It is thought that half the population wears glasses or contact lenses to help correct their vision. Modern technology however is beginning to make an impact even in this area of life.

For instance, one of the growing alternatives to wearing visual devices is laser treatment such as LASIK surgery.

The thought of laser treatment however can and does put people off but, it seems modern techniques can now correct a person’s vision without pain.

What is LASIK surgery?

The term LASIK is an acronym referring to laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. The idea behind the treatment is to cut the cornea to create a flap. This allows for the surgeon to alter the curvature of the eye depending on whether the person is near-sighted or long-sighted, or suffers from astigmatism.

In doing so the cornea is re-shaped allowing light coming into the eye to be better focused by the retina.

The treatment itself takes approximately 15 minutes for each eye. Patients are advised not to exercise for about a week to allow the eye to settle.

While LASIK treatment works and is a relatively simple procedure, it is nevertheless a medical procedure. As such, patients should still take care and follow the advice given to them by the surgeon.

Moreover, patients should also be aware that while most people gain 20/20 vision after treatment this is not guaranteed, and shouldn’t be thought of as such.

Further, LASIK treatment is not suitable for everyone. For instance, it is not generally thought suitable for people with particular eye disorders or with disorders that can affect the eye, such as diabetes.

While this is not prescriptive, it is advisable to contact the appropriate eye specialist before embarking on the treatment.

Although LASIK surgery is growing in popularity, along with many other forms of cosmetic surgery, it isn’t cheap.

So, while a useful addition to helping people improve their vision, as always it is not something that should be jumped at without proper thought and consultation.