LASIK Eye Surgery in Houston, TX
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. LASIK is the most common form of laser eye surgery and is the best option for a majority of patients who have nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and even astigmatism.
This laser vision correction procedure provides the ability for a patient to eliminate or reduce their dependence on glasses or contacts worn to correct a refractive error.
At Le Eye Institute, Dr. Hung Le only performs 100% bladeless LASIK as it allows more patients to be candidates for LASIK and facilitates quick recovery. “Bladeless LASIK” or all-laser LASIK uses cool pulses of light emitted by a femtosecond laser to create the flap instead of the bladed microkeratome.
What are the Benefits of Getting LASIK?
People get LASIK because they want to see better without wearing glasses or contacts. Active individuals appreciate not worrying about glasses or contact mishaps on-the-go. Often, people who have LASIK gain 20/20 vision and can see clearly for 20 feet.
After this procedure, you won’t have to worry about updating or replacing expensive eyeglass frames or contact prescriptions.
When Should You Get LASIK?
People ages 20 to 40 are the best candidates for LASIK. By this time, your eyes are no longer developing, which means they are more stable. This also means you have less of a chance of needing a repeat procedure to adjust for any age-related vision changes.
LASIK works best on healthy eyes with refractive errors like slight near- or far-sightedness. People with severe refractive errors are not usually good candidates for LASIK. They may prefer visual aids like glasses and contacts.
LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce a person’s dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This procedure uses high-accuracy pulses of light to reshape the surface of the cornea (the lens on the front of the eye).
LASIK can correct most common eye conditions: nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism – allowing a majority of patients to achieve 20/20 vision or better.
Nearsightedness is also known as myopia. In the most simplistic sense, it means it is harder to see further away than it is up close.
Farsightedness is also known as hyperopia. Very simply, closer images are harder to focus on than objects at a distance, but it very much can affect both.
Astigmatism is always the most confusing one to understand. It is not a disease of the eye, but like myopia and hyperopia is another type of ‘refractive error’ of the eye. In astigmatism, the front of the eye, or the lens of the eye, has a different curvature – often likened to a football. People who have simple nearsightedness, farsightedness, or no refractive error at all, have one point that the images enter the eye focus at. In astigmatism, there are now two or multiple focal points that result in a distorted vision.
- Are your eyes healthy?
i.e. no conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, etc. Your eyes must be healthy. If you have any condition that will affect how your eyes respond to surgery or the healing process, you must wait until that condition has totally healed. Conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma may disqualify you immediately. - Are you over 18 years of age?
You must be an adult – 18 years or older to qualify. - Has your prescription changed in the last year?
You must have stable vision for at least one year. Many young adults experience changes in their prescriptions, and should wait until their eyes have “settled” into one prescription. - Are you pregnant or nursing?
If you are pregnant or nursing, certain hormonal changes will affect your eyes. Surgery should not be performed until your hormones have “normalized” after pregnancy. - Do you have any degenerative or autoimmune diseases?
Degenerative or autoimmune diseases are disqualifiers, too. If your body has any trouble healing, this will negatively affect the outcome of refractive surgery.
Like many things, prices vary when it comes to Laser Vision Correction.
While it does sound tempting to look for the lowest price for LASIK eye surgery, you will want to beware of extremely low costs.
On the low end are ‘bait-and-switch’ gimmicks designed to lure patients into calling with the intention of up-selling to a higher priced option. The promise of low-cost LASIK will often come with additional fees, an inexperienced surgeon, or an older LASIK technology. If the price for LASIK looks too good to be true, it likely is too good to be true. On the high end are surgeons that price services as a premium for ‘celebrity’ status or to reassure patients they are paying for the ‘best’.
