Archive for the ‘Lasik Surgery’ Category

Lasik eye surgery

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

In medicine, lasers are routinely used as cutting tools with the added benefit that their burning action seals and clots a cut immediately. As an example, in laser eye surgery or even ulcer removal surgery, tissue can be removed without damaging surrounding areas.

Combining scientific theory and brilliant engineering, it is one of the most innovative, fascinating, and commercially successful devices ever built. Lasers provide precise, selective and controlled high-power light beams for a variety of uses… more info at: www.arrivacostarica.com

During LASIK Surgery

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

LASIK is an ambulatory procedure — you walk into the surgery center, have the procedure and walk out again. In fact, the actual surgery usually takes less than five minutes, and you’re awake the whole time.

Occasionally, the surgeon will give you a mild oral sedative beforehand.

Even though the surgery is relatively quick, LASIK is a very delicate procedure and it’s important to have it performed by a highly skilled surgeon with proper equipment. You also should have someone accompany you to drive you back home afterward.

Your eyes first are anesthetized with special drops, so most people don’t feel pain during LASIK surgery.

The doctor will have you lie down, then make sure your eye is positioned directly under the laser. (One eye is operated on at a time.) A kind of retainer is placed under your eyelids to keep them open — normally, this is not uncomfortable.

The surgeon will use an ink marker to mark the cornea before the flap is created. The flap is then created with either a microkeratome or with a femtosecond laser. Whichever device is used, it is securely attached to your cornea with a suction ring to prevent eye movements or loss of contact that could affect flap quality. During the procedure you won’t actually see the creation of the flap, which is very thin.

An ultra-thin flap is created on the eye’s surface during LASIK corrective eye surgery. After laser energy is applied to reshape the eye, the flap is replaced to serve as a type of natural bandage.

The surgeon uses a computer to adjust the excimer laser for your particular prescription. You will be asked to look at a target light for a short time while he or she watches your eye through a microscope as the laser sends pulses of light to your cornea.

The laser light pulses painlessly reshape the cornea. You’ll hear a steady clicking sound while the laser is operating. You also may smell a mildly acrid odor during the corneal reshaping process.

The higher your prescription, the more time the surgery will take. The surgeon has full control of the laser and can turn it off at any time.

After the procedure is finished, you will rest for a little while. If you’re having both eyes done the same day, the surgeon typically will begin working on your second eye immediately after treatment of the first eye is finished. Some people choose to have their second eye done a week later.

Your surgeon may prescribe medication for any postoperative pain, but many people feel no more than mild discomfort after LASIK. That’s one advantage of LASIK over PRK, which can cause significant eye discomfort for a few days.

ArrivaCostaRica.com is the primary web site for information about plastic surgery and dentistry in Costa Rica. See www.arrivacostarica.com

Before the LASIK Procedure

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

If you are considering LASIK eye surgery, your first step is to choose a LASIK surgeon.

To decide whether you’re a good candidate for LASIK, your eye doctor will perform an eye exam to determine eye health, what kind of vision correction you need and how much laser ablation is required.

Your doctor also will look for signs of dry eye disease, which must be treated and cleared up before LASIK can be performed. Even if your eyes have a normal tear film, your eye surgeon as a precaution may recommend treatment to reduce your risk of developing dry eyes after LASIK.

Also, a corneal topographer usually is used; this device measures the curvature of your eye and creates a kind of “map” of your cornea. With new wavefront technology associated with custom LASIK, you also are likely to undergo a wavefront analysis that sends light waves through the eye to provide an even more precise map of aberrations affecting your vision.

Finally, the doctor will ask you about any health problems you have or medications you take. Some health conditions will disqualify you altogether for LASIK, but others may just postpone the procedure until a later date.

ArrivaCostaRica.com is the primary web site for information about plastic surgery and dentistry in Costa Rica. See www.arrivacostarica.com

How does LASIK work?

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. You may hear people calling it “LASIX,” but the correct name is LASIK, which is short for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.”

Why is it so popular? LASIK has advantages over other vision correction procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision usually is achieved by the very next day.

An instrument called a microkeratome is used in LASIK eye surgery to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Another, newer way of making the flap is with a laser.

The surgeon folds the hinged flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove (”ablate”) very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it.

When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.

Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from the LASIK procedure. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Excimer lasers also can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

ArrivaCostaRica.com is the primary web site for information about plastic surgery and dentistry in Costa Rica. See www.arrivacostarica.com

Affordable Healthcare and Costa Rica!

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Happy with your health insurance? Its probably because you’re healthy and don’t really need it. But when you do get sick, you may discover your insurance doesn’t cover as much as what you thought.

Just when you have the least physical and emotional ability to cope, you find yourself dealing with a financial and bureaucratic nightmare of claims that are refused, and procedures and medications that are denied by an anonymous insurance administrator telling their doctor what they can and cannot prescribe.

Saying the U.S. has the best health care in the world doesn’t make it so.

The World Health Organization ranks the U.S. health-care system 37th, between Costa Rica and Slovenia, behind three South American countries and well behind the much-maligned UK and Canadian systems.

