye treatment but the risks are quite minimal and it all comes down to the experience and expertise of the eye surgeon handling the operation. Over-all, manual eye surgery may contain more inherent risks than laser eye surgery.
If you are seriously contemplating the idea of getting a laser eye surgery, price should be the least of your worries. In any case, many clinics offering LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) and PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) surgery, then you need to consider some of the more important factors such as the risks and complications of laser eye surgery as well as the competence of the person who will administer the operation.
First of all, you should distinguish PRK from LASIK surgery. LASIK is generally the more popular alternative between the two types of laser surgery treatment options. This is because LASIK surgery involves a lot less discomfort on the part of the patient and boasts a much more rapid recovery time h2wen compared to PRK. LASIK is actually the forerunner of the much older PRK surgery. There is one huge difference between PRK and LASIK surgery and this is in the way the corneal epithelium is dealt with. In LASIK surgery, a surgical knife is used to make a corneal flap prior to the surgery. The flap heals within a few hours after the surgical process. In PRK surgery, the corneal epithelium is completely removed and must be given time to grow back.
Some of the complications associated with laser eye treatment include temporary blindness, halos and failed surgery that may require another surgery to correct.