Archive for September, 2011

Top 6 Tips for Hygienic Usage of Contact Lenses

September 16th, 2011

When you see better you discover more. But in this busy world it is difficult to protect your eyes from all sorts of hassles. The introduction of contact lenses helps you to resolve your vision problems without blotting the elegance of your eyes. It is a thin transparent disc worn over cornea.

The basic purpose of contact lenses is to correct different vision disorders. But today its uses are diversified. These are available in many forms, colored contact lenses are in vogue today. It is cool and convenient to use any kind of lenses. But lot of care should be devoted to this. An improper usage of color contacts can even lead to blindness.

Here are certain important hygiene tips that you have to follow while using contact lenses.

Clean Hands
This is the first and basic tip to be kept in mind while using a pair of contact lenses. Always wash your hands before handling with colored lenses. Avoid using soaps containing perfumes, oil or moisturizers, as they may leave a film on hands. This will cause redness and irritation to your eyes. Keep your nails clean, short and round, else it may cause scratches on the lens. Dry your hands thoroughly with a lint free towel after each wash.

Cosmetic Usage
IT is advised to apply cosmetics after inserting the colored contact lenses. The same tip is to be followed while removing the make up also, that is, remove the make up firsts, rinse your hands properly and then remove the lens. If you are using a hairspray apply it before inserting the contact lens, else it may cause a protein shield over the lens causing irritation to your eyes.

Cleansing the lens
Cleaning your contact lens daily is an integral part. Multi purpose cleansing liquid is available in the market for rinsing and storing your contact lens.Never use tap water to clean your lens. Tap water contains many bacteria which can cause infection to your eyes. Saline solutions or hydrogen peroxide is recommendable for cleaning the contact lenses. Even if you’re using a non prescription colored contacts it is better to consult an eye specialist to choose the right solution. Do not use a solution more than one time

Hygienic storage case
Maintain a clean storage case for your color contacts. It is advisable to change your storage in every three months. Clean your storage case everyday with hot water or sterile solution and properly dry it before storing the contact lenses.

Avoid multiple usage
This is a very important tip. You must never use another persons lens neither let others use your lens also. This will cause serious infections to your eyes.

Consult a doctor
The eyes of lens wearers are very sensitive. it is preferable to wear a UV protection glass or hat when you are out in the sun. Remove the lenses and consult a doctor as soon as possible in case of irritation or redness. Colored lenses can add to your styles and beautify your eyes. But put in lots care; follow these hygiene tips for safe usage of contact lenses

Will Your LASIK Eye Surgery Be Covered By Insurance?

September 9th, 2011

LASIK eye surgery is becoming a more viable way for those wanting to improve their vision. The actual laser eye surgery is rapid as it only takes a few minutes to complete, is painless and has an excellent success rate. This kind of surgery does not involve a hospital setting and is done on an outpatient basis. This means that the patient can leave on the same day the LASIK surgery is done. While there are many good things that can be said about laser eye surgery, the surgeries themselves come with a fairly high price tag. Also, the cost of LASIK surgery varies from surgeon to surgeon and since it is an elective surgery, most insurance policies do not cover for this type of procedure.

Before trying to negotiate a better deal with a surgeon, you should check to see if your insurance plans can, in fact, cover for the cost of LASIK eye surgery. Even if no cover is provided whatsoever, you should ask your employer to see if they have any special discounts or rates for their employees, since some could be partnered with certain insurance companies.

Some insurance policies have incorporated a new kind of cover, known as the ‘extended vision insurance program plan’. This implies that the cover involves more than just your basic eye cover, such as glasses, contact lenses, eye tests and may include elective surgeries as well, such as LASIK. It may not cover the entire cost, but it may cover up to 50% of the entire procedure, which is still a significant amount of cover.

After you’ve gone through with your insurance plans and gotten the most out of it as possible, the next thing you want to do is to negotiate deals with eye surgeons that you have in mind. LASIK surgery costs vary greatly from one surgeon to another, due to differing levels of experience, differing costs involved with rent, staff salaries, equipment royalties etc. Also, the cost of LASIK surgery differs according to your own prescription, as higher degrees of refractive error would incur greater costs. The expected average cost of LASIK eye surgery is between $1000-$2000 per eye, but it is best to choose quality over price, as this could be the difference between crystal clear vision and permanent side effects for the rest of your life.

You could even decide to have laser eye surgery performed overseas, if you think that local surgeons are charging their surgeries too highly. One thing to point out is that countries like, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa have insurance plans that actually cover for the cost of LASIK surgery. So, it could be worthwhile to search for options overseas.