LASIK Misconceptions/Myths

    CHICAGO, IL, May 27, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Just as most rumors are a mix of truth and fiction, so it is with LASIK surgery. LASIK has been performed for many years and was developed as an alternative to PRK. Many LASIK misconceptions and myths are distorted truths about older procedures that have been attributed to LASIK. Others are misunderstandings or distortions that originated from patients' personal experiences and generalized as being true for everyone.

You may have heard the more common misconceptions about LASIK. For instance,

- I was not eligible for LASIK in the past, so will not be now.
- There is no point in having LASIK if I still have to wear glasses afterward.
- I am an athlete (or pilot, or firefighter) and will lose my job if I have LASIK.
- My eyesight is too poor to be corrected by LASIK.
- I am too old for LASIK.
- LASIK cannot correct astigmatism.
- You can get a kit to do your own LASIK at home.

Wow! How scary is that last one? In 2006 someone put up a bogus website offering a home LASIK kit for sale by a "LASIK pioneer" - an eye surgeon practicing at a prestigious (though nonexistent) New York eye institute. The kit supposedly included a four-step "do-it-yourself" procedure that you could do in the convenience of your home.

While the common misconceptions are not quite as ludicrous, they can be equally misleading. Sadly, they can discourage many people from enjoying the benefits of improved vision through LASIK.

For example, some people who previously did not qualify for LASIK may find that things have changed for them. Their personal eye health may have changed, or advancements in current LASIK procedures may, now, deem them a good candidate.

One of the reasons athletes avoided LASIK was the possibility of dislodging the flap. Some variations of LASIK do not create a flap. The safety of LASIK and laser procedures, in general have made it an acceptable procedure for other professionals whose jobs depend upon good eyesight.

LASIK may not be a cure-all for every refractive error as there are limits to the range of errors it can correct to 20/40 or better. But, what if you could eliminate the need for glasses even just while driving or reading? Who would not love that kind of visual freedom?

There are no restrictions to LASIK based solely on age. The effects of age on LASIK eligibility are indirect and related to how aging has affected your general health, or the health of your eyes. Diseases that can impede healing affect LASIK results. Diabetes or autoimmune diseases are just two possibilities. Since these usually show up in older patients, they reinforce the myth that older patients cannot have LASIK. Other age related eye disorders, like cataracts, are treated with other procedures.

So, do not believe every street tale you hear about LASIK. As the saying goes, "Consider your sources." Make sure your sources are qualified to give you the most current facts about LASIK.

If you want accurate information about today's LASIK procedures available in Chicago, Arlington Heights or Schaumburg, Illinois, please visit the website of Doctors for Visual Freedom at www.doctorsforvisualfreedom.com and free yourself of misconceptions and myths about LASIK.

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