What is LASIK Surgery, and How Does it Work to Correct Vision?

LASIK is a widely used procedure designed to correct vision by reshaping the cornea, the clear outer layer of the eye. By using a specialized laser to remove microscopic amounts of corneal tissue, the surgery alters how light is focused on the retina, helping to correct common vision issues such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The result is often clearer vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses, offering a significant improvement in daily comfort and quality of life.

What are the Potential Risks and Complications Associated with LASIK?

Although LASIK is considered a safe and effective procedure, it’s important to be aware of potential risks. Some patients may experience complications such as infection, inflammation, or issues related to the corneal flap created during surgery. Under- or over-correction of vision, dry eyes, and the possibility of needing glasses or contacts afterward are also possible outcomes. In some cases, further corrective procedures may be necessary. A thorough examination by a trained ophthalmologist is crucial to assess individual risk factors and ensure the best outcome for each patient.

Am I a Suitable Candidate for LASIK Surgery?

Determining whether LASIK is right for you involves more than just a simple eye exam. At Eye Associates of New Mexico, their fellowship-trained, board-certified eye specialists conduct thorough testing to assess each patient’s suitability for LASIK or other refractive surgeries. Factors such as your eye health, prescription stability, and lifestyle are taken into account to ensure the best possible outcome. Your safety and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and we’re here to guide you through every step of the process.

Can LASIK Correct Astigmatism, Nearsightedness, and Farsightedness?

Yes, LASIK and other refractive surgeries can effectively treat a range of vision issues, including astigmatism, nearsightedness (myopia), and farsightedness (hyperopia). By reshaping the cornea, LASIK improves the way light is focused on the retina, correcting these refractive errors. However, LASIK isn’t the only option available. Other procedures like PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) or ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) can also address vision problems for patients who may not be ideal candidates for LASIK. In some cases, specialized glasses or contact lenses may be recommended as the safest and most effective solution. A personalized approach is key, as no single treatment is suitable for everyone, and the right option will depend on each individual’s eye health and lifestyle.

Will LASIK Surgery Permanently Improve My Vision?

LASIK is designed to permanently reshape the cornea, offering long-lasting vision correction. However, it’s important to note that while the corneal changes are permanent, the eye itself may continue to evolve over time. For most patients, LASIK can provide freedom from glasses or contact lenses for many years, particularly if their prescription was stable before surgery. That said, natural age-related changes, such as presbyopia (difficulty with near vision), typically develop in the 40s or 50s, requiring reading glasses or additional vision correction. For those with very high prescriptions, there may be a small chance of “regression,” where some vision correction may diminish, but this can often be corrected with a minor touch-up procedure. Additionally, as people age, cataracts may develop, affecting vision quality once again. In these cases, procedures like refractive lens exchange (RLE) or cataract surgery can offer another opportunity to adjust vision for the better.

What Are the Common Side Effects of LASIK, and How Long Do They Typically Last?

One of the most common side effects following LASIK surgery is dry eyes, which tends to be more noticeable in the first couple of months after the procedure. For most patients, the dryness gradually diminishes and typically returns to pre-surgery levels within a year. In rare cases, some individuals may experience prolonged dry eye symptoms. Eye specialists are careful to identify patients who may be at higher risk for persistent dryness and may recommend alternative procedures, such as PRK (which is less likely to cause dry eye but requires more healing time) or ICL (implantable contact lenses) that do not affect tear production. Another possible side effect is increased light sensitivity at night, which occurs in about 5% of patients. However, a majority of patients report reduced light sensitivity compared to their experience with glasses. Proper pre-surgical screening can help minimize these risks, ensuring that patients receive the best treatment tailored to their individual needs.

How Soon After LASIK Surgery Can I Return to Normal Activities?

Recovery from LASIK is relatively quick, with most people able to resume their normal activities within a few days to a week. Many patients experience significant vision improvement within 24 to 48 hours, allowing them to return to driving or working shortly thereafter. For those who undergo other procedures, such as PRK, the recovery process may take a little longer, typically a few weeks, as the healing period is slower. Your refractive surgeon will provide guidance on what to expect based on your specific treatment plan, ensuring a smooth and safe recovery process.

Is There an Age Limit for LASIK Surgery?

There is no strict age limit for LASIK surgery, but patients must be at least 18 years old with a stable prescription for 6-12 months. While there is no upper age limit, patients approaching or experiencing cataracts may benefit more from a lens-based procedure like refractive lens exchange (RLE) or cataract surgery. These alternatives provide similar results to LASIK by adjusting the prescription, and multifocal lenses can even restore a range of vision, addressing both distance and near vision needs.

