Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Driving After LASIK

LASIK vision correction in Charleston is a very quick procedure that is performed to correct a patient’s myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism with the ultimate goal of 20/20 vision without lenses. While most patients do not experience pain during the procedure, it is not uncommon for patients to feel anxious prior to surgery. Some patients may elect to take a mild sedative prior to surgery just to “take the edge off” and make it easier to fully relax.

Whether or not you take relaxation medication prior to surgery, you must arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery. Some patients are able to see more clearly immediately after surgery; however, your vision will not be completely stabilized and there can be sensitivity to light, glare or starbursts for the first few days after surgery. You may also still have the relaxation medication in your system.

Slight physical discomfort after LASIK may also make it difficult to drive home. These eye discomforts can include:
  • Itching
  • Tearing / watering
  • Mild burning sensation
  • Mild pain
It is important to refrain from rubbing your eyes after surgery, which is why you will be given an eye shield to wear for protection.

Each patient will heal at a different rate after LASIK. Some patients will be able to drive themselves to their post-operative appointment the next day while others may require help getting to and from the appointment. Pay attention to your own eyes and make smart decisions about driving after LASIK.

To learn more about what to expect after LASIK in Charleston, schedule a freeLASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Our team will fully explain the LASIK process and perform tests to see if you are a good candidate for LASIK. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com today. 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Wearing Make-up After LASIK



Many LASIK patients want to know when they can start wearing make-up after LASIK. The general rule for most patients is that you should not wear make-up or apply any facial lotions or soaps for one week after LASIK. After this one week mark, you should ask your doctor if you can start applying minimal eye make-up (eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara).

Some doctors allow patients to wear foundation and blush several days after LASIK, but you still run the risk of make-up particles and/or applicators interfering with proper corneal flap healing. You also run the risk of infection.

You may want to consider purchasing new eye make-up after LASIK to further reduce the possibility of infection.

So if you are planning to have a LASIK procedure, keep in mind that you’ll need to go for the “natural” look for at least one week after your procedure. If you are having LASIK for a special event, be sure to plan enough healing time so you can look your very best for the event.

If you would like to learn more about LASIK visioncorrection, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston to schedule a free LASIK consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

How Do You Handle Visual Information Overload?

Have you ever experienced information overload…on your eyes? There is a real condition called Load-Induced Blindness that occurs when you have too much visual information coming at you. A new study showed that when you are faced with a lot of visual data at once, your ability to see critical information is reduced – similar to what happens when there are lower light levels on an image you need to detect.

The study included volunteers with normal vision who completed a sensory memory task involving colors, positions and line orientations on rapidly flashing squares. In high load situations (lots of visual data), participants were only able to accurately spot line orientation in 64% of the images; in low load situations, that percentage went up to 95%. In the high load situations, participants needed 50% more light contrast to increase accuracy.

The bottom line is that too much visual information at one time may cause you to miss important things. Add into the mix that your vision is impaired with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism and you may have an even more difficult time at distinguishing important images during attention-demanding situations (although this was not specifically included in the study).

Having LASIK in Charleston to correct vision problems will not change how your brain processes high loads of visual information, but it may allow you to see without the need for corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses)…removing one more barrier to seeing clearly. LASIK has changed the lives of many of our patients at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, allowing them to work, play and parent with visual freedom.

To learn more about LASIK technology in Charleston and find out how much LASIK costs, contact Dr. O'Day to schedule a free LASIK Consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit our website at charlestoncornea.com today. 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

How Alcohol Affects Vision

Researchers in Canada recently studied how drinking a “legal” amount of alcohol affects vision. What they discovered is that up to 30% of vision is impaired even before participants hit the legal blood alcohol concentration limit, which is 0.08% in most states.

The researchers used a process called the Hermann Grid for the study. One group of participants consumed nonalcoholic drinks; the other consumed enough alcohol to get just under the legal limit. Both groups then looked at a grid of black squares on a white background to estimate the number of ghost-like dark spot illusions they saw at the intersections of the grid.

Participants who consumed alcohol were 30% less effective in distinguishing contrast of the spots in the grid as they approached the legal blood alcohol limit.

The results of this study showed that drinking alcohol will make it difficult to distinguish differences between objects based on lightness and darkness. Your vision may be impaired by up to 30% when driving at night or at twilight under the influence of just one or two alcoholic drinks.

Everyone should take note of this study, whether you are nearsighted, farsighted, have perfect vision or have had LASIK vision correction. No one is immune from the effects of alcohol, and even if you “feel” good enough to drive after having one or two drinks, your vision may still be impaired.


At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we inform all of our patients when they can safely consume alcohol before and after eye procedures, such as LASIK. We encourage all patients to be responsible when drinking and always have a designated driver. To learn more about LASIK, including the cost of LASIK in Charleston, schedule a free LASIK Consultation with Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com today. 

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Spring into Allergy Eye Relief

Beautiful springtime weather inevitably brings scratchyeyes, swollen eyes and itchy eyes in Charleston, South Carolina. If you wear contact lenses, it’s virtually impossible to keep them in your eyes when you are constantly rubbing them.

Here are a couple of tips to help you through the allergy season:
  • If you’re using eye drops to relieve the discomfort, make sure you take your lenses out first and leave them out for at least ten minutes or you’ll just aggravate the condition.
  • If you’re taking antihistamine that can cause dry eye you should check with your ophthalmologist who may advise switching back to glasses for the duration.
If wearing your glasses for the entire springtime season doesn't sound appealing, another option is to have LASIK vision correction. While LASIK won’t prevent you from having eye irritation during the spring, it may allow you to enjoy this season without the need for corrective lenses.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, our advanced LASIK lasers may help to alter the shape of your cornea to correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Many patients can even achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK, allowing them to live life without glasses or contacts.

The only way to know for sure if you are a good candidate for LASIK is by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation in Charleston. Contact us today to schedule your consultation at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.