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Being a contact lens wearer can be quite a hassle. You have to buy, maintain and replace your contacts plus have annual eye tests. If you’re looking for an alternative you may find that either a 30-day contact lens is the solution or you may find that corrective eye surgery is the only way forward. Although both methods are great, they also have some disadvantages. So make sure you understand the pros and cons of each before you make a decision.

Advantages of 30-day Continuous Wear Contact Lenses

Quick - You will notice an improvement in your vision the moment you place the contacts in. If you find them at all uncomfortable it’s probably because you’ve been given the wrong prescription. All you have to do to rectify the problem is to go back to your optician.

Low Cost - These lenses do not cost a fortune and there’s no need to take out a loan to finance them. When you have worn them for 30 days all you have to do is dispose of them and buy new ones. This means you won’t have to have so much in the way of cleaning products. However it’s still recommended that you keep a bottle of cleaner to hand.

New Technology - The silicone hydrogel which is used to make these lenses are much more efficient at allowing oxygen into the eye. Your eyes will stay much healthier and irritation-free.

If a recent eye examination shows you need to change your prescription this is a very easy process.

Disadvantages of 30-day Continuous Wear Contact Lenses

Even though technology has come a long way, you may find that sleeping with your contact lenses in is a bit uncomfortable. If this is the case they may not be the best choice. You also have an increased chance of getting an infection if lenses are worn while you sleep.

Because your eyes can change over the years it’s strongly advisable to keep going for annual eye examinations to make sure your prescription is still valid.

Advantages of LASIK Eye Surgery

Success rates are now very high for LASIK operations. Technology, training and experience have improved a great deal over the years. In most cases people completely restore their vision to 20/20 or even better. The results are also long-lasting.

The results you get from LASIK are pretty much immediate and a lot of patients can drive home after the operation.

Disadvantages of LASIK eye surgery

Costs are significant with surgery. It costs generally around $2,000 an eye so you may have to take out a loan. Talk to your surgeon to see if there are any financing options available.

Like any other surgery, LASIK is not guaranteed and mistakes can, and sometimes do, happen. Some patients don’t see improvements or suffer side effects such as the appearance of spots, glare and dry eyes.

Also some people aren’t eligible for surgery because the health of their eyes aren’t up to scratch or they are generally not in good health.

Although surgery is long lasting, you may still need to wear prescription glasses in years to come as presbyopia becomes an issue.

Also make sure you attend regular eye examinations.

About the author: April has written a number of articles relating to eye surgery and eye health on website www.dneyes.com, such as: Epi-LASIK eye surgery and LASEK eye surgery.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

If you’re looking for the most advanced type of eye procedure then check out Epi-LASIK. It takes the best of LASIK surgery and combines it with LASEK and PRK. Basically the procedure involves separating the epithelial from the cornea. Instead of slicing the top of the cornea, an epikeratome is used to create the hinge.

Typically people who opt for this type of eye corrective surgery have a very thin cornea and have either moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Like the other types of laser eye surgery, vision is corrected with the use of laser beams that re-shape the cornea.

What are the Benefits of Epi-LASIK?

The main benefits of Epi-LASIK is the time taken to recover and the speed in which vision is restored. Since the cornea isn’t cut with a sharp blade known as a microkeratome, the cornea doesn’t need to heal. Also because only a thin layer of the epithelial is separated it can heal very quickly. Risk of incorrectly cutting the cornea also is not a problem. So the potential of losing your vision does not exist. The pain is less too.

Although Epi-LASIK is relatively risk-free there is still the potential of problems occurring. However if you find a good surgeon who conducts a thorough diagnostic test, these risks should be very minimal indeed.

Like other laser eye surgery procedures, the Epi-LASIK operation will only take 10 minutes or less to complete. In order to reduce any pain experienced, anesthetic drops are placed into your eye. Then the epithelial is moved so the laser can do its job.

Whilst the operation is being conducted, your eye needs to be stabilized with special equipment. The epithelium separator then passes across the eye to flatten the cornea making it easier to separate the epithelial. It does not stay completely; instead it keeps attached in the middle as apposed to the side which is what happens with LASIK.

To remove unwanted tissue from the cornea, a laser emits pulses of UV light. The procedure continues until the correct amount of tissue is removed. Afterwards, antibiotic drops are placed in the eye to prevent infection and a bandage similar to a contact lens is put in place. Those choosing the Epi-LASIK procedure can usually continue normal life the day after the procedure. You will then require several follow-up visits to keep a check on the healing progress and your vision.

Be very careful when choosing your Epi-LASIK eye surgeon. Find out as much as you can about their experience with this particular type of procedure along with success rates. You will also want to know what level of care you will receive before, during and after the operation. Plus of course all the associated costs.

About the author: April has written a number of articles relating to eye health including: LASEK laser surgery and LASIK laser surgery.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

If you take the time to read any of the message boards or chat rooms on the Internet about Lasik surgery, you will wonder how anyone could get the courage to schedule a Lasik procedure, and why on earth they would want it. The various Lasik clinics sound anywhere from impersonal to something similar to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, and the Lasik procedure itself sounds, well, surreal. It seems like the only people that would get Lasik are those with such bad vision that they cannot get out of bed without their glasses on.

Well, let me give you my story of how I chose Lasik. First of all, my vision is not good, but not terrible either. I can actually go to movies and see well enough to enjoy the film without glasses, but I need glasses to drive in order to read the street signs far enough away to act on the information. So for me, Lasik was not necessary, but I figured would simplify my life. I am outdoors very frequently, backpacking, climbing hills, and mountain biking. Glasses do not last long with me, and I am frequently grinding into the dirt which is not the best situation for contact lenses. For these reasons, Lasik looked very appealing.

The paragraph above might make you think I am a “manly guy” (hope so, think so!), so why on earth would I be afraid of a little Lasik scalpel? OK, technically Lasik does NOT use a scalpel but rather a “microkeratome blade”, but it is still a sharp object approaching my eye as part of the Lasik procedure. Nowadays Lasik physicians can get a laser to cut the flap in the eye, which is more than a little better than a sharp blade. But anyway, I had too many spills in my life to think any sharp object nearing my eye was a good idea, even under the skilled hands of a Lasik physician.

After talking with three (yes, three!) independent Lasik physicians, they each assured me that a 28 year old guy in nearly perfect health (OK, I exaggerate a bit) with moderate nearsightedness was one of the very best candidates for a successful Lasik procedure. I decided to schedule my Lasik procedure with the one that had the best track record, and coincidentally took the most time to explain everything about Lasik to me.

The Lasik surgery was not painful, though I accepted nearly everything they offered to give me comfort, including a sedative and a teddy bear. (I even went back to take a picture of me and the Lasik comforting teddy bear.) The only strange thing I remember about the Lasik procedure itself was a smell, something vaguely like hair burning. I suppose that was my eye. I am kind of glad they didn’t tell me to expect that before the Lasik procedure, I am not sure I would have gone in.

After a few years, I guess I was a nearly perfect Lasik client, as my eyes now have 20/20 vision and have remained stable long after the Lasik operation. I say that if you are a good candidate for a Lasik vision correction procedure, grab that teddy bear and go on in.

About the author: David Riewe is the Editor of Daves Health Buzz. Daves Health Buzz covers a wide variety of health and wellness related topics. Visit Daves Health Buzz for the latestLasik Eye Surgery information
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com