Can LASIK Surgery Correct Presbyopia (Age-Related Difficulty in Reading)?

Presbyopia, which typically begins in the 40s, affects the ability to focus on close objects. While LASIK is not typically used to correct presbyopia, other options like monovision or multifocal contact lenses may help. Monovision adjusts one eye for distance and the other for near vision, while multifocal lenses offer a broader range of vision correction. Lens-based surgeries, such as RLE or refractive cataract surgery, can also correct presbyopia using multifocal lenses. Trying out these solutions with contact lenses first can help determine if they suit your needs.

What Factors Might Disqualify Me from Undergoing LASIK Surgery?

Certain factors may make someone ineligible for LASIK surgery, such as severe dry eye, irregular corneal shape, uncontrolled autoimmune diseases, eye conditions like moderate-to-severe glaucoma or macular degeneration, and pregnancy or nursing (temporarily). Some medications, such as amiodarone or isotretinoin, may also affect eligibility. Comprehensive pre-surgical screening will help identify any disqualifying factors to ensure LASIK is a safe and effective choice.

Conclusion

LASIK is a proven and effective solution for many common vision problems, offering life-changing results for those seeking freedom from glasses or contact lenses. While it’s not suitable for everyone, advancements in eye surgery provide a range of options tailored to individual needs. Before undergoing LASIK, it’s essential to have a thorough consultation to determine the best approach for your eyes and lifestyle, ensuring a safe and successful outcome.

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The series consists of four episodes, in which the director tells in a very sincere and frank way how an ordinary guy from London grew up not only into one of the world’s legendary footballers, but also into an international celebrity – with a wife who is an absolute world star.

“Beckham is based on frank interviews with the footballer himself, but not only: his wife Victoria Beckham, David’s parents, his former Manchester United teammates, sworn rivals, best friend, former coach, team secretary who worked for decades – in short, everyone who knows what we want to know. The only thing more impressive than the cast of characters is the honesty, and sometimes painful frankness, of the speakers who talk about the stunning ups and downs of Beckham’s life.

The first episode begins with David tending to the beehives he keeps near the Beckhams’ Cotswolds country house. We are also shown excerpts from childhood home movies made by his father, Ted. In these videos, he and David talk about the young years of the boy who, at the age of 12 or 13, was placed in the hands of Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson – who almost immediately offered the teenager a contract.

Thousands and thousands of hours spent alone with the ball in the small backyard of his family’s home, combined with the work of his coaches, created a footballer with a style of play so refined that it allowed him to essentially score goals from anywhere on the field. On the first day of the 1996 Premier League season, Beckham scored a goal for Manchester United from halfway up the field, a strike that was seen around the world and instantly made him a household name.

A few months later, while watching TV with a teammate, Beckham saw the Spice Girls, pointed to the girl who called herself Posh Spice, and immediately announced that he was going to marry her. Soon, David and Victoria’s romance captivated the nation. “I just liked her,” Beckham now explains it this way. “I just liked him,” says Victoria, who immediately made it clear to Beckham that although she didn’t care about football, she would take care of her husband. “Okay, that’s it,” David says of the beginning of the relationship. He adds: “It moved fast.”

Soon, David started getting out of the training camp and would drive four hours to London to see Victoria for 20 minutes. At one point he was photographed with her in the city, dressed in a sarong, and these photos in the tabloids caused a scandal in the country. And on the night before the decisive, epic 1998 World Cup match against Argentina, Victoria – on tour with the Spice Girls – called David and told him she was pregnant with their first child.

What happened the next day is a kind of compass for the entire documentary. If you’re a soccer fan, you already know that it was Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone who fouled and landed on the ground, and Beckham impulsively kicked Simeone in the calf. Simeone theatrically fell to the ground, clutching his leg; and Beckham was shown a red card by the referee and sent off from the match, which England lost, thus eliminating him from the tournament.

After this incident, Beckham became the most hated man in England. “I wish there was a pill you could take to erase the memories,” David says. “I made a stupid mistake.” Before he began to hide from the public, he was shouted at and spat at by strangers; virtually everyone in the country, from the England coach to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, blamed him entirely for England’s shameful loss. A London pub hung a doll dressed in Beckham’s uniform. People sent him bullets to the Manchester United offices. When he was introduced during away games, tens of thousands of fans shouted obscenities at him, and when Victoria showed up to watch her husband play, these tens of thousands sang vulgar, sexually explicit chants directed at her. “It’s only now, when I’m 47 years old, that I’ve started to reflect on it,” says David, recalling the death threats his parents received.

