Nationwide, there are many medical healthcare professionals who will perform cataract-related surgery for free on older patients who have delayed the procedure because of worries about the cost. These doctors are able to perform cataract-related services at absolutely no cost to many individuals who need their help. You may be able to receive a comprehensive eye exam, cataract testing, eye glass prescriptions, and conventional or laser eye surgery, plus the necessary post-operative care, at no cost to you.

If you do not have insurance and do not have the ability to pay, there are doctors who will donate their services to ensure that you receive the needed care and retain or recover your precious eyesight. If you have Medicare, or Medicare and supplemental insurance, the physician or clinic will bill Medicare and your supplemental provider, and there will be no additional charges for you to cover.

Is it possible to get free cataract surgery? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Instead of worrying, take action today to improve your vision. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if they know of a local program for seniors who can’t afford to pay for cataract surgery.

When their eyes do not get sufficient lubrication, a person will experience several conditions apart from dry eye and these include blurring of vision, redness, pain and sensitivity to light. Dry eyes can also be a symptom of other conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, collagen vascular diseases and Sjorgens Syndrome, and can also be caused by natural conditions like menopause and aging. Finally, there are the practical causes of dry eyes, which include physical abnormalities within the tear ducts, being a side-effect to certain medications, like antihistamines, and environmental factors like too much heat. When the dryness is caused by an imbalance in the tear ducts, a person is said to have Dry Eye Syndrome.

There are several things that a person can do to alleviate the symptoms of dry eyes and these range from administering eye drops to closing those ducts that drain the eye of tears. The first treatment that will be prescribed for every case of dry eye comprises artificial tear ointments and drops and these have the effect of lubricating the eye just as fully functional tear ducts would have done. While the drops are meant to be used during the day, the ointment serves better at night as it is thicker and lubricates for longer periods.

Further treatment options include treatment with other medications, including topical steroids and the drug Restasis. Restasis is a prescription eye medication and, at the moment, it is the only one available that improves the rate of a person’s own tear production. Two further treatments would be partial or total puntal occlusion, which involves placing either temporary or permanent silicone plugs in those ducts in the eye that drain moisture from the eye’s surface.

If total puntal occlusion does not work, there is another surgical option and this involves severing the tear-draining ducts. This surgery is permanent and irreversible but does not have any adverse effects.

First of all, what causes dry eyes? The condition is caused by a lack of natural moisturizers and lubricants in natural tears. It is often suffered by those who watch a lot of television, spend a lot of time on the computer, knit, or frequently perform other tasks that involve prolonged focusing of the eyes. Other dry eye causes include changes in weather or climate.

Chronic dry eye has many persistent symptoms that are common across all cases of the condition. These include a feeling of pain in the eye; a dry, grainy feeling to the eye, as though a foreign object is present; persistent redness, irritation or swelling; and the onset of uncontrollable eye watering.

photo credit: retropc

Some may be surprised to learn that excessive eye watering is one of the common symptoms of chronic dry eye. The watering is the result of the body over-compensating in an attempt to soothe the eyes.

While many people experience these symptoms on occasion, people with chronic dry eye syndrome experience them on a very regular (sometimes daily) basis and for prolonged periods of time.

To know for certain of your dry eyes are actually chronic dry eye, there are test available that can diagnose the problem. An ophthalmologist can measure tear production by either placing a small piece of filter paper under the eyelid and measuring the moisture content of the paper after a certain period of time, or by using special eye drops that gauge tear production.

If you are experiencing chronic dry eye symptoms, there are several things you can do to treat them. The easiest and least expensive way to treat chronic dry eye is with over-the-counter eye drops. Look for “natural tears” varieties that will help to lubricate the eyes. Those with severe symptoms may wish to try gel eye drops, which coat the eye and provide soothing relief. However they can cause blurred vision for a short period of time, so they are often recommended for nighttime use.

