How Laser Eye Surgery Works
Laser eye surgery is a refractive surgery
procedure that corrects the refractive errors in the eyes. People
who suffer from:
- Myopia – a condition where people can see things near
to them clearly, but not objects far away.
- Hyperopia - a condition where people can see things far away
clearly, but not objects nearer to them and
- Astigmatism – a condition that distorts the image on the
retina, caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens,
can have their refractive errors corrected through laser eye surgery.
Allowing the highest degree of precision, laser eye surgery is the
most technologically advanced procedure from among the several different
surgical techniques that are available to correct refractive errors.
Laser Eye Surgery - The Types and How They Work
Laser eye surgeries have been performed on millions of people all
over the world since its introduction in the last decade. The main
types of laser eye surgeries are:
- LASIK Eye Surgery: Laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis,
or LASIK is the most common of all the laser vision correction
procedures. A precise instrument is used to create a flap of tissue
on the surface of the cornea. The laser smooths the inner surface.
Each laser pulse removes corneal tissue about 1/500th of the thickness
of the human hair. Although the procedure on both the eyes may
take only between 5 to 15 minutes, it normally takes around 3
to 6 months for the vision to stabilize.
- Custom LASIK Eye Surgery (Wavefront): A technology used
by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in high
powered telescopes, the wavefront analyzer is now used for medical
purposes. Otherwise, the traditional LASIK surgery and the Custom
LASIK surgery is the same. The wavefront analyzer maps your vision
25 times more precise than any other available instrument. This
premium procedure uses the most sophisticated technology in laser
eye surgery.
- Photo Refractive Keratectomy (PRK): This procedure, just
like LASIK, corrects myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Because
of certain procedures involved, PRK patients require more time
to heal, and need to take medication to avoid pain for a few days.
- Laser Epithetal Keratomileusis (LASEK): This procedure
is done on people whose cornea is too thin. The surgeon creates
the flap in the outermost layer of the cornea, the epithelium.
The LASEK procedure has the combined advantages of both, the LASIK
and the PRK procedures.
There can be vision problems that are a combination of Myopia and
Astigmatism, as well as a combination of Hyperopia and Astigmatism.
Read also:
What is LASIK
Average Cost of LASIK |
