Increased dependence of netizens on electronic devices is leading to various eyesight-related problems at an early age. We spend an alarming time of over 40% of our waking hours glued to internet-connected screens. This increases the risk of ophthalmologic diseases– affecting the routine work of an individual. Refractive errors, i.e., vision defects, are the most common among such diseases.
The good news is that various advanced treatments to correct vision defects don’t require you to wear corrective lenses. One such treatment gaining traction is – LASIK eye surgery, a hi-tech laser refractive surgery intended to correct vision problems.
Read on to learn every crucial detail about LASIK surgery and how Care Health Insurance lowers the treatment cost with insurance coverage.
What is LASIK Surgery?
LASIK is an acronym for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis. It is one of the ultramodern surgeries intended to correct vision defects. LASIK eye surgery uses laser beams to rectify the focus of light rays falling on the retina. This technique ultimately treats the vision problems caused by refractive errors. To understand this better, it is essential to know how the human eye works.
For normal clear vision, the light rays must travel through the cornea of the eye and lens, which refracts the light such that it falls on the retina. The retina converts the light ray into signals that travel through the optical nerve to your brain and form the image. If you have a refractive error, the shape of your cornea or eye lens fails to refract the light correctly. When light is wrongly focused on the retina, your vision becomes blurry.
Now, LASIK surgery aims to correct this refractive error to improve your vision and retain average vision clarity. This advanced surgery may eliminate your need to wear contact lenses or spectacles.
What are the Optical Conditions that Require LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK surgery is done to correct one of the following vision-related defects:
Myopia (near-sightedness): If the cornea curves too sharply, the light rays focus in front of the retina rather than on it, distorting the distant vision. This is the myopic condition in which a person can see nearby objects but not far-distant things.
Hypermetropia (long-sightedness): If the cornea gets too flat or the eyeball is excessively short, light converges behind the retina rather than on it. This causes blurry near vision, and this condition of long-sightedness is known as hypermetropia.
Astigmatism: This is an abnormal condition wherein the cornea isn’t completely round. As a result, your vision becomes hazy and blurry. A person with astigmatism sees scattered light.
Presbyopia: This is a vision defect in which a patient struggles with blurred vision when looking at nearby objects, even with corrective lenses. Presbyopia is an age-related vision defect that begins after the 40s and usually worsens post 65 years. No medical treatment can reverse this vision defect.
However, a unique technique using LASIK surgery, called monovision, can treat presbyopia to some extent.
What is the Procedure for LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK eye surgery is a topical anesthetic surgery. During LASIK surgery, a high-power cutting laser is used to precisely alter the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue of the cornea to correct the vision defect. The entire procedure hardly takes 30 minutes to eliminate all irregularities of the cornea or the eye lens. Here is how the entire procedure is carried out:
- Firstly you have to lie down flat. Thereafter, the ophthalmologist will administer a few drops of special eye drops to desensitize your eyes. As a result, you will stay awake during the surgery, but your vision will go blank.
- Next, your surgeon will open your eyelids and place an eyelid holder and a suction ring. While the holder will avoid blinking your eyes, the ring will keep your eyeball stationary.
- Now, the surgeon will place a flap in your cornea as thin as paper with the help of a laser.
- The laser that is programmed with your eye measurements, will now lift the flap and fold it back, like a book’s page.
- Next, your surgeon will throw a flash of a light beam in your eye and ask you to gaze at it. Gazing at this light keeps your eyes from moving. Now, the laser will reshape your cornea and correct the refractive error.
- Finally, the ophthalmologist will fold the tissue flap back down. The healing will start quickly — coming back to normal within two to three minutes.
>> Also Read: 5 Nutrients That Will Protect Your Eyes
What are the Risks related to LASIK eye surgery?
As with any other surgery, LASIK surgery carries certain risks. Here are some critical things to consider before going for the surgery:
Minor Vision Irregularities: This is a complex type of eye surgery. Although it's most unlikely to happen, there may be specific LASIK surgery side effects that may permanently impact your normal vision. In some rare cases, LASIK treatment may cause glaring or dry eyes.
Lose the Best Correctable Vision: LASIK surgery may cause a person to lose his/her “best correctable vision”, i.e., the highest degree of vision s/he had while wearing contact lenses or spectacles. Again, this is the rarest of situations.
Expensive Treatment: Moreover, insurance companies primarily don’t cover the cost of LASIK eye surgery. Hence, the individual may have to solely bear the financial burden due to the LASIK eye surgery cost.
Hence, it is essential to consult an experienced surgeon before undergoing LASIK surgery. Also, looking for a trustworthy health insurance provider offering partial or complete coverage for this eye surgery is essential.
What is the cost of LASIK eye surgery in India?
The average LASIK surgery cost in India is above ₹60,000. Depending upon the type of vision defect, the degree of precision in LASIK eye surgery may vary. Accordingly, the cost of this surgery may go beyond ₹1,60,000, especially across metro cities in India.
Does Health Insurance Cover LASIK Treatment?
Most health insurers do not cover the LASIK eye surgery cost since it is considered cosmetic surgery that is not medically necessary. Given the hefty cost involved in the LASIK procedure, financial support from a health insurer is always invited.
Which Health Insurance Plan Covers LASIK Treatment Cost?
Care Health Insurance offers specialized mediclaim policies such as Care Super Mediclaim plans offering coverage for refractive error treatments, including several eye-related day care surgeries. This feature helps people with acute refractive errors to get financial support in getting quality treatment without worrying about the hefty medical bills. The coverage benefit holds the following terms and conditions:
- The policy may cover the expenses related to the treatment for eye-sight correction of refractive error wherein the patient’s eye-sight is above 7.5 dioptres.
It is advised that you refer to the official brochure and prospectus of the Critical Illness plan on the Care Health Insurance portal for details regarding the policy coverage. Claim settlement is subject to the policy terms & conditions and the underwriter’s discretion.
Disclaimer: Please verify the policy details and coverage with the official policy documents. Also, kindly consult a professional medical expert to verify the details of health concerns.
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