Laser eye surgery charlotte
How To Get The Best Corrective Eye Laser Surgery Doctor -
When I turned 60, an unexpected event occurred that inspired me to write this article. Since the age of 10, I had worn contact lenses to correct for my extreme nearsightedness.But in the last few years, that solution had begun to work less well. After turning 56, I found myself wearing reading glasses a good bit of the time to do my work. I developed glaucoma about the same time and had to use eye drops that left my eyes sore, swollen, and dry.Contact lens wearing became increasingly difficult. By the evening, I would just take out my lenses and read without glasses or contact lenses by pressing the book up against my nose. I was heading back to where I was at age 9 before anyone knew I couldn’t see very well.When I was 59, I remembered that my mother had promised me as an 11-year-old that someday I wouldn’t have to use anything to correct my vision. I thought I might have glimpsed the fulfillment of her promise a few days later while watching Tiger Woods play golf at a local tournament.The great golfer had had laser surgery to correct his vision a few years earlier. I was startled to see him staring steely-eyed at the flags while strong winds blinded me with dirt that interfered with my contact lenses.At my next eye appointment, I asked my delightful ophthalmologist, Dr. Miriam Dougherty, if someone with glaucoma could have laser surgery for vision correction. She said sure and recommended I see one of the top laser surgeons in the country, Dr. Peter Rapoza.I was delighted to hear the news and even happier when Dr. Rapoza’s assistant informed me that the first visit was free to check to see if I was a good candidate for the surgery. Dr. Rapoza turned out to be a tall, distinguished-looking man who somewhat resembled the actor George Clooney. He obviously liked people and did everything he could to be kind and helpful. You feel comfortable in his presence no matter what he has to tell you.Peter had good and bad news for me. I could use the laser surgery to improve my vision, but I also had cataracts that were so bad they should be immediately removed. He recommended that I have cataract surgery and later follow up with laser surgery if anything wasn’t visually perfect after the cataracts were gone.He explained that during cataract surgery a new lens is implanted in each eye that corrects distance vision and many people find that solution avoids the need for laser corrections. I subsequently had both eyes operated on and unexpectedly ended up with the best vision of my life.I could now see 20/20 (or with average vision) at a distance. My near vision improved so much that for most close-up tasks I could see better without reading glasses than with them. It was better than being physically reborn in a way . . . except with improvements.With cataracts everything is dark and yellow. After the surgeries I could see that snow was still white, whereas before the surgeries I had been very concerned about the way pollution had made snow so yellow! In addition, night lights previously blurred everything into a big amorphous halo.Now I could see unlit objects quite clearly with only starlight to help me. I woke up every day to see everything perfectly. That had never happened before in my life.This astonishing personal experience taught me that progress can occur faster than even optimists realize. In my lifetime, technology improvements had taken me from being a virtually blind person to someone who has almost flawless vision at age 60 without any personal effort.Let me talk about optimism for a moment. Researchers have observed that optimists often accomplish more than realists and pessimists. Why? Optimists try more things and stick to them longer. The realist or pessimist often stops short of trying or trying again, just at the brink of success.But it’s not enough just to be an optimist. You need to do something based on your optimism. Optimists who never do anything except expect the best results are often referred to as day dreamers. Extreme optimists who think about what’s maybe over the rainbow are often dismissed as crackpots, or worse.I’m a different kind of optimist: an intensely practical one. I want to see results . . . and soon. I’m impatient. I do everything fast and wish I could go faster: There is so much that needs to be done that most people ignore.That’s one reason I was so impressed by my experience with cataract surgery; here was practical progress that helped me a lot and happened on its own. Wouldn’t it be great if great improvements in all kinds of areas I care about occurred without my effort?Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved—Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an Optimist, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for accomplishing 20 times more by registering at: www.2000percentsolution.com Laser Eye Surgery News…
Stretchmarks, also known as striae is a type of skin scarring that occurs during pregnancy, weight gain, puberty, obesity, and other physical activities. It starts off in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin, which allows the skin to keep its shape. But, when the skin is constantly stretched, the dermis can break down leaving behind stretch marks. Stretchmarks often starts off reddish or purplish in color and when it gets older, it becomes a silver or white color. Everyone including myself has suffered from stretchmarks and we continue to battle and find ways to reduce or eliminate them. Both men and women get them and it can be unappealing and embarrassing to have. There are a number of treatment options to remove stretchmarks new and old. There are at least five well known stretchmark solutions which are Laser surgery, Dermabrasion, Chemical peels, Diet and Exercise, and Over the Counter creams and lotions. Laser Surgery, dermabrasion, and chemical peels can definitely help address unwanted stretchmarks and has good results; however, these