You may have lost your glasses, or had problems with your contacts, for the last time. Perhaps you would simply like to get rid of your glasses, but hate the idea of putting something on your eyeball every day. You may play a sport or have a job that makes wearing glasses or contacts a problem. Whatever your reason, laser eye surgery may give you your desired relief.

Whatever your reasons you have no doubt heard about the popularity of cosmetic laser eye surgery. But you may still have questions. Is it a safe procedure? What are the risks? How much will it help your vision?

If these questions are keeping you on the fence when it comes to scheduling the surgery, getting these answers will help you finally decide if cosmetic laser eye surgery is for you.

WHAT IS LASER EYE SURGERY?

There are two common "brands" of laser eye surgery, LASIK and PRK. Both of these laser eye surgeries reshape the cornea with the laser, though they differ in the application. This helps clear up the vision, severely reducing or eliminating the need for glasses or contacts.

The PRK procedure removes the upper layer of the cornea by etching it off with the laser. The LASIK surgery cuts a flap in the eye to remove the top layer of the cornea. The end result is the same-the cornea is reshaped and changing the way the eye interprets information. Most of the post-operative symptoms are the same, however, there are some minor differences.

IS IT SAFE?

While both laser eye surgery procedures are considered low risk and can be done quickly, there are always possible complications when having any surgery performed. Your eyes are very delicate and there is no question about just how much you depend on your eyes. It is important to understand all of the potential risks - including loss of vision - that are possible.

Most patients will deal with some amount of pain or discomfort for a few days. Blurred vision and sensitivity to light are also common and usually clears in the days following surgery although some may find continued symptoms for months and even fewer may find the symptoms are permanent. Other complications (due to scarring) can potentially cause permanent damage to vision, although additional surgery can sometimes correct this.

As with all surgeries there is a potential risk of infection. It is generally advised to have each eye operated on separately instead of at the same time to reduce the chance of infection in both eyes. Most infections can be cleared with medication, especially if treated right away.

Even with laser eye surgery, it is still possible to continue to need corrective lenses, though you should be able to get by with a weaker prescription. This is due to another complication-under- or overcorrection of vision. This happens when the laser removes too much or not enough of the cornea to create perfect 20/20 vision. Under-corrected vision may be fixed with further surgery, but overcorrected vision is permanent.

As with every other surgery, you need to be able to have confidence in your surgeon. If you have any unanswered questions, do some research on your own, speak with your doctor, and continue to ask questions until you are satisfied.

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