While over-the-counter eye drops are the most common treatment for chronic dry eyes, some people may still find that their symptoms persist. If OTC eye drops do not work for you, ask your ophthalmologist about prescription eye drops formulated specifically for treating symptoms of chronic dry eye.

The most persistent cases of dry eye may be candidates for tear duct plugs. These small silicone plugs are inserted by a doctor into the tear ducts and can help relieve the symptoms associated with chronic dry eye. If your eye doctor thinks you may be a good candidate for tear duct plugs, temporary plugs, which will dissolve over time, can be inserted to see if they bring relief.

photo credit: Mary Thorman

Here are some steps you can take:

First, make sure the LASIK center is licensed by your governing board. Search your states’ administrative website and there you should find all the licensed LASIK eye surgeons for your area. Also, you can check with the National Practicioner Data Bank for surgeons available to you.

After you have identified several candidates, call each LASIK surgery center and ask if they have any certifications beyond the minimum standards proscribed by their licensing board. Those that do will gladly give you this information and give you instructions on how to check for yourself. One criteria you might set is that your surgeon be a member of The American College of Surgeons (ACS). This is a self-governing organization that requires from its members the highest in ethical standards, patient care, and conduct. Those that are members will usually have “FACS” (Fellow of The American College of Surgeons) after their name.

Ask for referrals. Most, if not all, surgeons will have a list readily available to you. Get it and then actually contact these people. Ask pointed questions. Don’t be afraid to zero in on what concerns you most about your surgery, physician and LASIK surgery center. You might even still want to call the laser eye center or surgeon’s office and ask for referrals not on their original list. This will give you a much larger sample pool and, therefor, a better representation of how you can expect to be treated.

Don’t be afraid of investigating a LASIK eye care center or surgeon who advertises. Most physicians who advertise (and lawyers to, for that matter) are simply wanting to provide their superior service to as many people as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that, and, in this case, can work to your advantage. A surgeon who advertises will probably have an extensive patient list from which you can investigate.

Many people think that LASIK eye surgery has become as simple as getting a tooth pulled. While the procedure has advanced considerably, it is, after all, surgery. When choosing a LASIK vision center, your due diligence is definitely required.

The laser uses an inert gas such as argon, xenon, or krypton in combination with a reactive gas such as fluorine or chlorine. Through electrical stimulation, an energized pseudo-molecule, the excimer, is created. The excimer laser emits a very focused beam of ultraviolet light that remains cool and does not heat surfaces or the environment around it. This makes it ideal for so many detailed procedures where temperature is a factor.

The excimer laser works by adding energy to the biological matter or organic compounds which absorb it, disrupting molecular bonds of the tissue at the surface. The laser penetrates less than a nanometer (one billionth of a meter!) into the target, versus burning or cutting. And instead of being burnt or cut, the surface tissue simply disintegrates through a process called controlled ablation (also known as excimer laser ablation or photoablation). Because of the precision and lack of heating, excimer lasers are ideal for very delicate procedures such as altering the cornea as part of LASIK eye surgery.

There are three types of modern excimer lasers utilized in corrective eye surgery: Slit-scanning, spot-scanning, and wavefront-guided.

• Slit-scanning lasers use relatively small beams linked to a rotational device with enlarging slit holes to create a uniform and smooth approach. The downside of slit-scanning lasers is that overcorrection or decentration (which cause glares, halos, and double vision) can be a result of the procedure.
• Spot-scanning lasers are the most widely used lasers in excimer laser surgery. They scan across the cornea with small beams producing the smoothest and most easily customized ablations especially good for irregular astigmatism.
• Wavefront-guided excimer lasers map defects in the eye to create a custom approach to vision correction.

Most modern excimer lasers have eye tracking systems integrated for automated targeting and precision of direction of the laser beam. These eye tracking systems have vastly improved outcome of eye surgeries since the inception of excimer laser technology for LASIK.

Regardless of which laser is utilized during the procedure, success and patient comfort ultimately derive from the surgeon’s expertise in use of the excimer laser for vision correction.