Ask yourself these 5 questions?

1. How dependent are you on your visual aids?

Ans. By Visual aids, I mean your glasses or contact lenses. Would it make a difference in your daily routine if you did not need to reach out for your glasses or lenses? Some people may not be very dependent on these aids especially if their powers are very small. However, those with powers above -2.00 D, with/ without cylindrical powers (astigmatism) but definitely those having high powers, it  may bring great relief to undergo Laser Vision Correction procedure. Our LASIK surgeon, Dr Anand Shroff may recommend an alternative vision correction treatment, such as ICL, if your vision prescription is too high for laser procedures.

If you answered, yes you are dependent on your glasses and contact lenses and cannot function well without them- then laser eye surgery may benefit you!

 2. How active is your lifestyle for outdoor activities?

Ans. By this, I don’t restrict myself to those in sports or those who love holidays alone. I also mean those who spend a fair amount of time outside their office for any type of work, driving, field work etc. Trouble with lenses due to environmental factors like dust and pollution introduce a profile of a person who frequently suffers from red puffy, tired eyes, allergies and also eye infections. Glasses and spectacle frames need to be taken good care of, not sat upon, forgotten or broken. Today even making a new pair of glasses costs an arm and a leg! So, those who fall into this profile would benefit from getting rid of their glasses or contacts through LASIK or ReLEx smile laser procedures.

If you answered, yes, you have a fairly active outdoor lifestyle where being free from glasses and lenses would be a blessing- then laser eye surgery may benefit you!

3.  Would undergoing LASIK or smile laser procedure help your career or professional life?

Ans. In some careers such as Pilots, Police, Navy etc, visual aids such as glasses or lenses pose a risk. Glasses can fog, also break in some situations and pose a threat to sight or life if in an accident. Using lenses for long hours can lead to repeated eye infections and eye allergies and is not good for the overall health of your eye in the long run.  Those who work as architects, on oil rigs, or any outdoor facilities, also face these issues due to the environmental factors of dust, grime and sweat. Others in sporting fields such as Scuba Diving, adventure sports etc also would benefit for obvious reasons. These careers are easy to accept as a reason to undergo LASIK or smile laser surgery. However, even careers which involve long hours on the PC, laptop computers etc benefit from laser eye surgery. Especially those using contact lenses when working on the computers pose a great risk of inducing dry eyes and repeated eye allergies and infections.

So, rewind into your history and conclude if you have been in any of these situations.

If you answered, yes, being free from glasses and lenses would make an improvement in your occupation – then laser eye surgery would help you!

 4. Do you find yourself frequently spending on contact lenses and or glasses?

Ans. It seems obvious that contact lenses or glasses are less expensive than vision correction surgery. And they are — initially. Laser eye surgery cost is one of the most common questions among those considering the surgery. Many wonder how the one-time cost of any laser eye surgery compares to the lifetime costs of eyeglasses, contact lenses and other incidental expenses including lens solutions and eye drops. Ask yourself this question… Will you save money in the long run? Many believe that glasses are less expensive than cost of contacts, but not today! As spectacle frames have entered a “Designer” era and include material which is UV resistant, scratch resistant and high definition with better contrast etc… conclusion… glasses are no longer cheap!

If you answered, yes, I do spend a fair amount of money on my glasses, lenses and other incidentals for these- then laser eye surgery would help you!

5. Are you spending a lot of time researching online, speaking to friends who have undergone LASIK or any laser eye surgery?

Ans. An obvious question that creeps in everyone’s mind considering LASIK or smile is…”what about risks, side effects, complications?” This prompts them to do extensive research online, at times to only confuse them further as every website is using “Advanced Laser technology” however, not using the same laser equipment and definitely, not using similar terminologies; confusing the seeker with terms such as i-lasik, c-lasik, z-lasik and so on!  For the record there is no surgery that has zero risk, and that goes for Laser eye surgery as well. Having said that, hence the most important step is finding a laser eye surgeon who has enough experience to minimize such risks and who is also capable of handling any undesirable situations.

Ensure that your laser surgeon can offer a wide range of laser technology, one who keeps abreast with the latest advances in this field and evaluates patients for all of the options, to find the best fit. This is probably the toughest choice you need to make and factors such as word of mouth, reputation, experience are clearly important.

So, if you answered, yes, I do spend a lot of time directed towards whether or not I should undergo laser eye surgery, and then you obviously are serious about this! Your key would be to seek assistance from an experienced eye surgeon to find the answers to some of the other questions related to fitness or suitability for LASIK or ReLEx smile laser eye surgery.

Thankfully, the expert team at Shroff Eye, Mumbai with an experienced laser eye surgeon, Dr Anand Shroff is here to help. To schedule a consultation to find out whether you would benefit from LASIK or ReLEx smile surgery, please contact Shroff Eye by calling +91-22-66921000.