The main idea of the series is that the strength of their marriage helped them to survive the difficulties. And the Beckhams’ trademark humor, of course. During the interviews, they are fascinating to watch: they agree and disagree with each other, make fun of each other and themselves, and are even ready to air their dirty laundry a little – for example, when David told Victoria that he could not be present at the birth of their youngest son Cruz (the couple has four children) because he was filming with Beyoncé and J.Lo. (Or how David asked Victoria to help him with his hair-while she was lying in a hospital bed after an epidural minutes after giving birth-so he could go talk to the press about their new baby.) They are also careful to comment on rumors of David’s infidelity during a difficult time in the early 2000s.

The most amazing thing, the director says in the series, is not that one of the most famous athletes of our time married one of the most famous pop stars of our time, but that both David and Victoria were able to turn their extravagant, youthful relationship into a true love, a marriage and a family that can withstand anything.

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Jon Fosse is a 64-year-old writer, a representative of postmodernism in Norwegian literature, known for his philosophical and unusual works in terms of form and rhythm. First of all, Fosse became famous for his dramatic works and is considered one of the most popular playwrights in the world, and in his native Norway he even gained the status of the “new Ibsen.” In general, the writer’s work covers a variety of genres: plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, and children’s books.

He made his debut in 1983 with the novel Red, Black. Among Fosse’s most famous works is the Septology trilogy, the third volume of which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2022. “Septology tells the story of an aging artist, Asle, who lives alone on the Norwegian coast and reflects on his life.

Jacques Testard, Fosse’s publisher, said in an interview with The Guardian: “Fosse’s fiction is magical, mystical and rooted in the landscape of the western fjords where he grew up.” Fosse writes in a language called Nynoshk, a so-called New Norwegian, a minority language in Norway, “which is a political act in itself.”

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A few months ago, the press discussed the topic of Messi’s return to the capital of Catalonia. As a result, the world champion decided to continue his career at Inter Miami.

The Argentine was in a team that is performing disastrously in the MLS. Currently, Gerardo Martino’s men are in penultimate place in the Eastern Conference.

The source emphasizes that failure to make the playoffs will lead to a break in Inter Miami’s play for several months. Messi can use this period to lease him to Barcelona in January. According to the journalist, the Spanish champions have not yet begun negotiations on this topic, but are aware of the possible development.

The Catalan press recalls that in the past, stars have already returned to Europe on loan from MLS clubs. For example, David Beckham played in Milan again, and Thierry Henry returned to Arsenal for a few months.

In the past, Messi played 778 matches for Barcelona. In them, he scored 672 goals and 303 assists.

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The 26-year-old Dutchman dominated the season and won the championship ahead of schedule at the Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail circuit.

The driver finished second in the sprint, behind McLaren driver Oscar Piastra. Verstappen, who won 13 of the 16 races in the season, needed to finish sixth or higher to win the title early.

Prior to Sunday’s race, his teammate Sergio Perez was the only driver who retained a mathematical chance of winning the championship this season. But the Mexican retired on lap 11.

With six rounds left in the Formula 1 Championship, Verstappen has 400 points and is 177 points ahead of Perez. There were 180 points left in the championship. The Dutchman also became only the second driver in the history of Formula 1 after Michael Schumacher to win the championship with six rounds to go.

Having won his third F1 championship, Verstappen equalized the number of titles with Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham.

Only Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel have more titles.

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The management of the American team decided to suspend the 23-year-old basketball player. The player was suspended from training with the team as a result of an incident that occurred a few weeks ago.

According to the information provided by the AR news agency, Porter Jr. is facing charges of violence and bodily harm to his girlfriend. The whole situation happened on September 11 in a New York hotel. The woman suffered a fractured cervical vertebra and a wound above her right eye.

The Houston Rockets player pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The hearing in his case will take place on October 16 in a Manhattan court. Until then, he will be out of the team, as announced by the club’s CEO.

The incident in early September was not Porter’s only recent offense. For several years, he has had huge problems off the court.

In 2021, the Houston Rockets basketball player violated security rules related to Covid-19. After one of the matches, he was spotted in a Miami nightclub. A few months earlier, he was detained by the police. Police found a loaded gun and marijuana in his car.

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It seems that science has another great news for all lovers of a hot, flavorful and tart popular drink. Of course, we are talking about coffee. Drinking this unsweetened beverage can be on your side when it comes to weight control.

