If you are referring to a medical condition such as cataracts, the cost of surgery can vary widely depending on the location, surgeon, type of surgery, and insurance coverage. It can be more or less depending on where you live and the specific circumstances of your case. If you have insurance, your out-of-pocket costs may be significantly lower.

How much does LASIK cost in India?

The prices will vary depending on the region, the hospital and the type of surgery you are opting for. You can expect LASIK cost for both eyes to be anywhere between Rs. 30,000 – Rs. 80,000.  The exact cost estimate will be determined during your preoperative consultation, as pricing may vary depending on each patient’s individual condition(s). If you would like to know the exact cost at Prasad Netralaya, call us at +91 9513596565 or visit our website to book an appointment and get a consult. 

Can LASIK  surgery cure myopia?

Myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism are all refractive errors that can be treated with LASIK eye surgery. The result and the rate of success of the surgery depend on the refractive error and other factors. 

How is LASIK surgery performed? 

It is a simple procedure where the main objective is to change the shape of your cornea to fix the refractive error in your eyes. To do so, during the procedure, a laser with cool ultraviolet beams will be used to remove small amounts of tissue from your cornea to reshape it.

Is LASIK surgery painful? 

The procedure for LASIK eye surgery is not painful. Your surgeon will put numbing eye drops in both of your eyes right before the procedure. While you may experience some pressure throughout the treatment, you should not experience any pain.

How long does the procedure take? 

In most cases, the treatment takes less than 10-15 minutes for each eye. The laser takes 20-50 seconds to correct your eyesight, depending on your prescription and the amount of correction required. On the day of surgery, however, you should expect to spend about an hour and a half at the office.

Is LASIK a blade-less procedure? 

There are different types of LASIK procedures. Bladeless being one of them. At Prasad Netralaya, the best eye hospital in Mangalore,  you can even opt for the ReLEx SMILE procedure. it is a flap-less procedure that requires a minute incision that doesn’t involve a blade. Moreover, it heals very fast and promises accurate results!

What happens if you blink during the LASIK procedure? 

Precautionary measures are taken to ensure that blinking or moving is not an issue. You won’t be able to blink since your eye will be held open with a holder supporting your lid. The holder is put in place right before the procedure and taken out right afterwards. Another common concern is staying still during surgery. The laser bed has a contoured headrest with an indent that keeps the back of your head steady, safe and comfortably in place. If you’re still unsure if you should get the procedure or not, it’s best to talk to an experienced doctor to put all your worries to rest. If you’re wondering if LASIK is worth the money,  know that the benefits of LASIK surgery are numerous. Book an appointment with the best ophthalmologist in coastal Karnataka to get a consult and find out if you are eligible to get the procedure.  Our skilled ophthalmologists will always ensure that they have a thorough understanding of your medical history and will take all essential precautions to ensure a safe and effective surgery. Don’t hesitate to contact us, we’ll be happy to assist you in any way we can!

Are your eyes healthy?

In general, laser eye surgery is most appropriate for people who have a moderate degree of refractive error and no unusual vision problems. Your eye surgeon will ask detailed questions about your eye health and evaluate your eyes to make sure you don’t have any conditions that might result in complications or poor outcomes of surgery. These include:

• An eye disease that results in a progressive deterioration of your vision and thinning of your cornea, such as keratoconus. In fact, if keratoconus runs in your family, even if you don’t have it, be very cautious about elective eye surgery.
• Inflammation (such as keratitis or uveitis) and infections (such as herpes simplex) affecting the eye.
• Eye injuries or eyelid disorders.
• Dry eyes. It is important to know that if you have dry eyes, LASIK surgery may make the condition worse.
• Large pupils. If your pupils are large, especially in dim light, LASIK may not be appropriate. Surgery may result in debilitating symptoms such as glare, halos, starbursts and ghost images.
• Glaucoma. The surgical procedure can raise your eye pressure, which can make glaucoma worse.
• Cataracts.

You might also rethink having LASIK surgery if:

• You have severe nearsightedness or have been diagnosed with a high refractive error. The possible benefits of LASIK surgery may not justify the risks.
• You have fairly good (overall) vision. If you see well enough to need contacts or glasses only part of the time, improvement from the surgery may not be worth the risks.
• You have age-related eye changes that cause you to have less clear vision (presbyopia).
• You actively participate in contact sports. If you regularly receive blows to the face and eyes, such as during martial arts or boxing, LASIK surgery may not be a good choice for you.

Are you healthy?

Your eye surgeon will also ask detailed questions about your general health. Certain medical conditions, unrelated to your eyes, can increase the risks associated with LASIK surgery or make the outcome less predictable. These include:

• Any disease or condition that affects your immune system and impairs your ability to heal or makes you more prone to infections, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, HIV and other autoimmune disorders.
• Taking an immunosuppressive medication for any reason.
• Uncontrolled diabetes, which may put you at risk of complications, such as diabetic retinopathy.

Is your vision stable?

If you have myopia, your vision may continue to change throughout your teenage years, or even longer, requiring periodic changes in the prescription of your glasses or contact lenses. Therefore, people should be over age 18, and preferably older, before considering LASIK eye surgery. Certain conditions and medications — pregnancy, breastfeeding, steroid drugs — may cause temporary fluctuations in your vision. Wait until your vision has stabilized before considering LASIK eye surgery.

