LASIK for Astigmatism

In the early days of LASIK, patients with astigmatism were often not deemed good candidates for the procedure. Today, advances in LASIK technology allow many astigmatism patients to achieve better vision through this vision correction procedure.  

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a very common refractive error caused by an irregular shape of the cornea (the clear front of the eye) or by the curvature of the lens in the eye. Astigmatism eyes will not be the typical round shape, but rather football-shaped, which causes multiple focus points to occur on the front and/or back of the retina. This causes blurry or distorted vision for both near and far objects. Astigmatism can also be found in patients who are nearsighted or farsighted.

Not all astigmatism patients are good candidates for LASIK. The only way to know for sure is by having a full eye exam in Charleston with an ophthalmologist to have your eye anatomy analyzed. Conditions like corneal thickness, corneal topography and your medical history will be reviewed. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, Dr. O'Day will only approve patients for advanced LASIK in Charleston if he feels the conditions are perfect for a good outcome. No doctor can guarantee 20/20 vision after LASIK, but by only treating patients who are good candidates the odds are improved.

If you have astigmatism and must wear glasses or contacts to improve your vision, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery to schedule a free LASIK Consultation in Charleston. There is no obligation to proceed with the procedure, and it will provide insight into your own eye health and help you fully understand your vision improvement options.

Call 843-856-5275 to speak to the practice directly or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule an appointment online any time day or night. 

LASIK Reality Show?

Reality shows: Whether you love them or hate them, they have definitely taken over television programming. There are too many makeovers and lifestyle shows to list, but shows like the Biggest Loser, Undercover Boss, Love It or List It and Intervention tend to feature how less-than-ideal situations can be improved.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a LASIK Makeover reality show? Here is the pitch:

“24-year-old Joe has worn glasses and contacts since childhood. An avid outdoorsman, he finds it impossible to really pursue his adventurous side due to his vision limitations. After LASIK at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, Joe takes off on a journey worthy of a spin-off TV show…skydiving, rock climbing, extreme kayaking. Now Joe’s possibilities are limitless…thanks to LASIK.”

A LASIK Makeover reality show probably wouldn’t impress TV executives, but Dr. O'Day's happy LASIK patients at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery might beg to differ. Even if you aren't considering LASIK in Charleston to climb Mount Everest, improving your vision to 20/20 can still be a life-changing event.

Of course, not everyone who wears glasses or contacts is a good candidate for LASIK. If you have poor eye health or if your corneas are too thin, a different vision correction procedure might be safer. The only way to know for sure is to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Dr. O'Day won’t approve you for LASIK unless he is 100% sure your eyes are right for the procedure. 

Start on your own LASIK Makeover reality…schedule your free LASIK Consultation today by calling 843-856-5275 or going online at charlestoncornea.com. 

LASIK & Pink Eye

Conjunctivitis is aptly named “pink eye” because the eyes actually look pink, red or bloodshot due to an inflammation of the clear membranes on the white of the eyes and inside the eyelids. This is a highly contagious condition that is easily spread when it is caused by a virus or bacteria.

People of all ages can get pink eye in Charleston. The more you are in contact or close proximity with other people, the greater your risk of contracting pink eye because it can spread through sneezes, coughs or by using an object that was previously used by a person who already has pink eye.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to prevent pink eye, and you can contract the condition at the most inopportune times. For example, if you have a Charleston LASIK procedure scheduled and you contract pink eye, you will have to have the pink eye treated before having LASIK. Your eyes must be healthy to avoid LASIK complications.  

Pink Eye Treatment

Viral conjunctivitis will typically clear up over several days, but bacterial conjunctivitis may require medicated eye drops or ointments. It may take 10 days or more for a bacterial infection to clear up. Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery can determine when it is safe to have LASIK after pink eye in Charleston.

Pink Eye Symptoms

Besides red eyes, other symptoms of pink eye include:

• Excessive eye watering
• Swollen eyelids
• Burning and itching
• Crusty eyelids in the morning
• Light sensitivity
• Gritty sensation
• Yellow discharge

If you are considering LASIK in Charleston, schedule your free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com. Dr. O'Day will examine your eyes and tell you if your eyes are healthy enough for this amazing vision correction procedure.

Of course, even after successful LASIK, you can still contract pink eye. It’s important to take measures to protect yourself against pink eye, such as:

• Wash hands frequently
• Avoid touching your eyes
• Use hand sanitizers
• Avoid sharing hand towels and personal items
• Wear goggles when swimming
• Follow contact lens wear instructions

Alcohol’s Effects on Night Vision

We all know that alcohol impairs judgment and coordination and slows reaction time.

But here is yet another reason to cut back on your alcohol consumption: A study coming out of the University of Grenada has shown that overconsumption can also adversely affect your night vision. The study examined 67 subjects who had consumed various quantities of wine. The researchers used a “halometer” visual test to determine the level of night vision disturbances and optical image quality. What they found was that the greater the breath alcohol content level, the greater the visual disturbance.

Why Alcohol Affects Vision

Alcohol disturbs the tear film that covers the surface of the eye. The ethanol (intoxicating agent) present in alcoholic drinks disturbs the outer tear film layer, causing the aqueous part of the tear to evaporate. When tear film is disturbed, the image quality that forms on the retina is also negatively affected, leading to the presence of halos and other visual disturbances in night vision.

