10 Reasons Why You Can Trust LASIK
If you wear glasses or contacts in order to have the vision you need to function in life, at some point you have probably wondered about LASIK vision correction. The laser vision correction option is an excellent alternative that delivers great vision that is always immediately available, from the moment you wake up to the minute you fall asleep (without having to take out your contacts first – BONUS). Are you weighing your options when it comes to managing your vision issues? Do you wonder if you can trust LASIK for your vision? The answer is YES!
Here are ten reasons why LASIK is a procedure you can trust:
- It is extremely safe. Safer, in fact, than long-term contact lens wear where the risk of infection is actually pretty high.
- The computer-guided lasers used in LASIK are extremely precise and accurate. The femtosecond laser pulses at one quadrillionth of a second to create microscopic cavities within the cornea with very low energy and without any damage to the surrounding tissue. Those microscopic cavities form the flap in the first step of the procedure. The excimer laser is a cool, ultraviolet light beam that safely reshapes the cornea by removing microscopic layers of tissue to improve the eye’s focus.
- It is Space Age science. One of the key LASIK technologies – the eye-tracking system – was originally developed for the NASA Space Shuttle’s autonomous satellite docking capabilities.
- Speaking of the space program, today’s astronaut candidates can have LASIK to ensure their visual acuity meets NASA’s qualifications. When you think about the rigors of space travel, you can be assured that NASA has put LASIK to the test to make sure it has the right stuff for its astronauts.
- It has been around for a long time. 20 years and 19.1 million procedures in the U.S. with the highest patient satisfaction rate of any elective procedure (hovering around 96 percent) – this simply wouldn’t be the case if LASIK were anything other than safe.
- It backed by an enormous amount of research. There are more than 7,000 peer-reviewed clinical studies on LASIK performance, safety, and outcomes published in reputable scientific journals around the world. It is this robust body of scientific evidence that supports the laser vision correction procedure’s tremendous popularity.
- LASIK surgeons are 5x more likely to have it done than anyone else. LASIK is so safe and effective that most LASIK surgeons who themselves are candidates for vision correction have it done.
- More than 91 percent of LASIK surgeons have either recommended it or performed it on an immediate family member. When a doctor wants a member of their own family to have it done, you know in his/her expert medical opinion LASIK not only effective, is safe.
- Fighter pilots, sharpshooters, professional athletes, and emergency first responders have extremely high demands for sharp vision at the ready without the barriers or compromises presented by glasses or contact lenses which is why you often see news stories about these professionals choosing LASIK.
- When choosing where to go for a laser vision correction procedure, it is always recommended to seek out a highly qualified refractive surgeon. Why? In short, a huge investment of time and energy is required to become a skilled ophthalmologist specializing in vision correction procedures to earn your trust and confidence to do what is right for you and your vision. These surgeons have up to five years of specialized training on the anatomy, health, and treatment of the eye; this in addition to the four years spent getting their medical degree. These men and women have dedicated up to a decade of their lives studying medicine, the eye, and surgical techniques. Many refractive surgeons complete even more training on various technologies and conduct research into new and improved treatments for eye and vision issues.
So, there you have it: 10 reasons why LASIK is a vision correction procedure you can trust and an excellent option for your vision correction. And here is one more: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has evaluated and approved LASIK for safety and efficacy. But is LASIK right for you? The only way to know for certain is to have a thorough eye exam with a highly qualified refractive surgeon who can then give you a recommendation about your specific candidacy for the procedure.