Breaking the Belief That Laser Eye Treatment Hurts

Mention surgery or operation and people will immediately think that it is a painful and agonizing procedure – and not without reason. Surgery often times require cutting of body parts, which result to bleeding and discomfort. As for laser eye treatment, it is a medical procedure that involves the most sensitive and delicate part of the body – the eye. The eye, specifically, the cornea, is densely filled with nerve endings, which adds to the belief that laser eye surgery is a painful procedure.

Is this correct though – that laser eye treatment is excruciating and discomforting?
True, laser eye treatment requires that the front of the eye is carved, but with a very accurate laser. You shouldn’t worry because a local anesthetic will first be applied on the eye before the laser carries out this part of the surgery. A slight tinge of pain will be felt and this is an indication that the anesthesia is starting to work its way to the cornea. To alleviate your nerves during the surgery, you are allowed to ingest oral medicines.

The whole operation is actually painless because of the previously applied anesthesia though you might feel a tugging sensation once the ophthalmologist accurately positions your eye towards the laser. Specialized devices will be used to pull your eyelids apart, making sure that you won’t blink throughout the procedure. This portion of the surgery may result to an odd feeling but it doesn’t really hurt or irritate. Eye drops will be applied regularly at repeated intervals so the eyes are still lubricated despite the absence of blinking. Keep in mind that you have to be conscious for the entirety of the surgery because you will be asked to look at a specific point as the laser eye treatment is performed.

The anesthesia applied will typically last for four hours and you don’t have to wait for it to wear off before leaving the laser eye clinic. You can go home after the procedure and once it wears off, you may start feeling a little distressed or irritated. Because this is the most challenging part of the recuperation period, you are encouraged to sleep until this sensation wears off. If you have trouble sleeping, simply ask for sleeping tablets from your ophthalmologist.

If you are worried how long the pain will last, it only takes a day before it disappears and the next morning should result to clearer vision. Of course, because the eyes have been dry after laser eye treatment, it is normal that you feel minor irritation. Lubricants should be enough to allay this feeling. This is commonly experienced with PRK surgery rather than with Lasik eye operation.

During the first month after having laser eye treatment, expect to be dependent on eye drops to alleviate the dryness caused by the procedure. It will decrease through time and following that, lubricant dependency is commonly reduced as well.

To make sure that the process went perfectly well, you are required to visit your ophthalmologist for some follow-up tests. These examinations are not that different from the ones performed on you prior to having laser eye treatment so don’t be scared.

There is a negligible amount of pain associated with laser eye treatment but that minor inconvenience is extremely small compared to a lifetime of clear vision after the procedure.