Pre-existing Vision Conditions

Now add into the equation a pre-existing vision condition, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. If your vision is already impaired due to a refractive error and you consume alcohol, the tear film disturbance combined with poor choices (such as not wearing glasses or contacts) can lead to disastrous consequences for yourself and others. LASIK vision correction in Charleston can correct these types of refractive errors, but even having 20/20 vision will not reduce the negative effects of alcohol on your vision.

In the past, some LASIK patients also complained of night vision problems after their procedure; however, today’s LASIK technology has effectively reduced this type of complication of LASIK. To learn more about Charleston LASIK and find out if you might be a good candidate for the procedure, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com. And whether or not you have LASIK, please never drink and drive.

Celebrities and LASIK

According to Ranker.com, there is a long list of famous people that have had LASIK vision correction, including:

• Brad Pitt
• Brooke Shields
• Nicole Kidman
• Reese Witherspoon
• John Goodman
• Jeremy London
• Dennis Quaid
• Lisa Ling
• Michael Bolton
• Barry Manilow
• Jessica Simpson
• Carlos Santana
• “Weird Al’ Yankovic

·      And more…

      At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, we would never recommend a person have LASIK just because a certain celebrity has done it. This is not a decision you should enter into lightly, and you should only pursue it with a highly qualified and trained ophthalmologist. In fact, not every person is a good candidate for LASIK. Dr. O'Day performs a comprehensive LASIK exam in Charleston to assess every potential LASIK patient’s corneal thickness, overall eye health and medical condition before giving the green light for LASIK. The process begins with a free LASIK Consultation where you can learn more about your eye anatomy and ask questions about the procedure, the LASIK technology that will be used and the surgeon’s track record of success.

If you want to pursue a life with the possibility of lens-free vision like so many celebrities have, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today to arrange your free LASIK Consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule your appointment online anytime. We can’t promise you’ll end up on the big screen, but you may be able to watch your favorite celebrities without the hassles of glasses or contacts!

Will School Make You Nearsighted?

Researchers in Germany have uncovered a possible link between spending more years in school and the prevalence and severity of nearsightedness. In the Gutenberg Health Study, they looked at 4,658 Germans ages 35-74 who had myopia (nearsightedness), which causes distant objects to appear blurry while close-up objects are clear. The study did not include participants with cataracts or anyone who had refractive surgery.

The Findings

• 53% of university graduates had myopia
• 39% of high school graduates had myopia
• 24% of participants without a high school education had myopia

The myopia became more severe with each additional year of school.

Don’t Sacrifice Education for Vision

We are not recommending that people drop out of school to possibly protect their vision. Instead, while you are pursuing your education, be aware of your environment and how it is affecting your eyesight. For example, take frequent breaks from your computer and give your eyes a rest.

Another Reason Why Recess is Important

If these findings are valid, it makes sense for students to increase their time outdoors…making recess an important part of the school day (regardless of your level of education).

Already Nearsighted? You Have Options

Of course, people can have myopia regardless of the amount of schooling – you can be born with this condition where your eye is too long or too steep, causing light rays to focus in front of your retina rather than on the surface. If you are already nearsighted, you have options to correct your vision, including LASIKvision correction in Charleston. This quick and virtually painless procedure uses a laser to microscopically reshape the cornea so light will focus on the retina (the back of the eye) and clear vision can be obtained.

To learn more about your own vision characteristics and find out if LASIK technology in Charleston may help you see with 20/20 vision, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery by scheduling your free LASIK Consultation at charlestoncornea.com or by calling 843-856-5275. 

Choose Sunglasses Wisely

One of the top benefits that LASIK vision correction provides is the opportunity to wear any type of sunglasses you want. Patients who achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK are usually excited to get rid of their expensive prescription sunglasses and start choosing a variety of fashionable sunglasses off-the-rack.

While most people know that it’s important to wear sunscreen with a high SPF to protect their skin from sun damage, few worry about UV protection in their sunglasses. The fact is that UV radiation can lead to serious eye problems, including cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration, painful sunburns of the cornea (photokeratitis) and damage to the eye lens and other parts of the eye. You should wear sunglasses any time you are outdoors – even in the shade, even in winter, even if you wear contact lenses that block UV rays.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, we not only help people achieve better vision through our advanced LASIK technologies in Charleston, we also want our patients to keep their eye health a priority after LASIK. When choosing sunglasses after LASIK, it’s important to look for UV protection details on the labels and choose shades that provide 100% UVA and UVB protection. The color and darkness of the lenses has no impact on the amount of protection. Frames that wrap around and cover the sides of the eyes are also beneficial in protecting your eyes from harmful rays. 

This subject is so important that scientists in Brazil have developed and installed a free self-serve sunglass UV testing kiosk in San Carlos so people can test how well their sunglasses block UV rays. In a test of 800 users of the kiosk, 20% found their sunglasses provided inadequate protection. If you are unsure about your own sunglasses, talk to your optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist or invest in a new pair of sunglasses that meet the right requirements.

To find out if you might benefit from LASIK and have the opportunity to choose any sunglasses you want, take the free online LASIK Self-Evaluation at charlestoncornea.com. Then call Dr. O'Day at 843-856-5275 to schedule your free LASIK Consultation.