Only glasses are absolutely risk free. You must "cross the bridge" and accept some degree of risk with any other form of vision correction. LASIK in the hands of an experienced surgeon has a very remote risk of significant vision loss as infection might cause on the order of one in thousands (somewhat depends on your hygiene, no smoking, and ability to follow instructions as well), and of about 1-2 in 100 for quality of vision problem. Usually the 1-2 in 100 quality of vision risk patients can be identified ahead of time.. With LASIK, providing you rest for several hours with both eyes closed afterward, the surface is already completely sealed in over 99% of patients, protecting it from infection. Infection risk is probably one in several thousand for individuals who are risk averse and cautious - clean hands, rest as directed right after their procedure, avoid hot tubs and swimming pools for several weeks, use only eye drops given as directed for 5 days.

How much difference does doctor experience and the laser used make?

LASIK is a procedure that even in the hands of newer LASIK surgeons is likely to go well. As an estimate experience may make the difference between a problem and routine procedure in 2-5% of patients. Since it is hard to know ahead of time who the 2-5% are, always seek an experienced LASIK surgeon - more than 500 cases. We believe beam quality varies widely with different laser systems. Lasers that are custom built, or which use masks (Summit?) for astigmatic correction may not have as smooth a beam profile, causing potentially more quality of vision problems or loss of best corrected vision.

First week, light jogging, stationary biking or aerobics after 48 hours. Stay indoors the first day. Lifting weights, wait about three weeks, then half maximum strength. Truly vigorous, competitive contact sports might wait even longer. Swimming, hot tubbing - avoid for three weeks. In fact the first four weeks at least some type of eye protection is advised to protect from freak injury. Most people use wrap around protective sunglasses glasses, safety glasses from their local store, or replacement lenses for their glasses with zero prescription.

A little known fact is that precursors to LASIK - like automated lamellar keratoplasty, or ALK -- have been around for over 20 years.This means eyes with a flap and a wafer of tissue removed underneath the flap have been studied for that amount of time. The only difference with LASIK is a better technology for removing tissue underneath the flap. The tissue removed during resculpting is forever vaporized away. The cornea cannot reposit the tissue. Dr.T.Nirmal Fredrick confidence in LASIK is based fundamentally on his having made flaps himself for several years, and knowing the method of correcting nearsightedness by modifying corneal tissue under a flap has been around for decades in very similar form as ALK.

Wearing of glasses or contact lenses and related drops and solutions- typically over 20 or more years -has a high associated cost. If your quality of life would be dramatically enhanced by no longer being so dependent on an optical aid to see across a room from the time you wake up each day, you may want to consider the potential benefit of laser vision correction and its cost in that light.

The surface of the cornea takes 2-3 days to heal and vision will improve thereafter. Stability in vision is achieved in l-3 months.

Normal activities can be resumed after 1 week. However swimming and watersports can be resumed after 3 months.

The second eye can be done immediately after the first eye. Same sitting/after 3 days.

The key to LASIK is weeding out the small percentage of people who are simply not good candidates -- huge pupils and high degrees of correction combined with excellent night vision prior to the procedure. There are four criteria that Dr.T.Nirmal Fredrick has found - if all present - will almost always predict who would probably be a rare exception and have night vision difficulty:

• Pupils that dilate to 9 mm in dim light (tested on your visit - a very small group, usually a subset of those with blue or lightly colored irid
• Individuals with pristine, perfect night vision with their correction prelaser;
• Required correction of more than -10 diopters;
• Regular users of antihistamines (they dilate the pupil at night), or caffeine. If all four are present you are one of the rare individuals at higher risk. Typically the first week will be somewhat worse than most people experience with contact lenses, at about the first month about the same, and by the fourth month better or not noticeable. If you are not fully corrected after your intial procedure, until your enhancement weeks later you may experience some halo effects at night that an enhancement procedure has a high likelihood to correct.

During the Laser treatment, there is no pain at all. However you may experience some mild ocular discomfort and watering during the first 24 hours after surgery. It will gradually resolve by second or third day. Painkillers and sedatives may be prescribed to ease the pain and discomfort.

• Patient should be at least 18 years of age
• Myopia upto -20.0 to +8.0 with cylinder +/- 4.
• Stable vision for past 6 months with no progression of myopia.
• No pre-existing serious eye problems such as cataract, glaucoma keratoconus and retinal detachment.