Laser Use in the Treatment of Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism
Laser Use in the Treatment of Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism
Some types of surgery can change the shape of your cornea (the transparent front layer of your eye) to correct refractive errors.
The most common type of refractive surgery is a treatment called LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis).
Most types of refractive surgery, including LASIK, use a laser to change the shape of the cornea. Some use other tools such as implants. LASIK uses a laser (a powerful beam of light) to change the shape of the cornea and help make vision clearer. It works best in adults with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. It cannot correct presbyopia. For LASIK to work correctly, your vision needs to be stable (meaning your glasses or contact lens prescription needs to stay the same over time).
LASIK is not right for everyone. Some eye conditions can increase your risk of complications from LASIK. To find out if LASIK is right for you, you will need a comprehensive eye examination. The examination is simple and painless. Your ophthalmologist will ask you to read letters near and far. He or she may then give you some additional examinations to check for other eye problems. Keratoconus (a disease that makes the cornea thinner over time), Eye infections such as keratitis or ocular herpes, Dry eye, Eyes with cataracts may need different treatments or may avoid laser. You should consult your ophthalmologist to decide whether LASIK or another type of refractive surgery is right for you.
What are the benefits of LASIK?
After LASIK, most people see well enough to stop wearing glasses or contact lenses for most daily activities. Because everyone has presbyopia as they get older and LASIK cannot correct presbyopia, most people will still need single vision glasses or contact lenses at some point.
What are the risks of LASIK?
LASIK, like any surgery, can have side effects. Common side effects include: Dry eye, Seeing a glow or halo around bright lights, Photosensitivity. These side effects usually disappear after a few months. Your eye doctor may give you eye drops or other medicines to relieve these side effects.
If you see clearly with glasses or contact lenses, you may decide that the risks of LASIK outweigh the benefits. Talk to your ophthalmologist about the risks and benefits and it is better to decide together if the surgery is right for you.
You can see after surgery but it takes 2 to 3 months for your eye to heal. As your eye heals, your vision will become clearer. Ask your doctor when you can return to your normal activities.
You may need to have additional examinations with your ophthalmologist after surgery to understand how your eye is healing and how much your vision has improved.
Wavefront-guided LASIK
Before surgery, the excimer laser is programmed with each patient's wavefront data to perform very precise "sculpting" of each cornea. In traditional LASIK, this programming is based on the patient's vision correction prescription (the same one used for the patient's glasses or contact lenses).
In wavefront-guided LASIK, computer imaging technology creates a very detailed, three-dimensional "map" of the patient's cornea that resembles a miniature mountain range. This "map" is used to program the excimer laser for surgery. Wavefront technology can measure very subtle abnormalities on the surface of the cornea, enabling wavefront-guided LASIK to achieve vision correction beyond what is possible with glasses or traditional LASIK.
What are other types of refractive surgery?
Alternative treatments to LASIK include: LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis), EpiLasik, Phakic intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)
You can ask your ophthalmologist to talk to you about the different types of surgery and the risks and benefits.