subject: Finding Success With Laser Eye Treatment [print this page] Perfect vision, for most individuals, is the ability to see "twenty-twenty" (20/20).
What exactly does having 20/20 vision entail for all the curious folks out there? Will having laser eye treatment grant me this perfect vision?
Having 20/20 sight is a conventional measurement of visual acuity because it evaluates how well you see in the distance. The initial number, 20, is your testing distance in feet (the letter chart is 20 feet away) and the suceeding number, 20, is the distance that a "normal" person can view that size letter at. Therefore, if someone can view the "20" (2nd 20) sized letter at 20 feet, their vision is 20/20.
For instance, if you receive a vision of 20/40, it means that the testing distance is calculated at 20 feet for the letter size of 40 while a "normal" person can view this at 40 feet which is double the testing distance. This is not quite as satisfactory as having 20/20 sight though because you can only make out from 20 feet away, hence the 20/40.
Visual acuity is one of the fundamental criteria for passing your usual driving license exam and this is one you won't get a dilemma with as the standard is 20/40 or better, with both eyes open. For commercial or heavy vehicles the standard is tough, requiring a visual acuity of at least 20/30 with both eyes open. Those who need to wear spectacles to match this criteria should frequently wear them when on the road driving.
Another illustration would be commercial pilots, who must receive a visual acuity of 20/20 among other things.
Note that for metric units, 20/20 is equal to 6/6. That is, the testing distance is 6 meters.
That being said, most folks consider 20/20 vision after laser eye treatment as being successful. Latest studies* have shown approximately 94% of folks accomplish 20/20 sight or better after refractive procedure and virtually 100% of those can see the 20/30 line of letters. This means that the large majority of folks can safely drive without glasses after surgery.
This also means that if your vision before procedure is 20/20, you may not attain that amount of sight without spectacles after laser eye surgery. This is usually brought about by either an under correction or over correction which leaves patients with a residual prescription. If the first visual result does not meet your expectations, a subsequent operation can be performed to enhance the vision.
Apart from all these, there are still other criteria that should be considered when assessing the success of refractive procedure. Experiencing night time haloes around lights, dry eyes, and other optic anomalies are reasons for dissatisfaction, especially if they turn out to be long-term, continuing issues. The quality of life and patient contentment have been assessed with recent studies showing a contentment (not success) rate of 95% for current laser eye techniques**.
A lot of those are very glad with the results of laser eye treatments. Weighing your options and understanding the risks should constantly be practiced first. Refractive procedure is for you if you that the benefits actually outweigh the risks.
by: MarieS0407
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