Common Causes of Presbyopia

The exact causes of presbyopia are not completely known, but it is believed to be a part of the natural aging process. This condition is characterized by an inability to focus on objects which are nearby which results from stiffening of the human lens which makes it difficult for the lens to change shape as necessary to focus on objects which are near.

Presbyopia can be diagnosed with a simple eye exam, but most patients can easily recognize the symptoms of this condition. Patients who begin to have difficulty reading because the words appear blurred, have difficulty reading at night or experience discomfort, fatigue or headaches when doing work requiring them to focus on near objects or words should consult their eye doctor for an evaluation.

Restrictions After Bladeless Laser Surgery

If you choose to have Intralase, or bladeless laser surgery, there are certain restrictions for after the procedure that you need to be aware of including:

-You must not wear any eye makeup for three days following the procedure.

-You must not go swimming for two weeks after the procedure.

-You should not rub your eyes for two weeks following the procedure.

-You need to wear sports goggles for one month after surgery when participating in contact sports.

-You will need to use eye drops to prevent infection for one week after the surgery.

-You will most likely see your eye surgeon for check-up's one day after the surgery, one week after the surgery and three months after the surgery.

The above restrictions are typically standard protocol for an eye surgeon to follow after Intralase. Your surgeon may not follow each timeline. It is best to discuss any restrictions with your eye surgeon prior to having the bladeless LASIK procedure done.

What to Expect After PRK Surgery

Most doctors advise taking a few days off from work after PRK eye surgery. You'll also be advised to avoid strenuous exercise for up to a week, as this could get in the way of your healing.

You will wear a special "bandage" contact lens for a few days, and will need to use eye drops for several weeks. It may be several days before you can drive, and you may experience some pain or discomfort, controllable with over-the-counter medication.

It's a good idea to have someone available to drive you home from the surgery and back for the first one or two follow-up exams. Some patients have also reported that right after the surgery they are unable to see well enough to take their medications, so those who live alone may want to enlist some help for those first couple of days until they can see well enough to care for themselves.

Pilots and LASEK

You want to get rid of glasses because it doesn't fit with your lifestyle. Maybe you're a commercial pilot and have developed thin corneas as well as myopia. Can you have LASEK to save your career?

All aviation professionals would argue that, LASEK vs. LASIK debates aside, you need to fully heal before you can fly. Also, if you're hoping for 20/20 vision, aim higher: Pilots need 20/16 or 20/10 vision. Fortunately, with custom LASIK, LASEK and the new Wavefront-guided lasers, you have a good chance of achieving 20/16 or even 20/10 vision.

Some LASEK eye surgery patients, or pilots who have had PRK, complain of reduced vision in low light conditions. Still, if you hope to pilot an F-16, you're better off having LASEK eye surgery than LASIK, since Uncle Sam won't allow LASIK patients to fly--the exception is Wavefront LASIK.

Remember, healing takes longer with LASEK and PRK than LASIK. The military and the airlines won't let you fly until you've been fully healed, so you may just have to watch "Top Gun" while your eyes are healing for several months--you have to submit an FAA form after three months. For more information, contact your recruiter or the FAA, www.faa.gov.

Qualifications for Custom LASIK

There are several conditions which make it impossible for a patient to receive the benefits of custom LASIK.

Because the custom surgery can involve removing more tissue than standard LASIK, patients with thin corneas may not be eligible for wavefront-guided LASIK surgery. In addition, those with strong nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, as well as those with especially large pupils, may be discouraged from having this surgery.

If you are seeking monovision treatment for presbyopia, you will be better off with standard LASIK treatment, since current lasers cannot perform the undercorrection required for proper monovision.

If you have few higher-order aberrations and meet the other guidelines for refractive surgery candidates, the benefit of custom LASIK may not be worth the cost for you. You may wish to get more than one eye surgeon's opinion before making this choice.

Types of Eye Care Specialists

It is important when looking for an eye care specialist that you find the right kind of specialist for your specific eye need(s). Not all types of eye doctors are allowed to perform eye surgeries and not all eye specialists are considered doctors. This list should help clear up any confusion over what type of eye doctor you are looking for.

Ophthalmologist: This type of eye doctor specializes in surgical care of your eyes. If you are looking for laser eye surgery, this is the type of eye doctor you should talk to. They also treat and care for diseases of the eye. In addition to undergraduate school, an ophthalmologist has attended four years of medical school, one year of an internship and three or more years of specialized medical and surgical training in the care of eyes.

Optometrists: An optometrist is an eye doctor who will provide you with complete care of your eye needs, such as glasses, contacts, and eye exams. Typically, an optometrist will recommend you to an ophthalmologist for laser eye surgery. Optometrists do not attend medical school, however they do attend undergraduate school and then four years of training at an accredited college of optometry.

Opticians: Opticians manufacture and customize your glasses or contact lenses to fill prescriptions written by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Opticians typically have a two-year technical degree.

Orthoptists: An orthoptist work with patients who have problems with crossed eyes.

Ocularists: Ocularists will make and fit artificial eyes for people.