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Seeing Clearly: Whats Your Vision IQ?
– Reported, October 17 2013
When it comes to wearing contact lenses or getting LASIK surgery, how acute is your vision IQ?
Glasses, contacts, even surgery, well try anything to improve vision.
The best thing to do in either, for either case, is to do your homework before you see a doctor, Ernest W. Kornmehl, MD, FACS, Medical Director, Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates, told Ivanhoe.
But whats your vision IQ? True or false: LASIK is a one-time procedure.
False, about 10.5 percent of LASIK patients in the U.S. require a retreatment or enhancement. This applies to patients who have severe cases of eye conditions.
You should ask, what kind of retreatment rate do you have? Sheri L. Rowen, MD, FACS, Director of Ophthalmology, Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, told Ivanhoe.
True or false: as long as your eye prescription is stable, youre a good candidate for LASIK. False, those with thin corneas and diabetics with reduced corneal sensation should avoid LASIK. What about contacts? If your contact is dried out, you can use saliva in a pinch.
Doctors say with all the bacteria in your mouth, youre just asking for an infection.
Infections are brutal, Dr. Rowen said.
Finally, true or false: sleeping in your lenses is okay as long as theyre approved for that purpose.
No patient should ever sleep in their contact lenses. Its well documented theres a seven times higher risk of corneal ulceration, Dr. Kornmehl said. It could also lead to loss of vision.
Contacts and laser surgery arent your only options for improved vision.
Consumer reports found implantable lenses had similar benefits to laser surgery, but implants are reversible and theres no risk of damaging your night vision, but no procedure is risk free. Implantable lenses may increase your risk of cataracts.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ernest W. Kornmehl, MD
Medical Director
Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates
info@visionboston.com
877-870-2010