Laasik Research Paper

Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis Eye Surgery
Audience: My audience is people in their 20’s with nearsighted vision.
Purpose: My purpose is to convince people that LASIK is a healthy and safe fix to wearing glasses and contacts.

Chris Sebastian once said, “My eyes are my favorite part of me- not for how they look, but for how they see.” Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, is an eye surgery to correct vision in which a laser reshapes the inner cornea. LASIK can be an excellent option to correcting nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. Myopia and hyperopia are due to the shape of the eye being long or short, resulting in light falling too far in front or too far behind the best seeing part
of the eye, which is the macula. Astigmatism is when the front surface of the eye (the cornea) or the lens inside the eye, is curved differently in one direction than the other. Perfect, or 20/20 vision, is when the images we look at land directly on the macula. Unfortunately, LASIK eye surgery is not effective in treating presbyopia, which is caused by the natural thickening and hardening of the eye's lens. This happens to everyone in their forties and it causes the inability to focus from distance to near. Some may tell you that getting LASIK in your twenties is not recommended because you are already in so much debt.
In actuality, the money you save from getting the surgery earlier in life is substantial. LASIK cost is around $2,500 per eye, but if you think about how much you will spend on contacts and glasses throughout your life, it is well worth it (Health Care Marketing Services, LLC). On average people spend $250 on contact lenses annually and anywhere from $50 to $1,000 on one pair of glasses (Wade). People who do not wear contact lenses typically get glasses every year. Those with contact lenses get glasses every two or three years. The cost of LASIK is equivalent to about 15 years of paying for contacts and glasses. LASIK can keep your vision at 20/20 for anywhere from 25 to 30 years
(Wade). Studies show that age 21 is a reasonable age to consider LASIK. If ones prescription has been stable for at least 2 years, it is unlikely that the power will change significantly after this point. Generally speaking, your eyes are done changing at age 21 and will not change again until your early forties. With that being said, this is the most ideal time to get the surgery, because you should be glasses and contact lenses free for at least 20 years (Wade). The 20’s are generally a very active time in your life. For athletic people, LASIK is a great option. Many sports are difficult to play while wearing contact lenses or glasses. For example, you want to go swimming; if you do not have the ability to wear contacts (which are not recommended for this activity), or you can’t afford prescription goggles, you will not be able to see. Swimming blind is not very fun and can be quite dangerous. Once your vision is corrected with LASIK, you can swim as much as you want without any concern of losing a contact, spending the money on prescription goggles, or swimming into an object and seriously injuring yourself. Bringing along a back up set of glasses, making sure you have solutions and carrying case for your contacts, and always being prepared to clean your supplies can be quite demanding. If you didn't have to worry about all of this maintenance, it would make every where you go less of a hassle. The all around comfort of not having to correct your vision is much greater. Many non-LASIK patients complain of discomfort while wearing their glasses or contacts. Contacts often cause allergic reactions, itchiness, red eyes, burning, dry eyes and other irritations. Glasses can be even worse. Glasses are known to cause painful headaches because the prescription is slightly off. Also if the glasses get smudged up or scratched they can become very blurry. People who have to wear glasses often complain of pressure on the nose or behind the ears from poorly adjusted spectacles. All of these can be extremely irritating. Most patients report that their vision is much sharper after LASIK than it was before with their glasses or contact lens correction. They say they have clearer vision then they did previously with corrective eye wear. Corrective eye wear can cause glare, halos, dry eye, and bad fits. Some describe LASIK as “instant gratification”. Having glasses can be a distraction. Many times, people with glasses are teased and called names like “four eyes”. Self-esteem is increased drastically after having the LASIK surgery. You can also be hassled by people who want to try on your glasses. This is gross and unnecessary. People might also make assumptions that you are smart because you wear glasses, when in reality you just can’t see. All of these things can make the experience of wearing glasses less than ideal. The surgery usually takes under a half hours and has a very short recovery time (Wachler).
The newest technology of LASIK eye surgery is safer, more accurate, and quicker then ever before. The new treatment is called LASIK Xtra. The best part about LASIK Xtra is that it only takes 90 seconds to do the surgery (Wachler). Also, it almost completely gets rid of risk of the most common things that can go wrong in this procedure, which are corneal ectasia and regression of sight. Corneal ectasia is when the cornea bulges, resulting in loss of vision. Today, Optometrists can predict the chances that you will have a corneal ectasia, and if you have high risk, they will not let you get the surgery. If your local eye doctor senses something will go wrong when you have LASIK they will tell you, so you don't have to worry about complications. The 20’s are a great time in your life, why not make it better and get
LASIK.