Head into your first LASIK eye surgery appointment prepared with a list of questions. Ask the questions below so you can make a well-informed decision about your investment in laser vision correction:
1. What is included in the LASIK eye surgery cost?
2. What is not included in the LASIK eye surgery cost?
3. Am I being quoted the cost of correction for one eye or two eyes?
4. How many additional medical appointments will be required and is the cost of the follow-up medical visits included in the initially quoted cost?
5. Will the quoted LASIK cost include prescription medications?
Le Eye Institute provides services at a cost that allows us to offer the industry’s best equipment and to spend the time necessary to ensure predictable results. To help those that want the best results possible, but need financial assistance, we offer 2-year, interest-free financing for qualified applicants. Monthly payments are as low as $150 per month which is about the cost of a cup of coffee a day.
A Lifetime Investment
Most vision insurance plans do not cover Laser Vision Correction because it is considered a cosmetic procedure.
However, laser vision correction could be significantly less expensive than wearing glasses and contact lenses over a 20-year period — plus you’ll have the chance to see clearly without the hassle of corrective lenses.
In short, no — most patients feel little or no pain throughout their procedure. However, keep in mind that there is no guaranteed level of comfort for a LASIK procedure. You will be pleased to know:
During surgery, most patients only feel slight pressure while some patients even report not feeling a thing.
Valium will help calm your nerves.
Following LASIK surgery, many patients experience mild irritation for a several hours. Dr. Hung Le’s skill combined with the quality of our advanced lasers help ensure a nearly painless experience and fast recovery time.
Before a LASIK procedure, you will need to have an eye evaluation to determine which LASIK procedure is best for you. The evaluation will usually include the following:
- Testing your vision
- Mapping the shape of your cornea
- Screening for eye disease
- Eye measurements
Keep in mind that you may be asked not to wear contact lenses for up to two weeks prior to your eye evaluation. This will help your eyes return to their natural shape. It is also common that you will be asked to not wear contacts for up to two weeks before the actual LASIK procedure.
Not every patient is a candidate for LASIK. Patients with thin corneas, progressive ectasia, scars, irregular astigmatism, and a few other pathologies are ineligible. Dr. Hung Le can determine if you are a suitable candidate during the free screening examination.
The LASIK procedure itself may be quick, typically lasting less than 30 minutes. In the case of procedures using WaveLight® LASIK technology with CONTOURA® Vision, it could take as little as 10 minutes per eye. The entire experience, from the time you walk in the door to the time you walk out, may only take up to two hours for most patients.
It varies from procedure to procedure, but you can usually expect the following:
- Anesthetic drops will be placed in each eye
- You will lie down on a patient bed under the laser system
- You will be asked to focus on a small blinking light
- Dr. Hung Le will use the laser to create a thin flap of the top layer of the cornea
- Pulses of laser energy will precisely reshape your cornea
- The flap is then laid back into place acting as a natural bandage
Recovering from LASIK is typically quick and easy. Anyone who gets a LASIK procedure can have a different recovery experience. Many people are able to return to work the very next day. Others might experience a few minor side effects, such as watery or red eyes for a few days.
As with any procedure, there is a risk of complications with LASIK, including the possibility of an under correction or over correction. The risks should be discussed with Dr. Hung Le before you undergo the procedure.
While LASIK is one form or technique of laser vision correction, there are differences in the way the epithelial flap can be created during the LASIK procedure.
In LASIK, Dr. Le creates a flap on the surface area of your cornea using a Femtosecond Laser. Dr. Le then lifts the flap and folds it out of the way of the second laser.
He then applies an ultraviolet “cold” laser, called an excimer laser, to the inner corneal surface correcting the vision problems by reshaping the cornea with that laser beam. By reshaping this layer, it allows the eye to focus clearly. After the laser treatment finishes, Dr. Le re-positions the flap.
LASIK makes permanent changes to your cornea by reshaping it. However, while uncommon, there have been cases of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism returning. This is because LASIK does not prevent the eye from aging as time goes on. If this does happen to you, you can safely have a second LASIK procedure to correct any vision issues should they arise.
