As you get older, you’re expected to figure out life and start doing “adult” things: pay rent, grocery shop for yourself, do your own laundry, and a whole lot more. Give it a few years, and you’ll likely look back and wish you’d done a few things differently – having great eyesight from the jump could certainly help with that, though.
If you’ve ever been to an eye doctor or have glasses and contact lenses, you have probably heard of LASIK. As a commonly practiced procedure for several decades, you might even know someone who has had LASIK. But what is it?
The 10-minute surgery – seriously, just 10 minutes! – was approved by the FDA nearly 30 years ago, and Eau Claire LASIK’s Dr. Lee Hofer has been performing it for about 27 years. Since then, he has completed nearly 45,000 LASIK procedures on people as young as 20 up to their 60s and older.
Dr. Hofer explained the process from consult to surgery to post-op, noting that 98% of people who get LASIK have crystal-clear results. “It’s a remarkable, quick procedure that really has little to no pain associated,” he said.
Though originally practiced by using a mechanized microscopic blade on the cornea, LASIK technology has evolved to use an incredibly accurate and faster method: lasers.
“The lasers are basically reshaping your cornea,” Dr. Hofer explained. “They’re very fast and have cameras that can lock onto the landmarks of your iris and follow the movement of the eye, the laser essentially making a contact lens in your cornea.”
And don’t worry: if you accidentally move during the surgery, the laser automatically stops. Once you reposition with the doctor’s assistance, the procedure can pick right back up.
“I would never want to project that everyone needs LASIK, but it really is an incredible thing that someone can come here, lay down for the procedure, and 10 minutes later, get up, walk out, and be on their way to better vision because of it.”
Dr. Lee Hofer
“After the procedure, your vision is blurry like you’re swimming underwater with your eyes open,” Dr. Hofer said. “That lasts about four hours before settling down. Prior to that, your eyes will feel gritty like there’s something little in them.”
Patients will have artificial tear drops put into their eyes about two hours after leaving the office and a second set of medicated drops about four hours after that. Then, you’re onto the settling in and healing process, within the same day.
Of course, before heading into the Eau Claire LASIK office for the 10-minute procedure, you’ll have to find out if you’re eligible. For those who have been seeing an eye doctor regularly, your eyesight history will reveal details that determine if you can get LASIK.
Some people may not be eligible for it, whether it’s because their cornea is too thin, high refraction error, or have had disease or other incidents involving your eyes.
“20- to 21-year-olds are usually when we start (considering LASIK) because by that time, the growth of the eye itself has mostly stabilized. That’s why it’s important to have a record of your refraction – your glasses or contact lens prescription – so we know how much variation there has been and if it’s stable,” Dr. Hofer explained.
Like any kind of health-related decision, LASIK is an individual choice, and those who choose to get it have a range of reasons for doing so. For some, it’s occupational: you’re on the go or traveling enough where it’s a nuisance to lug around contact lenses, solution, glasses, and more; you’re an avid outdoorsman who could do without the risk of losing glasses or a contact falling out; you’re law enforcement or emergency services; a parent; simply wanting to wake up and head out the door; the list goes on.
But first thing’s first: find out if you’re a candidate for LASIK by having scans done, either by your own eye doctor or at Eau Claire LASIK. Initial scans typically take around 20 minutes, and if you’re deemed a candidate for LASIK, you can make an appointment at Eau Claire LASIK within one week to have the procedure done!
“I’m at the point of (giving LASIK to) a few grandchildren of the first patients I did, which is pretty amazing,” Dr. Hofer said. “I would never want to project that everyone needs LASIK, but it really is an incredible thing that someone can come here, lay down for the procedure, and 10 minutes later, get up, walk out, and be on their way to better vision because of it.”
Among the hurdles you often jump in day-to-day life, especially as an adult, your eyesight shouldn’t be one of them. Learn more about LASIK today and move into the future with crystal clear vision, at Eau Claire LASIK.
