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40) I am keen on Lasik, but should I wait a few years more?
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Today, Lasik is considered an established surgical procedure with much research to back its efficacy, stability and safety. It has undergone many refinements since it was first introduced in 1989. It has supplanted RK and PRK as the refractive procedure of choice for correction of most cases of myopia.
Indeed, the recent years have seen a dramatic growth in the number of cases performed, thanks in no small part to patients' satisfaction with the visual results and "word-of mouth" advertising. It has been estimated that presently, over a million cases are done worldwide yearly.
All these could explain why Lasik continues to gain in popularity and why more and more people including high profile sports and media personalities, have elected or are electing to have it done today.
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| 41) How much does the surgery cost? |
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In Singapore, the cost for Lasik surgery is around $2,000 to $3,000 per eye. Initial consultation and examination charges are usually charged separately and will add $150 to $300 to the total bill. Medisave cannot be used except in cases where the patient suffers from severe (over -10.00 dioptres) myopia or imbalanced vision of more than -3.00 dioptres (300 degrees). In this case, you can use your Medisave to pay up to $1,200 of the cost.
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| 42) If I choose to have Lasik, what should I do next? |
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You should arrange for a doctor's consultation and eye evaluation to see if you are suitable for Lasik. The pre-Lasik eye examination will include the following:
- vision testing to check visual acuity
- testing of the eye power (objective refraction)
- subjective refraction to fine-tune the objective refraction
- eye pressure checks for glaucoma (tonometry)
- microscopic examination of the eye using the slit lamp bio-microscope, paying special attention to the cornea and pupil size
- instillation of dilating eye drops for dilated pupil examination of the eye, paying special attention to the clarity of the crystalline lens and health of the retina
- computerised testing of the eye power following relaxatin of the focusing
muscles with eye drops (cycloplegic refraction) to diagnose any spurious (pseudo)myopia component
- measurement of cornea thickness (pachymetry)
- computerisd mapping of the cornea surface to screen for irregular astigmatism and keratoconus.
The Orbscan is an advanced multi-function machine that captures complete cornea surface topography data for front and back sufraces of the cornea, cornea dioptric power (keratometry), cornea thickness (pachymetry), pupil size and cornea diameters.
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The Orbscan reproduces these captured data as two-dimensional color diagnostic maps for fast and easy interpretation. The data can also be combined with information from wavefront analysis and imported into the excimer laser computer system for customised ablation for the cornea (see Q43).
Your doctor will also take this opportunity to counsel you on the procedure and evaluate your expectations of what refractive surgery will do for you. You should in turn take this time to discuss with your doctor any concerns that you may have regarding the procedure.
If you wear RGP or hard contact lenses, you will need to stop wearing them for two weeks before the visit. For soft contact lens wearers, one week's abstinence is enough. As dilation of pupils using eye drops will be carried out, your eyes will be light sensitive and vision slightly blurry. Therefore, you should not drive and bring along a pair of sunglasses.
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