LASIK - How Does This Laser Eye Surgery Work?

When interested and potential patients inquire about refractive eye surgery, they ask: How does laser eye surgery work? How does LASIK work? For LASIK has become synonymous with laser eye surgery.

Some facts about LASIK are needed before one can get to the answers of: how does laser eye surgery work?

LASIK stands for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis and FDA has approved this surgical technique since 1998. Eye surgeons normally prescribe this laser eye surgery procedure for persons who have nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism and who have thick corneas.

The preliminary step begins with the eye surgeon administering tests to check your suitability for LASIK. If you have dry eye syndrome, diseases like glaucoma, cataract or diabetes, you will be strongly advised not to undergo the treatment. Reputable clinics report that at least 50% of those who come in for an initial consultation are rejected.

So how does LASIK? How does laser eye surgery work?

First phase of the operation

To begin, you are positioned on a reclined chair, and a numbing drop of solution placed in your eye. Afterwards the cornea is cleaned of floating foreign matter, and then instrument called a lid speculum is put over your eyes to keep the eyelids open. The ring is place right on the eyeball. Suction is then applied around your cornea. You’ll experience blurring and dimming of your vision. Then the surgeon uses a microkeratome (surgical knife) to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea.

Second phase

Afterwards, the microkeratome and ring are removed. The doctor then asks you to stare at the light. This is to get your eye stay focused on a fixed object, so that the doctor can proceed to the final phase of the operation.

Third phase

The pre-programmed laser then cuts corneal tissue, thereby reshaping it. After the cornea has been reshaped, the flap is replaced back with a preventative shield is placed over your eyes to protect them from irritants.

The actual operation would have taken you less than a minute, with improved vision apparent in 24 hours.

Post operative care is as important as the operation itself. So don’t drive for a few weeks. Don’t do contact sports. Go for the post operative check ups the eye surgeon has scheduled with you.

Follow the do's and don'ts faithfully, so you'll be able to answer the question: How does a safe laser eye surgery work? With a bright smile and clear vision.

By Tim Gorman

Lasik Recovery Time - What You Need to Know

Irrespective of what many people say, including the doctors who perform the LASIK procedure, LASIK recovery time is not a 20 minutes phenomenon, but you take up to six months to completely recover. Patience is required by people who undergo LASIK surgery, as clarity of vision after surgery will depend on the procedure adopted, your refractive error, and post-operative complications, if any. It is often claimed that clarity of vision is attained immediately after the surgery, but it may not be true in most of the cases.

It is normal that post surgery, you face complications, such as ghosts, halos, starbursts, regular or irregular astigmatism, and reduction in clarity for a short period of time. Over a period of time, from as little as a few weeks to as much as six months, these complications may dissipate, and in certain cases, you may need further surgery before recovering fully. If these complications continue beyond six months, you may assume that these are permanent.

Step-By-Step Recovery after LASIK Eye Surgery

Let us look at the LASIK recovery time in stages:

* First Day After Surgery – Most people can return to their normal routines a day after the surgery. You will need to regularly use antibiotics, steroids, and other medications for your dry eye syndrome. Do not rub your eyes for the first 7 days and, while showering, do not let the water strike you on the face directly. Soap and shampoo in the eyes should be avoided strictly. Computer work, watching TV, and reading are acceptable, provided you lubricate your eyes regularly, and blink frequently. Light exercises are OK, but keep the sweat out of your eyes.

* One Week After Surgery – Avoid touching your eyes, as well as keep sweat out of your eyes. Exercises are fine, but avoid swimming, whirlpools and hot tubs. Keep your eyes well lubricated, and use lotions, creams and eye makeup with care, unless advised to the contrary by your doctor.

* Three Weeks After Surgery – Strenuous sports, including swimming, can be started, but with eye protection. You can start outdoor activities, but ensure that your eyes are well protected.

* 3 to 6 Months After Surgery – It will take, at least this much time for your vision to stabilize. Fluctuating vision is part of the healing process and will take time to recover.

You may need re-surgery to correct certain anomalies. It is imperative that you follow your doctor’s instructions after the surgery. LASIK recovery time depends on the care you take with your eyes.

By Al Falaq Arsendatama

Family Floater Vs Individual Health Insurance

Now that you have decided that you want a health insurance policy you are wondering about the best way to secure your family. In India, Family Floater and Individual Health Insurance are the options in front of you and here's what they provide.

Family Floater is a policy which covers more than one family member for a fixed cover. Here the fixed cover is shared by all the family members, i.e. if Shah Family of four take a cover of 4 lakh, the entire family can claim up to Rs. 4 lakh together. Generally two adults and two children are covered in a general floater policy.

