laser eye surgery : Gay & Black Glossary

1. LASIK (Laser-in-Situ Keratomileusis) surgery temporarily removes a flap covering the eye then the eye is reshaped using a laser. Recovery is one day. According to the 2000 issue of Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society, LASIK is preferable to PRK (Photo-Refractive Keratectomy) except when the cornea is too thin. There is less pain, faster healing and less chance of corneal scarring.
2. PRK PRK burns off the outer layer and hence takes longer to recover. It is used when the cornea is too thin to remove a flap, or when the eye surface is irregular.
3. Refractive IOL (Intraocular Lens) is mostly non-laser procedure. Used to avoid complications, e.g. halos, from burning away too much of the eye in laser surgery for the severely myopic (over -9.5, near sighted, can only see up close) or hyperopic (far sighted, can only see far away). A surgical procedure inserts a corrective lens inside the eye to augment and correct the natural one. This is more costly than laser surgery, but the advantage is you have a better chance of full correction. It cannot correct astigmatism, but the technique is compatible with fine tuning using LASIK or PRK.

Some companies refuse to do laser eye surgery on HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) + people. I originally considered getting the procedure done myself so that I can drive without glasses, ride a bike in the rain and dance.

I currently wear bifocals that also correct for cross-eyedness. Afterwards, I will still would need glasses for reading or using my computer. It would not help the cross-eyedness. Unfortunately, it can take three months for eyes to stabilise after the procedure. I would have to make to with temporary reading lenses during that time. I would have to purchase several cheap pairs from a drugstore until my eyes settled. Since I could still not see without glasses, there is not much point.

Check carefully to see what the price includes and how much the extras are. Prices are highly influenced by local competition. Prices shown are for Vancouver. They will be higher in smaller centres.

These places sometimes go out of business overnight leaving customers stranded. Make sure they have been around a long time.