Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear

The Dangers of LASIK Surgery: Why You Want to Avoid This Like the Plague


For those who have entertained the idea of getting Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis -- commonly referred to as LASIK surgery -- in hopes of correcting their vision ... think again.

What exactly is LASIK surgery? It is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of your cornea (the clear covering of the front of the eye) with an excimer laser:

Using a knife known as a microkeratome, a flap is cut in the cornea; a hinge is spared at one end of the flap.

The hinged flap is then folded back, revealing the stroma (the middlesection of the cornea).

Finally, pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.

The end result: perfect vision, right? Not necessarily.

Seeing Trouble

Many patients are under the impression LASIK surgery will end in instant perfect vision; however, that simply is not the case.

That's because, while the procedure is quick in itself, it is likely to lead to at least six months of impaired vision and significant discomfort, at the end of which only one eye may have normal sight. (And if the first eye does not heal to expectation, the second operation on the other eye will never be done and the imbalance will be permanent.)

Then there are the surgical disasters that can happen. You can visit SurgicalEyes.org to review some of the horror stories. The site is devoted to focusing attention on the unique problems faced by those who have undergone unsuccessful LASIK (and other eye) surgeries.

Surgical Eyes.org

Seeing.org


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Dr. Mercola's Comment:

The bottom line is that laser eye surgery (LASIK) does absolutely nothing to treat the cause of your vision loss, and is 100-percent guaranteed to make your vision worse over time. Please trust me on this one, as I am convinced that it is true.

Eventually, Even Glasses Worsen Vision

The same actually holds true for glasses of any kind -- they're guaranteed to worsen your vision over time. The additional problem with LASIK is that you permanently make your cornea your "glasses" and it is obviously very difficult to get a new pair of glasses when they are part of your eye.

Fortunately, there are effective alternatives. I turned 50 last year, and for the last five years, like most of you in this age range, I have noticed a progressive decline in my near vision (presbyopia).

It was becoming progressively more difficult to read the menu in a dark restaurant without glasses. Well, a few weeks ago I flew to Los Angeles to undergo some private mentoring in a vision restoration process that has been around for nearly 100 years.

And I have to tell you that it worked! I am so excited as I can now see about 50 percent better, and it is likely I will soon be able to read 4-point font at six inches from my eyes -- even in dim light -- with the new exercises I am doing. This is one of the most exciting personal health benefits I have ever experienced. To regain lost vision without the use of glasses is absolutely amazing. Even I am still having a hard time believing it.

While it is great to recover my vision, it is even more exciting to realize that this will also likely prevent mental deterioration and Alzheimer's disease. Pretty phenomenal deal from my perspective.

Exercise Your Vision


The key I have learned is to remove the mental strain, stop staring and relax, and you can start to read very tiny print. There are a number of practical exercises you can do to achieve this. I have been exercising for nearly 40 years, and I never realized that your eyes need to be exercised just like the rest of your body. What is really surprising, though, is that these exercises are not what you'd expect at all and most are the opposite of what is commonly recommended.

New Course in the Fall


It cost me several thousand dollars to learn this technique, and I am still working through it, but once I have fully regained my near vision I plan on working with a company that will be developing and offering an entire course on this process in the fall. The course will have hundreds of pages of documentation on this century-old process that has restored the vision for tens of thousands of people who have had access to clinicians who understood the secret of restoring vision loss.

The process works for recovery of both near and far vision. The course will initially be offered for those with presbyopia (far sightedness or loss typically associated with old age). Visual recovery for those with myopia is a bit more challenging as there are many more variables to address. However, many of the principles will work for both types of vision loss.

Sun Exposure


I can give you a hint that exposing yourself to the sun is a very powerful part of the recovery. One of the exercises involves nothing more than looking at the sun with your eyes closed and moving your head in an Infiniti loop for about five minutes. It is important to make sure that your eyelids are closed. This exercise will only work on a sunny day, though, as you really need bright sun exposure to obtain the benefits.

In my free time I am reviewing more than 2,000 pages of text that have been written about this process and most of the pages are over 75 years old. Until this company is able to put the course together, I would give you some serious cautions.

Avoid LASIK


Please NEVER, NEVER, NEVER get laser eye surgery (LASIK) done, as it has a significant failure rate and can cause serious side effects. It will be far easier to achieve full vision recovery if you have not had this surgery.

If you have already had LASIK done, there's hope as it is still possible for you to recover your vision; it is just a bit more challenging and will take longer.

Please also remember that, in addition to vision improvement exercises, it will always be of vital importance to make dietary choices that will support the integrity and resiliency of the tissue in your eyes, as well as the rest of your body. These recommendations include:

Avoiding trans fats
Eating dark-colored berries
Getting plenty of lutein
Increasing your intake of omega-3 fats