Many people around the world drink coffee every day. In addition to its pleasant aroma and taste, coffee has a number of health benefits. It is believed to reduce the likelihood of developing a number of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. In addition, coffee helps to increase energy levels, which allows you to burn more calories.

But here’s the catch: while coffee itself is healthy, the things we often add to it, such as sugar and cream, can simply negate all of its benefits. Some studies conducted in the past have suggested that if we add these additives to coffee, we may be reducing the health benefits of this drink.

The researchers decided to look into this issue further. They used data from three large studies involving medical professionals and nurses. Participants filled out questionnaires about their diet, including their coffee drinking habits, over several years. By analyzing this data, the researchers were able to find out how changes in coffee drinking habits could be related to weight changes.

Based on data from more than 150,000 participants, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• On average, the participants gained a little weight over the four years, but this varied slightly depending on which group they were in.
• Drinking one cup of unsweetened coffee daily, regardless of whether it contains caffeine or not, was associated with a slightly lower weight gain over the four years – about 0.12 kg.
• On the other hand, adding just one teaspoon of sugar to food or drink daily led to a weight gain of about 0.09 kg over the same period. At the same time, cream does not seem to have a significant impact on weight gain and loss.
• This association between unsweetened coffee and less weight gain was even more pronounced in overweight people or in younger participants.
• Interestingly, if we consider caffeine alone, the daily consumption of an additional 100 mg of caffeine (about the amount contained in an average cup of coffee) leads to a weight loss of 0.08 kg over four years. The researchers took additional steps to ensure that these results were not a coincidence or influenced by other dietary habits.

If you are trying to control your weight, increasing your consumption of unsweetened coffee, both regular and decaffeinated, can help. However, you need to remember that sugar is added not only to coffee, but also to other foods and drinks. Although the difference in weight may seem insignificant, it can increase over time. So the next time you make coffee, think twice before taking out the container of sugar, the scientists advise.

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His Vansday is a subtle, ironic coming-of-age drama with an original plot and a magnificent cast (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Ortega). The central figure of the series is teenager Wendy, the daughter of Morticia and Gomez Addams. She is going through a typical teenage crisis – she hates her parents and wants to run away from every school she is enrolled in, but this is complicated by the fact that she is an unusual teenager and must master her mystical abilities in addition to all the teenage problems. The girl finds herself in the school of Nevermore, where her mother once studied, and where she not only establishes relationships with friends and falls in love, but also has to deal with mysterious murders.

The jewel of the series is the 20-year-old American actress Jenna Ortega, who embodied the role of a thin, reflective girl named Wenzday with big eyes, two thin braids and perfect taste. Jenna was born in 2002 in California, her parents are of Mexican descent. At the age of 10, she was already acting in TV shows, and at 15 she won the prestigious Imagen Award for her role in the Disney series Harley’s Life, and the same year she starred in Iron Man.

In recent years, she has gained fame as a mystical movie star. Her filmography includes the mystical series “You”, which aired on Netflix, the horror movie “Astral: Chapter 2”, “Scream”, the movie “Nanny. Queen of Killers”. This year, the American fashion press called Ortega the “scream queen of Generation Z”. Having played in the films X and Scream, the actress proved to be one of the brightest new names in the horror genre. In total, the 20-year-old star has about 20 projects in her filmography, which makes her one of the most productive young actresses.

It was Jenna Ortega who was Tim Burton’s favorite during the casting of the series. It is said that it took just a few lines for her to be approved for the role – the 20-year-old actress was so organic in the image of the sarcastic Wenzday.

In the series, Jenna Ortega’s character is a real fashionista. In the original 1990s film, we were used to seeing Wesday in a black schoolgirl dress, and it was hard to imagine her as anything else, but Barton exceeded our expectations. Throughout the eight episodes of the series, Venzday offers us a truly sophisticated look at its gothic protagonist. From the very first scene, her classic black schoolgirl dress is modernized with pointy collars. And her prom dress? It’s by Alaia! The costumes for the show were designed by the legendary Colleen Atwood, who has created more than 10 films with Barton, including Alice in Wonderland, for which she won an Academy Award.

Venzday’s style has a lot in common with the actress’s own image. She loves white collars, lace, and black. Thus, at the presentations of the series, Ortega appears in black gothic dresses by Versace, Valentino and Saint Laurent. She also admits that her nails are now always painted black – just like Wenzday’s, of course.