Can you afford it?

Most insurance plans consider laser eye surgery to be an elective procedure and don’t cover the cost. Know what the surgery will cost you.

Do you understand possible side effects and complications?

While complications that result in a loss of vision are rare, certain side effects, particularly dry eyes and temporary visual disturbances, are fairly common. But these usually resolve after a few weeks or months, and very few people consider them to be a long-term problem.

• Dry eyes. LASIK surgery causes a temporary decrease in tear production. For the first six months or so after your surgery, your eyes may feel unusually dry as they heal. Even after healing, you may experience an increase in dry eye symptoms. Your eye doctor might recommend that you use eye drops during this time. If you experience severe dry eyes, you could opt for another procedure to get special plugs put in your tear ducts to prevent your tears from draining away from the surface of your eyes.
• Glare, halos and double vision. After surgery you may have difficulty seeing at night. You might notice glare, halos around bright lights or double vision. This generally lasts a few days to a few weeks, but it can also become a chronic problem.
• Undercorrections. If the laser removes too little tissue from your eye, you won’t get the clearer vision results you were hoping for. Undercorrections are more common for people who are nearsighted. You may need another refractive surgery (called an enhancement) within a year to remove more tissue.
• Overcorrections. It’s also possible that the laser will remove too much tissue from your eye. Overcorrections may be more difficult to fix than undercorrections.
• Astigmatism. Astigmatism can be caused by uneven tissue removal. It may require additional surgery, glasses or contact lenses.
• Corneal ectasia. Corneal ectasia is one of the more-serious complications and occurs because of progressive myopia due to steepening of curvature of the cornea.
• Flap problems. Folding back or removing the flap from the front of your eye during surgery can cause complications, including infection and excess tears. The outermost corneal tissue layer (epithelium) may grow abnormally underneath the flap during the healing process.
• Vision loss or changes. Rarely, you may experience loss of vision due to surgical complications. Some people may also not see as sharply or clearly as previously.

LASIK versus reading glasses

By their early to mid-40s, all adults lose some ability to focus on nearby objects (presbyopia), which results in difficulty reading small print or doing close-up tasks. One possible benefit of having been nearsighted most of your life is that this condition actually compensates for the presbyopia that inevitability develops as you get older. A nearsighted eye will focus near objects by itself without reading glasses. LASIK surgery removes this near focus because the nearsightedness has been corrected. This means that as you get older you will need to use reading glasses. Many people are happy to trade clear distance vision when they are younger for having to wear “cheaters” for reading when they are older. If you are an older adult considering LASIK, you might choose to have monovision to maintain your ability to see objects close up. With monovision, one eye is corrected for distant vision, and the other eye is corrected for near vision. Not everyone is able to adjust to or tolerate monovision. It’s best to do a trial with contact lenses before having a permanent surgical procedure.

Can you go without your contact lenses for several weeks before surgery?

This is usually not an issue, but know that you’ll have to completely stop wearing your contact lenses and switch to glasses for at least a few weeks before your surgery. Contact lenses distort the natural shape of your cornea, which can lead to inaccurate measurements and a less than optimal surgical outcome. Your doctor will provide specific guidelines depending on your situation and how long you’ve been a contact lens wearer.

What are your expectations for LASIK?

Most people who undergo LASIK surgery will have good to excellent vision in most situations, for many years or decades. You’ll be able to play sports and swim, or even just see the clock first thing in the morning, without having to worry about your glasses or contact lenses. But as you get older or in low-light conditions, you may still need to wear glasses. Most people report high satisfaction after LASIK surgery. But long-term results often aren’t available or haven’t been well studied. Part of the reason for this is that people are overall satisfied after surgery, so they don’t feel a need for repeat examinations and follow-up data is not collected. Also, the LASIK procedure has been refined over time — the techniques and technology is continually changing. This makes it difficult to draw conclusions from the data that is reported. Keep in mind that even when postoperative follow-up is done and reported, vision is measured under optimal testing conditions. Your vision in dim light (such as at dusk or in fog) may not be as good as published reports suggest it will be. Over time, your refraction may slowly worsen with age and your vision may not be quite as good as it was immediately after surgery. This does not seem to be a large problem, but the exact degree of change to be expected is sometimes unpredictable.

How do you choose an eye surgeon?

Most people don’t have firsthand knowledge about LASIK or an eye surgeon. A good starting point when choosing an eye surgeon is to talk with the eye professional you know and trust. Or ask friends or family members who have had successful LASIK. Your eye surgeon will probably work with a team, who may help with your initial evaluation and measurements. But it is your surgeon who takes the ultimate responsibility for determining whether LASIK is an appropriate choice for you, who confirms the measurements to guide the procedure, who performs the procedure and who provides postoperative care. Talk with your eye surgeon about your questions and concerns and how LASIK will benefit you. He or she can help you understand the benefits and limitations of surgery.

The final decision

When it comes to LASIK eye surgery, there are no right answers. Carefully consider the factors outlined here, weigh your preferences and risk tolerance, and make sure you have realistic expectations. Talk to an eye surgeon in whom you feel confident and get your questions answered. In the end, if it feels right, then proceed, but if it doesn’t, don’t rush into anything.