procedures can be very costly. Also, most insurance company will not cover stretchmarks because it is a cosmetic procedure. Diet and exercise can help prevent stretchmarks. By drinking plenty of water, your skin stays hydrated making it less likely to develop stretchmarks. Unfortunately for all you coffee lovers, caffeine increases your risk of stretchmarks. If you’re stuck drinking coffee, tea, or soda, try to balance your fluids. Drink as much or more water as you drink caffeinated beverages. Stretchmarks can also develop from lack of nutrition. Consume foods that will promote your skin by eating foods rich in zinc such as nuts and fish. Protein-rich foods like eggs and foods high in Vitamin A and C such as carrots, citrus fruits, and milk can also help. Over the counter creams is another alternative that has been used to help with stretchmarks; however, most have been unsuccessful. There are a few out there that has been very effective in reducing and eliminating stretchmarks. Captiva is one product that has been known to have similar effects as microdermabrasion or laser therapy, but taking only a fraction of time and cost. So, not all stretchmark creams are unsuccessful. They’re plenty out there that actually work and these types of creams are not found over the counter. If you can spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on stretchmark treatments, your best bet would be laser therapy or dermabrasion. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to get rid of stretchmarks that can have similar effects as laser therapy or microdermabrasion, then using an effective stretchmark cream is your best bet.Diana Ajih is a website owner and a young online business entrepreneur. For more information on Captiva, go to http://www.hotbeautyhealth.com Laser Eye Surgery News…
When you find that you must have surgery for hemorrhoids, the questions can come on so quick that it may as well be an incoherent storm in your mind. So many crash in that it can often be difficult to figure out the ones you really need to ask first. In addition, it helps to discuss all questions you may have well before the surgery so you can go in with full confidence rather than worrying that you forgot to ask something that will prove to be of vital importance. The first and most important question to ask is for the surgeon’s credentials. While any practicing surgeon will have degrees and certifications on hand, it is also important to inquire how many times they have performed the particular procedure they intend to do on you. Frequently they cannot give you references to past patients due to medical privacy regulations, but they should have professional statistics available for your perusal that have had identifying information removed. Each procedure is different, and occasionally the tools are quite different as well. For example, you can have a hemorrhoidectomy done either with scalpels or with lasers. Each tool carries its own risks and must be specifically trained with. You do not want to be the first laser surgery your surgeon has ever done, even if he or she has completed hundreds of successful hemorrhoidectomies performed with a scalpel. Once trust has been established, at that point it is important to ask your surgeon to explain the procedure to you in detail. It may take a bit of time to explain in plain language instead of medical jargon, so be patient and schedule yourself a bit extra time. The purpose of medical jargon is to convey a huge amount of information in very few words, so to unfold it all takes a bit of work, but any surgeon should be willing to take all the time you need in order to fully understand. Also ask about potential risks from the surgery, and keep asking as long as anything is not perfectly clear. You have the right to know all of the potential consequences of any surgical procedure ever done on you. After you fully understand the procedure, you will probably want to ask about pre- and post-surgical practices. Most surgeons will tell you about pre-surgical procedures on their own, as you need to do those in order to be fully ready for the surgery, but listen carefully and ask about anything that is not perfectly clear or that you don’t understand the reason for. Also, keep in mind that your surgeon does not necessarily know everything about your particular medical history. For instance, many surgeons ask you to take ibuprofen for a couple of days prior to the procedure to reduce swelling and inflammation. If you know that your family doctor has told you to never take ibuprofen, you’ll want to inform your surgeon of that so that you can find a suitable substitute together. In a similar fashion, only you know the circumstances you will have to live in after your surgery, so there are several questions you will want to ask about post-surgical treatments and restrictions. How long before you can go back to work? Is there a limit on how much you can lift, and for how long? What effects will post-surgical medications have on you? Will you need someone to stay with you around the clock, or will you be fine by yourself or with daytime visitors? If you have special conditions, again, you need to mention those. Most post-surgical procedures are designed for normal, healthy adults. If that designation does not apply to you, you and your surgeon will need to adjust accordingly. Concluding comments Surgeons will be patient with all of these questions because they want you to have the best outcome possible. Statistically, people who fully understand their treatment are willing participants in their own care, and have much higher success rates than those who do not. Therefore, because your surgeon cares primarily about you, and also about his or her professional reputation, he or she will be happy that you are taking so much time to be a partner in your own health care. ABOUT AUTHOR: Donald writes considerably about hemorrhoids, and knows much about hemorrhoids surgery including hemorrhoids banding. Laser Eye Surgery News…