Researchers saw the potential and began exploring the possibility of using an excimer laser to perform refractive surgery. The first laser eye procedure was performed in and was called photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK.
Although there have been new procedures designed since many ophthalmologists still prefer PRK for some patients. Medical science is always advancing, and as such, new innovative technologies and methodologies are emerging for laser eye surgery all the time. Wavefront technology , for example, takes exceptionally precise measurements of the eye; specifically the curvature of the cornea.
These specific measurements allow the doctor to correct your eye with more accuracy, shaping your cornea in a way that is custom to you and your eyes, rather than simply replicating your prescription, which is not. There are eye procedures that are completely bladeless, procedures to replace the lens of your eye, and even procedures specifically designed for those with thin corneas in mind. In a matter of 3 decades, laser eye surgery has become almost completely customizable, making it simpler than ever to get accurate, long-lasting vision correction.
Although laser eye surgery is safe, no surgery is entirely without risk. While ophthalmologists are trained and experienced professionals, sometimes unexpected problems arise. Mayo Clinic lists the following as rare, but possible risks and complications of laser eye correction. The recovery time required after laser eye correction varies based the on the patient as well as the procedure. No patient should ever drive home from their surgery in fact, you will need to schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor before you can safely drive again , however, in some cases, you may be able to go to work the next day.
Patients who undergo PRK usually require the most recovery time. Many patients find their eyesight has improved by the next day. Avoid all strenuous activity and exercise for a few weeks, and protect your eyes from dirt, dust, and anything that could cause infection. Do not rub your eyes, as this could prevent healing, damage the vulnerable tissue, or cause flap complications. However, in these cases, the prescription required is far less than before the surgery.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology , most patients will require reading glasses after the age of 40 regardless of any corrective surgery. This is due to presbyopia ; an age-related condition. Unfortunately, there is no surgical procedure available at this time to correct presbyopia.
SMILE uses a femtosecond laser to create a lens-shaped disc of tissue within the cornea. The lenticule size and shape is adjusted to the refractive error of the patient. The laser eye surgeon removes the lenticule through a mm incision on the cornea.
The removal reshapes and flattens the cornea and therefore corrects vision. This laser treatment uses the excimer laser to polish the corneal surface and removes any irregular tissue. In some cases a refractive error treatment such as PRK can be used at the same time. The procedure is called YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. In a cataract operation, the cloudy lens from your eye is replaced with an artificial lens.
A YAG laser capsulotomy procedure is extremely fast, simple and effective. Patients will notice an immediate improvement after their YAG laser capsulotomy treatment. SLT stands for S elective L aser T rabeculoplasty, is a form of laser surgery that is used to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma.
It is used when eye drop medications are not lowering the eye pressure enough or are causing significant side effects. It may sometimes be used as initial treatment in glaucoma. People who have open-angle glaucoma the drainage system in the front part of the eye is open and are in need of lowering of their intraocular pressure IOP are eligible for the procedure.
How SLT works is that the Laser energy is applied to the drainage tissue in the eye. This starts a chemical and biological change in the tissue that results in better drainage of fluid through the drain and out of the eye. This eventually results in lowering of IOP. It may take months for the results to appear. This is comparable to the IOP lowering of the most powerful and commonly used class of glaucoma eye drops prostaglandin analogs. This effect may be reduced if the patient is already on glaucoma medications.
The effect will generally last between years, and in rare cases, longer than that. If it does not last at least months, it is usually not considered successful. Some people with glaucoma can be managed with just laser treatment. Others require additional IOP lowering and may therefore need to use glaucoma eyedrops as well. There are several variations of laser refractive surgery.
LASIK is the best known and most commonly performed. Many articles, including this one, will use the term "LASIK" to refer to all types of laser eye surgery. Typically, images are focused on the retina in the back of the eye. With nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, they end up being focused either in front of or behind the retina, resulting in blurred vision.
Traditionally, blurry vision is corrected by bending refracting light rays with glasses or contact lenses. But reshaping the cornea the dome-shaped transparent tissue at the front of your eye itself also can provide the necessary refraction and vision correction.
Before a LASIK procedure, your eye surgeon will assess detailed measurements of your eye and assess the overall health of the eye. You may be instructed to take a mild sedative medication just prior to the procedure. After you are lying comfortably on an operating table, eye-numbing drops will be administered.
Then he or she will use a special type of cutting laser to precisely alter the curvature of your cornea. With each pulse of the laser beam, a tiny amount of corneal tissue is removed, allowing your eye surgeon to flatten the curve of your cornea or make it steeper. Most commonly, the surgeon creates a flap in the cornea and then raises it up before reshaping the cornea. There are also variations in which a very thin flap is raised or no flap is used at all or no flap at all, is raised.
Each technique has advantages and disadvantages. Individual eye surgeons may specialize in specific types of laser eye procedures. The differences among them are generally minor, and none are clearly better than any others. Depending on your individual circumstances and preferences, you may consider:. Photorefractive keratectomy PRK.
With PRK , rather than forming a flap, the top surface epithelium is scraped away. This corneal abrasion takes three or four days to heal, resulting in moderate pain and blurred vision in the short term. It was thought that these drawbacks were outweighed by the theoretical advantage that PRK was safer for people who are more likely to be struck in the eye — for example, those involved in contact sports, law enforcement or the military.
Intraocular lenses. Corrective lenses can be surgically inserted in the eye intraocular lenses to improve vision. This is routinely done as part of cataract surgery in which the old, cloudy natural lens is removed. Younger people with high degrees of nearsightedness that cannot be satisfactorily treated with corrective lenses also may be offered intraocular lenses.
But these are not a routine option for most people. In general, laser eye surgery is most appropriate for people who have a moderate degree of refractive error and no unusual vision problems. Your eye surgeon will ask detailed questions about your eye health and evaluate your eyes to make sure you don't have any conditions that might result in complications or poor outcomes of surgery.
These include:. Your eye surgeon will also ask detailed questions about your general health. Certain medical conditions, unrelated to your eyes, can increase the risks associated with LASIK surgery or make the outcome less predictable. If you have myopia, your vision may continue to change throughout your teenage years, or even longer, requiring periodic changes in the prescription of your glasses or contact lenses.
Certain conditions and medications — pregnancy, breastfeeding, steroid drugs — may cause temporary fluctuations in your vision. Most insurance plans consider laser eye surgery to be an elective procedure and don't cover the cost. Know what the surgery will cost you. While complications that result in a loss of vision are rare, certain side effects, particularly dry eyes and temporary visual disturbances, are fairly common. But these usually resolve after a few weeks or months, and very few people consider them to be a long-term problem.
By their early to mids, all adults lose some ability to focus on nearby objects presbyopia , which results in difficulty reading small print or doing close-up tasks. One possible benefit of having been nearsighted most of your life is that this condition actually compensates for the presbyopia that inevitability develops as you get older.
A nearsighted eye will focus near objects by itself without reading glasses. LASIK surgery removes this near focus because the nearsightedness has been corrected. This means that as you get older you will need to use reading glasses.
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