Sam was a famous boy in our school. No he was not great at any kind of sports, also it never occurred to any of our teachers that Sam was academically promising. Nor had anybody ever heard or saw him taking part in any kind of extra curricular activities. You might be wondering, then why on earth the boy was famous in the school! Well, he was famous, or should I say made famous by his oversized and thick glassed spectacles. We never met since we had left the school in mid- 1990's until recently, and believe me it came as quite a shock! Where has gone that bespectacled boy, whose eyes seemed to get lost for ever in the numbers of his thick glasses? Before me stood a new man altogether, smart, handsome and most importantly full of confidence.

Yes, this is what a laser eye surgery can do for you. It can transform your personality, it can enhance your looks, and it helps you to get rid of dependence on sight corrective devices, it promises you freedom to view the world as you wish. Well, there are differences of opinions regarding the result of the surgery. But use your common sense and judge for yourself. Why is it that millions of people in the USA are bidding good bye to their spectacles and undergoing laser eye surgery? The prices of surgery also came down only to indicate their soaring popularity. So definitely people are getting benefits from the procedure. Let us examine, what are these benefits?

The benefits from various types of laser eye surgery are obvious and extensive. These surgeries are aimed at correcting mild to moderate refractive errors of your eyes which are more commonly known as myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, and astigmatism or distorted vision. And the best thing about this surgery is that it is a permanent correction. Thus the cosmetic and utilitarian value of laser eye surgery is beyond imagination.

Currently, there are three options available if you choose to correct your vision through laser surgery. Among them is PRK or photorefractive keratectomy, being the oldest as well as simplest the reshaping of the cornea takes place with the help of computer-controlled beam of laser. LASIK, the acronym for laser in situ Keratomileusis is a complex procedure targeted at all degrees of nearsightedness. Here a surgical blade called microkeratome is used to curve out a flap from corneal tissue. After removing the tissue beneath it, the flap is replaced back. The third option is that of EPIFLAP or LASEK, where cornea is revealed by partial removal of epithelium and after the cornea has been gently reshaped, the epithelium is replaced back to its place.

So now you can understand how laser eye surgery works. If you are scared thinking the procedure might be painful, you are mistaken. You can also get back to your normal routine within three days time. And the most interesting thing is the time. It takes just about 15 to 40 seconds! Thinking about the risk factors? Can you find any kind of surgery, where the surgeon does not warn you about the probable risk factors? In this case you can avoid risks by asking your doctor whether you are right candidate for laser eye surgery. Maybe some time you will get dry eyes or glare around lights at night, but the benefits you get from the surgery are much more valuable than these little inconveniences of life.