Scared of LASIK? Get the Facts!

If you’ve been living for years with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, constantly annoyed with contact lenses and glasses, you’ve undoubtedly heard about how LASIK can improve your vision. You may have even gone so far as having a LASIK consultation to find out that you are, indeed, a good candidate for the procedure. So why haven’t you taken the plunge and had LASIK eye surgery?

Maybe it’s the cost of the procedure (although there are excellent financing options available). But maybe you are apprehensive – scared, even – about having someone perform a procedure on your eyes. It is understandable to have anxiety about LASIK, but consider this: According to the Eye Surgery Education Council, “LASIK vision correction has the highest patient satisfaction rate of any elective surgery: 95.4%, according to a 10-year survey of scientific studies from around the world. And new advances in technology now deliver better outcomes than ever. The majority of patients enjoy 20/20 vision or better after laser vision correction. Nearly all patients achieve 20/40 or better, which is fully functional and good enough to drive legally in most states without corrective lenses.”


Other studies have shown that there are more than 700,000 LASIK procedures performed in the United States every year. Satisfied patients express feelings of amazement because they can see with clarity, first thing in the morning; play sports, swim and travel without worrying about glasses or contacts; and have clear peripheral vision.


LASIK is not something to jump into; you should take time to fully research the LASIK surgeons in your area to determine who offers the best technologies and has the best track record of success. Notice we didn’t mention finding the best price. Advances in LASIK technology have bumped up the cost of LASIK slightly, but the overall results are superior and, according to most who’ve had it, well worth the money.

You should also be fully aware of the potential complications of LASIK, which can include:

·         Dry eye syndrome

·         Possible need for glasses or contact lenses after surgery

·         Potentially debilitating vision problems like glare, starbursts, halos or double vision

·         Vision loss

If you want to find out all the facts about LASIK, contact Dr. Blanton at Inland Eye Institute to schedule a free LASIK consultation at inlandeye.com or call 909-937-9230. You can also take a free online LASIK Self-Evaluation on this website.

Potential Risks of LASIK Surgery

If you ever have a doctor tell you that there are no potential complications of LASIK, run the other way – and don’t look back! LASIK eye surgery, not unlike any type of surgery, carries with it possible risks. More than 14 million Americans have had LASIK, and if you search hard enough, you will find people who are willing to share their LASIK horror stories.

You may hear of LASIK patients who experienced:

·         Temporary vision problems and discomfort, such as light sensitivity, halos, glare, double vision or hazy vision

·         Corneal flap complications (this is the flap that is created on your cornea to allow the surgeon access to reshape your underlying corneal tissue and correct your refractive error), such as flap wrinkles, irregular healing, inflammation under the flap, epithelial ingrowth

·         Decreased tear production leading to dry eyes

·         Need for glasses after surgery due to incomplete vision correction

·         Eye infection

·         Vision loss

People who do report negative outcomes of LASIK may be the receiving end of:

·         Inferior technologies

·         Inexperienced surgeon

·         Not being a suitable candidate for LASIK in the first place

The fact is that LASIK has an overall excellent safety record and very high success rates for the majority of people who want to reverse their nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Studies in the 1990s showed that up to 5% of people who had laser vision correction had some type of problem; today this percentage is under 1% for serious complications. When you are researching different LASIK providers, be sure to ask them hard questions to find out what their LASIK success rates are. If the surgeon isn’t willing or able to provide you with a satisfactory answer, keep looking.

A LASIK Consultation will provide answers as to your candidacy for this popular procedure. Your eye health and unique vision characteristics may not be suitable for LASIK, and the Consultation is the only way to properly determine this.

Contact Inland Eye Institute  to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. You can find out if your eyes are right for the procedure and have all of your questions answered. Call 909-937-9230 or visit inlandeye.com.

Facts About LASIK Recovery

LASIK eye surgery is amazing technology that can correct a person’s nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism (the refractive errors that cause people to need prescription lenses). You can live your whole life with these refractive errors, find out you are an excellent candidate for LASIK and have the procedure done in just minutes per eye – effectively erasing the vision problems.

For most patients, the recovery period for LASIK is faster than you might think. In fact, you may be able to return to work or other normal activities the day after your procedure.

      LASIK recovery steps may include:

• Wearing dark sunglasses when you leave the office 
• Wearing a protective eye shield the first few nights to prevent rubbing while you sleep 
• Taking eye drops to moisten your eye 
• Taking antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medication 
• Resting at home for a few hours following your procedure, limiting  reading or television watching 
• Taking over-the-counter pain medications, if needed (although most patients do not experience any pain or discomfort during or after the procedure) 
• Taking a bath instead of a shower for the first 24 hours after the procedure 
• Avoiding rubbing your eyes 
• Avoiding eye makeup for several days 
• Avoiding areas that are dusty or smoky for several days 
• Avoiding alcohol consumption for 48 hours after surgery 
• Returning to your LASIK provider for a post-op appointment the day after your procedure

Because your eyes will need to relax, you cannot drive yourself home after LASIK, but you should be able to drive yourself to your post-op appointment the following day. The post-op appointment will identify any complications, such as infection, so it is important to keep your scheduled appointment to ensure your LASIK is successful.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with LASIK, including:

• Mild, moderate or severe dry eye 
• Vision problems, such as halos, glare, starbursts and double vision 
• Need for glasses or contacts after surgery 
• Loss of vision

With or without LASIK surgery, many people develop presbyopia (or the need for reading glasses) as they grow older.

To learn more about LASIK recovery and all the facts about LASIK, contact Dr. Blanton at Inland Eye Institute to schedule a free LASIK consultation at inlandeye.com or call 909-937-9230. You can also take a free online LASIK Self-Evaluation on this website.

LASIK: Good Enough for NASA

If you’re still concerned about the safety of LASIK, consider this: The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) now accepts astronaut applicants who have undergone LASIK. Many studies were done to ensure that acceptable vision quality was achieved after the procedure. There were also concerns about the stability of the corneal flap that is created for the first step of the surgery. By folding back this flap, the surgeon has access to the underlying corneal tissue to correct the nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. When the procedure is complete, the corneal flap is folded back into place so it can re-adhere.

      The extensive research showed that advanced LASIK provided excellent results:

• Corneal flap fared well in extreme conditions (especially when created with blade-free femtosecond laser technology as opposed to conventional procedures using a metal blade)
• Wavefront-guided LASIK produced superior results (this is technology that uses laser light to identify imperfections in the patient’s eye and create a 3-D map to guide the laser treatment for the most precise vision correction possible)

People in the aerospace environment benefit from being able to see without the hindrance of glasses or contacts (think about glasses floating through the air or trying to clean contacts without gravity!). LASIK has also made it possible for nearsighted people to become astronauts (this wasn’t possible in the past).

Even if you haven’t set your aspirations on being an astronaut, LASIK can open up a whole new universe of possibilities for your everyday life. Many people achieve 20/20 vision – or better – after the procedure and enjoy years of their lives without glasses or contacts.

Of course, not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK. Your corneas may be too thin, you may have medical conditions that will interfere with your healing or your vision problem may be better corrected by a different type of procedure. A quick glance won’t let you know if LASIK is right for you – you need a full eye examination. 

If you’re ready to fix your vision, visit the website of Dr. Blanton at Inland Eye Institute to schedule a LASIK Consultation. Visit inlandeye.com or call 909-937-9230 today.

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