In the world of optical care each title holds a unique term meaning of the person’s professional education, skills, and primary job functions. Titles can become quiet confusing for patients with all the titles within the optical care and medical health profession. Titles help us to identify exactly what job the optical care worker holds and what exactly they can do for us and our optical care. Learning the difference of such titles and what might be best for you is a key element in obtaining the best optical care for oneself.
What is an Optician?
Opticians are known as Licensed Dispensing Optician or LDO for short. Opticians are technicians who have been trained to design, very, and fit eyeglass lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other devices to correct one’s eyesight. The opticians do not your vision or write prescriptions for visual correction devices those are supplied by an ophthalmologists or Optometrists.
What is an Laser Eye Surgeon?
Like an Opticians title, the Laser Eye surgeon specializes in optical surgery to correct vision or improve eye site. An eye surgeon can also provide short term care for any optical issues that go beyond what an Optometrist can. Although, a Laser Eye Surgeon does specialize in laser or Lasik eye surgery.
What are the Risks involved with Laser/Lasik Eye Surgery?
With laser eye surgery only about 96% of the patients end up with their desired vision after surgery. Laser eye surgery is known as a surgical procedure that involves a laser to correct near-sightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. During the surgery, a thin flap of the cornea is created with either a microkeratome blade or a femtosecond laser. Once that is done, the surgeon will hold back the flap and remove some of the corneal tissue underneath with an excimer laser. Laser eye surgery does for most patients dramatically reduce the dependency on eyeglasses or contacts, but like any surgery comes with many disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Laser/Lasik Eye Surgery
- Any changes made to the cornea area cannot be reversed after the surgery. This means if anything damages the cornea there is no reversing it.
- The surgery is very complete. Problems can occur when the doctor creates the flap which can leave permanent damage to the eye.
- Laser surgery will rarely cause a loss of “best” vision. Best vision is the highest degree of vision you have accomplished while wearing either contacts of eyeglasses.
- Patients can develop a Glare.
- See halos around images
- Even difficult driving at night
- Your vision can also fluctuate
- You may develop Dry eyes.
Just like any surgery, laser eye surgery comes with a price. If anything were to go wrong during the surgery you could further lose your eyesight or have permanent damage to your eyes that will forever be there. Damage that occurs during laser surgery is not reversible, you would end up living with the complications for the rest of your life.
Why Should you choose an Optician vs. a Laser Eye Surgeon?
As previously discussed, your best vision is when you have achieved the highest vision with eyeglasses or contacts that your Optician would have given you. With an Optician, you are not undergoing any surgery or risk of permanently harming your eye site or cornea. Opticians Derry would be fitting you with the best vision correctness using a prescription for contacts or glasses.
There is no opening your cornea or extreme surgical procedures. Opticians would correct your eyesight naturally. While a Laser Eye Surgeon, would place you under the knife, open up the cornea, which that procedure alone could leave you with permanent damage. Then remove part of the corneal tissue underneath with an excimer laser. A Laser Eye Surgeon cannot guarantee you that once you walk into the office to have the laser eye surgery done that you will walk out without further complications or impairments that could affect the rest of your life.
Furthermore, you as the patient must ask yourself what is truly in your best optical care. The choice is ultimately the patients; however, the laser eye surgeon must approve the procedure. Some patients do not meet the criteria for the surgery, basically meaning some are not good candidates for the procedure. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to chance my cornea or any further damage to my eyes?”