The plus points

- It is less expensive than Individual Policy. - It is great for younger families with members having low health risk. - You can add your immediate family members like your spouse and kids. - Another benefit is that in case of only one claim in a year, the family member gets a greater claim amount compared to what he might have on an individual cover.

Ex: Mr. Shah and Mr. Mishra are good friends. Both of them realize the importance of health insurance and have bought it for themselves. Mr. Shah has gone ahead and bought a cover of Rs. 3 lakh for his family too.

In a freak car accident, Mr. Shah and Mr. Mishra were injured badly. The cost of the medical expenses came up to Rs.2.5 lakh for both of them. Mr. Shah and Mr. Mishra both had a cover of Rs.1 lakh in individual policy; Mr. Shah had additional cover of Rs. 3 lakh in his family floater so he did not have to pay a single penny while Mr. Mishra had to shell Rs 1.50 lakh from his pocket.

Thus, Mr. Shah had doubly secured himself and thus saved from financial troubles.

The Downers:

- The greatest disadvantage of a floater is that if there is more than one claim in a family in a year, the other family members are left with little cover like the case with Mr. Shah's family. - The policy is valid till the proposer turns 60 or 65 or the maximum age of renewability depending on the policy. - Generally, you can only cover your immediate family members, not even your parents and siblings except in the Oriental's 'Happy Family Floater' where you can cover your parents. - Individual Health Policy is a policy where each of the insured members is entitled to the entire amount separately.

The plus points:

- The policy extends to family members like Parents, in-Laws. - The Individual Policy is great for older families and when the health risk is more. - There are no age restrictions on the maximum age for the members for renewable. - You can avail the benefits of Loading and Discounts until the policy lapses.

The Downers:

The Policy is expensive for the families with low health risk.

Let's take example of Shah Family and Mishra Family to understand the concept better.

Mr. Shah is 55 years old with a wife of age 48 and with kids aged 20, 16.

The Premium for Family Floater of United India Insurance is Rs. 12,813 for a cover amount of Rs. 3 lakh.

If the Family goes for an Individual Policy of the same company the Premium comes to Rs. 14, 676 for cover amount of 2 lakh per family member and totals up to Rs. 8 lakh for the family. (4 members x 2lakhs)

For an extra premium of Rs. 1863, each family member is covered separately, and hence does not have a risk of being left uncovered when there is a large claim from another member.

Thus, the Shah family is advised to go for Individual health Policy.

Now, Mr. Mishra is 30, Mrs. Mishra is 28 and they have kids aged 8 and 3.

The Family Floater for them is of Rs. 5338 for a cover of 3 lakh.

And Individual Policy costs Rs. 8765 for a cover of 2 lakh individually which comes to a total cover of Rs. 8 lakh for the family. (4 members x 2 lakh)

Even here the difference between the Premiums is less; but the family should ideally take a family floater because the risk for them seems low at their age.

From an economical point of view, opting for a Floater seems beneficial for a younger family but in the long run it is essential to be covered individually so that Pre-existing diseases are covered and you are better secured.

Thus, though both of them have their benefits and disadvantages ideally one should have a separate individual cover for themselves as well as a Family Floater for the entire family in the long run.

By Rakesh Kharwar

Affordable Health Insurance - Tips on Finding Cheaper Health Plans

Looking for an affordable health insurance can be very tricky as it varies depending on where you live. Getting a cheaper health insurance has some risks though if you do not have proper knowledge, that is you might get yourself under covered. Do not just go for any cheap health plan without having read the following tips.

Is it Necessary to Get a Medical Health Plan if You Are a Healthy Person?

If you are a healthy young person of 25 years or less, getting a cheap health coverage might not be a problem. As we age, we are at a greater risk of getting some kind of disease, that is why we need regular medical check-ups. It is known that young women are prone to ovarian and breast cancers, regular medical checkups can help if preventing these cancers.

How to Choose a Good Health Insurance Company?

A medical health plan protects you in cases whereby you do not have enough money to pay your medical bills. To get the best and cheapest health plan, browse though all the companies which you think might be worth your money and trust. Do not go for small companies who claim they have the cheapest plans as maybe in a few years time they might not be there. Request quotes from different companies.

Tips on Getting the Best and Cheapest Health Plan

When taking a health insurance, ensure that you are covered for any particular disease or condition that you think you might suffer from. For specific conditions ensure that you are fully covered, that is you do not have to pay any amount.

