Laser vision correction – an investment you certainly won’t regret

Despite the fact that many people would like to improve their eyesight quickly, there is still a lot of resistance to investing in laser eye surgery. There’s a reason we use the word “investment” – Poles rarely see treating themselves and improving their well-being as an investment. If we are already talking about money (although, after all, in the case of health, the word investment has a much broader meaning), medical expenses are perceived as a loss, a break in the household budget, rather than as a long-term investment with a high, often even 100 percent, rate of return.

Laser vision correction is one such investment with a high rate of return.

Patients point to two main reasons that keep them from laser surgery: the cost of the procedure and fear of the surgery itself and complications.

Indeed, laser vision correction is not cheap. Hardly surprising: it is, after all, a series of procedures and methods that take place using state-of-the-art, highly sophisticated technological equipment. None of us would want a procedure that involves correcting/treating one of the most complex organs in the body, which is also one of our most precious senses, to take place with just any device. If you are hoping for a procedure that is as comfortable, safe and effective as possible, you understand that only a highly trained and experienced refractive surgeon using state-of-the-art equipment can operate on your eyes so that everything will be fine. If someone is offering treatments at suspiciously low prices, this should arouse your vigilance. This could mean that he or she is using outdated equipment, for example.

Although many patients find the prices of treatments prohibitive, it is important to remember that in many cases installment payments are available.

It is not without significance that laser vision correction is a one-time expense. Only in really few cases is there a need to correct the defect and do the surgery again. For example, in a situation where you decided to have laser vision correction while your defect was not yet stabilized.

By the way, you just learned that in many laser methods there is the possibility of surgical re-intervention should something go wrong. So there is no fear that you will be left alone with a badly operated eye! Not only that: if you opt for laser vision correction when you’re young, years later you’ll be able to get laser treatment for presbyopia or cataracts.

The risk of complications during and after laser vision correction is lower than when one wears contact lenses on a daily basis – the number of complications is less than 1% of cases.

The course of the operation itself also has nothing to do with common perceptions. Excimer lasers and femtosecond lasers, which are responsible for correcting vision defects, belong to the group of non-thermal lasers. They provide the energy necessary to break molecular bonds, so the tissue is effectively vaporized – we get rid of it by ablation, not burning. So if the very word laser struck fear in you, you can stop spinning frightening visions now.

Laser vision correction is a short operation (a few to several minutes) and does not involve painful sensations. Depending on the method chosen, the patient may experience more or less, but short-term discomfort. None of the laser vision correction methods are associated with painful sensations AFTER the operation. In the FemtoLASIK and SMILE methods (the so-called deep methods), there may be discomfort for up to 3-4 hours, there may be tearing due to the fact that the epithelium has been incised. In the PRK/LASEK/TransPRK method, discomfort can last up to 3-4 days.

Recovery from FemtoLASIK surgery also does not take long. Most patients can return to work and normal daily activities as early as 24 hours after the procedure, but if you are concerned that you will not be able to focus on work during recovery, just take a few days off.

Bottom line: laser vision correction is a really sensible investment in your own health and everyday comfort. You gain not only freedom from glasses and contact lenses, but also the ability to play sports, drive a car after dark or pursue hobbies that require hawk-eyed vision or…. join the uniformed services.

Yes, the decision to have laser vision correction can be difficult, but once you make it, everything becomes easy – including finding a good surgeon.