While it’s true we have some of the best technology, research and training for doctors and nurses, if Americans can’t access them, it doesn’t make much difference how great it is. French cuisine is arguably the best in the world, but try telling that to the starving 18th century French peasants who because of their hunger and other sufferings, started the French revolution.

While false fears run rampant about “pulling the plug on Grandma” and government funds for abortion, there seems to be little regard for people between the age of 0 and 65 who are dying, suffering or going bankrupt because they just can’t afford the health care they need.

In this, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, every child, every person, should have access to health care. No parent should have to wait until their child gets so sick that the emergency room is the only option. No one should have to divorce an ailing spouse in order to avoid bankruptcy or poverty. No one should die because they can’t afford to be treated. Access to affordable health care, like freedom and democracy, is a moral issue.

Many insurers and employers, meanwhile, are discovering Costa Rica for exceptional medical and dental care. For more information, please go to www.arrivacostarica.com

Costa Rican hospitals earn an intern… accreditation

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Many Costa Rican hospitals and clinics have received certification that puts them on par with U.S. medical centers, a move that national competitiveness authorities know will boost this country’s profile as a prime destination for medical tourism.

Following a six-month review process, the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Facilities (AAAASF) has certified several private surgical and ambulatory centers, such as UNIBE hospital, And top JCI accredited hospitals, or soon to be accredited, include CIMA Hospital, Hospital Clinica Biblica, and La Catolica Hospital.

“The international accreditation of health services allows us to position ourselves among countries such as the United States, where patients are looking for certified qualified,” said Dr. Jorge Cortés, president of the Council for the International Promotion of Costa Rican Medicine (PROMED).

The vast majority of Costa Rica’s medical tourists come from the United States, whose population in many cases lacks affordable health care. Many procedures here are as little as one-third the cost, or less.

Nearly 13 percent of the medical tourists who visit Costa Rica seek cosmetic surgery procedures, while another 35 percent come for dental work, according to a study by the Competitiveness Ministry. In the U.S., insurance companies are beginning to catch on, offering to chip in for travel packages to this Central American country. For more information, go to www.arrivacostarica.com

Savings up to 60% for Plastic Surgery and Dental!

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

As the new leader in plastic surgery and dental care, Costa Rica offers price breaks of more than $20,000 for common procedures. Travel costs for such procedures are very low, only $158 round trip from Miami for a 2 hour ride, For a complete overview of costs for everything from tummy tucks to face lifts, and dental implants and crowns, along with the very best doctors and dentists in Costa Rica, go to http://www.arrivacostarica.com

Plastic surgery at the lowest!

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Costa Rica’s capital city, San Jose, has become a mecca for plastic surgery and dental patients. With experienced doctors performing affordable cosmetic surgeries, as well as dentists offering very low prices with amazing dental work, more people are discovering Costa Rica as the best place to refresh their look.

The low cost and state-of-the-art facilities are attracting thousands of medical travelers each year. Here is the main web site for plastic surgery and dental prices in Costa Rica - www.arrivacostarica.com

AMAZING LASER TREATMENT PRICES..

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Joan Scott thought she was doing the right thing when she took her daughter Anita to a California dermatology clinic, to help clear up some skin problems. More than $10,000 later, she realized what a mistake she made. She could have had everything done for $600 in Costa Rica, and they have the very latest laser equipment and technology. Costa Rica is just two hours away from Miami and is the primary destination for laser procedures. The main web site is http://www.arrivacostarica.com/skin_specialists.htm

MEDICAL COST SAVING TRIP TO COSTA RICA

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

A family from Vienna, Virginia saved thousands of dollars when they went to Costa Rica for medical and dental care. Barbara and her daughter Angie had battled with obesity most of their lives. Both mother and daughter had developed symptoms like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and with Barbara, there was also the problem of knee pain because of her higher BMI.

Barbara says “ArrivaCostaRica.com” was the main source of information. We chose Costa Rica for weight loss surgery, because that looked the best to us. We saved about 60% on the cost of gastric bypass surgery in the US.

The Costa Rica hospital was excellent, clean and modern, and with all the up-to-date equipment you can imagine. The staff was very courteous, professional, and spoke English. If someone didn’t speak English, there would always be an interpreter around.

Eleven months later, Barbara and Angie are now enjoying the fruits of a successful bariatric surgery, with Barbara having lost 55 pounds and Angie 80. Their weight-related problems have improved drastically.

Angie’s dad accompanied them on their medical trip to Costa Rica. They stayed at the main surgery recovery inn, Las Cumbres Inn. While there, he decided to check out the dental clinic. Impressed by the level of cosmetic dentistry in Costa Rica, he got his dental bridges, dental crowns, and dental implants in Costa Rica at a huge discount. So, not did her dad save about 50% on the cost, but he also had them done in record time.

All in all, this family from Virginia is very satisfied with their cost-saving and high quality medical and dental trip to Costa Rica.

For the top doctors and dentists in Costa Rica, www.arrivacostarica.com . For Las Cumbres Inn, www.surgery-retreat.com