By Marguerita Lopez

Cheaper Health Insurance - The Biggest Mistake People Make When Choosing a Health Insurance Plan

The biggest mistake that people make with insurance quotes is not comparing apples to apples.

Much of the industry language in health insurance is similar, but as of late, many providers have found new ways to save you money, offer more choices for the customer, and personalize a health plan that is ideal for your particular situation.

While these options are beneficial in the long run, it makes it tough to gauge how each one works when you contrast it with seemingly similar options in polices from other companies you have quoted. When you compare health insurance prices, you first need to look at what is in it for the money.

Here are some key points of interest you must consider with your insurance quote:

1. What is the co-pay rate for an office visit?

2. What will they cover for an office visit?

3. What is the exact monetary amount covered with each visit?

4. Will the company cover all prescription drug costs?

5. What is the price of brand name drugs?

6. How does this price compare with the generics?

7. Is there a deductible that preempts coverage?

8. What is the deductible rate before all costs are completely covered?

9. Will the company even cover all costs? Some will only foot 70 or 80 percent of the bill.

10. What differences are there in individual and family coverage?

11. What is the policy on cancer or other catastrophic illnesses or injury?

12. Does the policy cover accidents?

There are so many factors to consider when you pore over health insurance policies, but these queries will handle the biggest areas of concern. That is, areas that will cost you big bucks if you don't have the proper coverage when needed.

Perhaps the most important factor to bear in mind when comparing quotes is the type of coverage that you and your family will need. Historically, if you have a healthy family that rarely gets sick, you might save some money by looking for a plan that handles accidents, catastrophic illnesses and a health savings account.

They are relatively new plans and mandate that you cover costs for doctor visits for sickness out of your own pocket until you reach the deductible, individual or family. From there, the company steps in and pays anywhere from 70 to 100 percent of your costs.

With some patience and the willingness to understand new words, any smart person can understand, compare, and contrast health insurance quotes to get the best policy for themselves and their family, providing necessary coverage that will protect them from financial ruin in the event of a major sickness or accident.

Once you have an even smaller list of companies, take the time to discuss the finer details like restrictions to preexisting conditions and the certain amount or limit of coverage to a month or year with a representative from the company.

If you have decided on a provider, do not feel pressured to sign a contract with them quickly, rather, head home with the paperwork and peruse it one last time to be certain that you understand all the details. With that, you can sign off on the deal and feel the relief of proper insurance coverage.

By Andy Ryan

Health Insurance For the Home Based Business

Let's face it, getting adequate health coverage is probably the largest obstacle to overcome for people choosing to leave behind the days of working for a large company in favor of working for themselves from home. Medical care is expensive, and if you are uninsured, you are in trouble. So, how have so many people been able to make this leap in recent years?

First of all, in many cases, one spouse continues to work for a large company, therefore maintaining health benefits for the family through their work. This solution is probably the most cost effective, because employer provided insurance still has the best coverage for the lowest price.

But, if this is not an option, there are other resources out there. There are several associations for small business owners that provide discounted insurance plans. Join one of these associations, like the National Association for the Self Employed or the American Association of Home Based Business. By joining one of these or other associations you are increasing your buying power when it comes to insurance coverage. Insurance companies tend to give better deals to larger groups.

Another alternative is to raise your deductible or lower your coverage. Both of these measures can cut your monthly premiums by quite a bit. Often the coverage we are used to is actually more than we really need. If you are a relatively healthy person who visits the doctor only on occasion, then you can probably get away with a higher deductible or lower coverage. Why pay more for services you don't really need anyway?

Medical Savings Accounts are also worth checking into. These savings accounts are designed to work in conjunction with higher deductibles to take care of the smaller, day to day expenses that you incur before reaching your deductible. Medical Savings Accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars specifically for medical expenses up to the amount of your deductible. This system works pretty well, as long as you monitor your medical expenses very closely at all times.

Many health providers offer discount plans directly from the source. If your physician works for a health care company instead of for himself/herself, then these companies offer programs where you can buy a discount card directly from them for a nominal annual fee. Then, whenever you visit the doctor you show them the card and you get an automatic discount from between 10% to 25% for each visit. These discount plans are not considered insurance, but rather just a discount offered at the time of service.

The days of self employed physicians seem to be numbered, but if you do go to a doctor that is self employed, it is possible to sit down with the office manager and negotiate a lower price for any service if you are willing to pay cash up front. Doctors are willing to do this when they can save themselves the headache of filing insurance claims and paying for billing services to collect from you later.

Health insurance may be the biggest obstacle you face when building your own home based business, but even so, this obstacle is not insurmountable. There are always options out there for you to choose from.

By Vil Pietersen