Since 2016, the girl has been collaborating with stylist Enrique Melendez, whose concept is to pay tribute to each of Ortega’s new projects in her outfits. Well, it works brilliantly – just look at her look at the world premiere of Venzday in Los Angeles: a black Versace dress with transparent lace inserts, a thigh-high slit, and a matching veil.

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Every year, about 150 thousand people in the United States alone learn that they have colon or rectal cancer. Although regular screenings have somewhat reduced this figure, it is still a serious health problem. For example, if you take a group of 23 men or 26 women, then, according to statistics, one of them is likely to develop this type of cancer at some point in their lives. But it seems that for the first time, scientists have managed to lay out a roadmap to fight this disease, writes New Atlas.

One of the problems associated with this type of cancer is its resistance to common treatments. Only about 10% of patients benefit from them. Thus, the main method of treatment remains surgery, which involves removing the cancerous tumor. While it can help a patient live longer, it is also not without drawbacks that affect aspects such as daily life and comfort.

But scientists at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute at La Trobe University, Australia, have found a clue that could fundamentally change the way we fight bowel cancer. They found that the body’s response to this cancer largely depends on a specific set of immune cells in the large intestine.

Dr. Lisa Mielke, one of the study’s authors, explained that these gamma-delta T cells are like the body’s guardians in the gut. These cells constantly monitor and protect the inner lining of our intestines, always ready to fight the potential threat of cancer. A group of researchers noticed that patients with bowel cancer whose tumors had more of these protective cells fared better.

But there’s another side to the story that the scientists discovered in their research. A study of a huge community of microbes in the large intestine showed that these special T cells contain a molecule called TCF-1 in greater numbers. It turned out that this molecule acts as a brake, keeping our gamma-delta T cells from effectively fighting bowel cancer. Marina Yakou, who was also involved in this study, explained that when they removed this molecular brake in laboratory models, the immune cells became more active, resulting in significantly smaller cancer tumors.

This groundbreaking discovery gives scientists a new direction for creating specialized treatments for bowel cancer. Understanding the interactions between our immune cells, microbes in the gut, and molecules such as TCF-1 will allow us to find more effective ways to diagnose this disease, and in the long run, more effective treatments.

This study sheds light on the intricate relationship between microbes, immune cells and cancer in the intestine. It opens up possibilities for potentially reducing the risk of developing bowel cancer and improving the effectiveness of treatment, which is certainly a beacon of hope for many millions of people.

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We constantly hear about the benefits of good sleep. From a boost in productivity for the whole day to improved psychological and physical health, the reasons seem to be endless. And it seems that we can add another significant benefit to this growing list. A good night’s sleep can also play a crucial role in preventing memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

In a recent study, a team of researchers from several US universities followed 62 older adults who were known for their high mental performance. They found that those with early brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease tended to perform better on memory tests if they slept better and better. In the scientific world, this is called the deep sleep phase.

This was not influenced by other factors such as education, physical activity, or social connections, which are generally considered to be protective against memory decline in old age. People with mild brain changes characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease showed no significant differences in memory performance, regardless of how well they slept.

Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and senior author of the study, called deep sleep a potential “life raft” for memory. What is also encouraging about the results of this study is that it appears that we can improve our sleep patterns regardless of age.

Previous studies have shown that sleep disorders may be associated with the accumulation of certain proteins in the brain, which is often seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This accumulation can affect deep sleep and memory. However, the cause-and-effect relationship between sleep and these proteins is not yet fully understood.

It is also important to note that although these proteins are markers of Alzheimer’s disease, their presence alone does not guarantee the development of the disease. Some people with high levels of these proteins do not develop the disease. To find out why, Walker and his colleagues measured the sleep levels of the study participants and then tested their memory. They found that deep sleep, in particular, provides cognitive growth in those with higher levels of these same proteins.

An important takeaway from this study is that sleep may be something we can regulate on our own to potentially reduce our risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Quality sleep not only gives the brain a break, but also allows it to cleanse itself of harmful compounds. Moreover, this method of preventive control of potential diseases is available to everyone, regardless of age or social status.

Zsofia Zavech, one of the study’s authors, noted that while some people may show early signs of Alzheimer’s progression, certain lifestyle factors, including quality sleep, can serve as a buffer.

Finally, while sleeping pills may seem like a simple solution to some, they may not be the ideal option. Some evidence suggests that they do not promote deep sleep, which is beneficial for memory. Instead, it is more beneficial to follow natural sleep-promoting habits, such as reducing caffeine intake in the evening, exercising, limiting time spent with gadget screens, and perhaps making it a habit to take a warm shower before bed.

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