Lasik Eye Surgery Complications

Lasik Eye Surgery Complications

What are some of the possible complications of Lasik eye surgery?

Undercorrection – this occurs when the expected vision correction falls short of the desired outcome. This occurs more commonly with patients who have a high degree of nearsightedness (only objects close up are clear), farsightedness (only objects far away are clear) or astigmatism (images both far and near are distorted). Why? There is more laser corneal sculpting that needs to occur with patients having higher degrees of vision imperfection. When choosing your Lasik eye surgeon, it’s important to ask them what percentage of their patients need retreatment for undercorrection. This should be something that they are willing to freely discuss with you. If not, walk away! This is not to be confused with a planned slight undercorrection for nearsighted patients over forty years old which aids their reading vision. But this is something that you and your Lasik eye surgeon would have discussed before your surgery.

Overcorrection – this complication occurs less frequently than undercorrection and results when the amount of correction (corneal laser sculpting) exceeds what is planned. Slight overcorrection can be temporary and may resolve itself in the first month following Lasik eye surgery. Patients can manage slight overcorrections by wearing glasses until their vision resolves. Some patients with overcorrection may need additional Lasik eye surgery 3 to 6 months following their first surgery.

Dry Eye – many Lasik eye surgery patients may experience the feeling of ‘grittiness’ in their eyes following surgery. This condition usually resolves itself in 3 to 6 months and may be helped by using lubricating eye drops. Patients using birth control pills and patients going through menopause may experience this condition more often. If ‘dry eye’ continues beyond 6 months, your Lasik eye surgeon may recommend blocking your tear ducts with tiny silicon plugs to prevent tears from draining away too quickly.

Corneal abrasion – a small percentage of Lasik eye surgery patients may develop a small corneal abrasion (scrape) caused by the microkeratome (instrument used to create corneal flap) used during surgery. This abrasion is generally not serious and will heal quickly. Your Lasik eye surgeon may temporarily place a thin bandage contact lens on your eye to promote healing. While your abrasion is healing, your vision will be blurry.

Night glare – this annoying condition may not affect your vision clarity but patients may see halos or ghosting of images at night during the first month following surgery. Night glare generally improves in 3 months and often disappears within 6 months. Patients with large pupils and more severe vision impairment may be more prone to night glare.

Corneal flap complication – this occurs when the corneal flap is too small, too thin or is an irregular shape. In some cases the corneal flap may shift slightly following surgery if a patient rubs their eyes during the first 6 hours after surgery. If the flap does shift, ‘wrinkles’ can form causing distorted vision. A second procedure may be necessary to ‘smooth out’ the wrinkles and improve vision.

Infection – although this is the most feared complication of Lasik eye surgery patients, it is extremely rare. If your eye is going to become infected, chances are it will happen in the first 72 hours following surgery and will be treated with antibiotic eye drops. For this reason it is very important to avoid eye makeup, hot tubs and swimming pools for at least the first week following Lasik eye surgery.

The risks of Lasik eye surgery are low with an experienced Lasik eye surgeon but you need to be aware of possible complications prior to surgery. Your Lasik eye surgeon should freely discuss all possible complications of Lasik eye surgery prior to surgery. Do everything you can to put your eyes in the best possible hands.

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Overview Of Plastic Surgery

Overview Of Plastic Surgery

If you are considering surgery to change your appearance, you should know about plastic surgery from both a historical and current point of view.

Overview of Plastic Surgery

As an elective surgery, plastic surgery often doesn’t get the objective coverage it should. Proponents crow about the positive effects while critics argue the opposite. Rarely does either group actually quote any undisputables about plastic surgery. Well, we do in this article.

Plastic surgery has a long history. Susrutha, an Indian surgeon, is the first known plastic surgeon, providing nose reconstruction services in the 8th century BC. The Romans were known to perform plastic surgery procedures to alter the appearance of ears. John P. Mettauer is generally agreed to be the first plastic surgeon in the United States, practicing in the 1820s. Plastikos is the base word for plastic surgery, meaning to mold something in Greek.

In more modern times, plastic surgery has come on strong as a method for changing appearances. The most common procedures with most popular first are liposuction, breast surgery, nose reshaping, eyelid lifts, tummy tucks and facelifts. In the last ten years, the number of plastic surgery procedures has quadrupled as the specialty has gained greater acceptance and publicity on television shows.

When one thinks about plastic surgery, most assume it is women having their appearances modified. In general, this is true. Roughly 80 percent of all plastic surgery patients are women, but the demographic is starting to change. While 20 percent of patients are now men, the figure is growing. Like women, men seek liposuction, nose reshaping, tummy tucks, and lifts. No, they don’t go in for breast enlargements, although breast reductions are growing in popularity.

Somewhat controversial, teenagers are getting plastic surgery in growing numbers. Individuals under 18 most often focus on procedures related to the skin, with skin peels and microdermabrasion procedures accounting for more than half of all procedures.

Historically, plastic surgery was a relatively uncommon procedure. As this overview reveals, media exposure and lower prices mean that is simply no longer the case.

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Plastic Surgery Through The Ages

 

Plastic Surgery Through The Ages

Plastic surgery has become massively popular with television shows and celebrities getting improvements right and left. You might be wondering about plastic surgery, specifically where it came from.

Plastic Surgery Through the Ages

To start off, plastic surgery is term used to describe a surgical procedure to modify a normal part of your body for an aesthetic purpose. It is almost always a voluntary surgery and should not be confused with reconstructive surgery which is usually undertaken to fix an abnormal part of the body caused by disease, trauma and so on.

The term plastic surgery has nothing to do with the material known as plastic. Instead, it derives from the Greek language, much as many modern medical terms do. Plastikos means to mold or shape something in Greek, which roughly translates plastic surgery as meaning a molding surgery. If you think about it, this is a very exact terminology since it is exactly what happens.

Plastic surgery is, to the surprise of many, not a modern medical procedure. While techniques are certainly advanced these days, the basic surgical premise is known to have existed since the eight century BC. Susrutha, an Indian surgeon, was known to undertake skin grafts during this period. He was also known to do nose reconstruction, which may sound odd until you realize nose amputation was a common penalty for certain crimes during that period. Ouch!

As seems to be the case with any discussion of the ancient past, the Romans also made advances in plastic surgery. They were known to perform plastic surgery to repair defects of the ear, or at least perceived defects.

Throughout the centuries, plastic surgery existed but was less common. It was not until the last two centuries that it started to gain in both popularity and occurrence. John P. Mettauer is generally considered the first plastic surgeon in the United States, and practiced in the 1820 to 1840s. He was renowned for designing his own instruments, many which form the basis of modern surgical instruments associated with plastic surgery.

Although plastic surgery has always had a place in the medical profession, its position as a popular procedure is relatively recent.

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