Medical Ophthalmology » Nearsightedness

How Laser Eye Surgery Works – Lasik and Photorefractive Eye Surgery

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:48:34 +0000

People with eye-related problems are becoming more and more interested in laser eye surgery and its benefits because this is known to be the most exciting ophthalmologic procedure.

To be more precise, this is a refractive eye surgery that can correct all types of refractive errors such as: astigmatism (distorted vision), myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness).

Even if the medicine offers various types of surgical techniques for correcting refractive errors, the laser eye surgery was labelled by the American Academy of Ophthalmology the most technically advanced and precise one.

The excimer laser was the first laser ever approved for eye surgery and it’s used to correct myopia. Now, this laser is used in two different procedures: Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK).

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

The surgeon maps and measures the patient’s eye before the procedure in order to analyse the problem. Then, he uses a few local anesthetic eye drops and reshapes the cornea eliminating tiny amounts of tissue from the outer surface.

Next, the doctor uses an ultra violet beam of light and cuts notches the size of human hair. Each pulse of light can remove a 39 millionth of an inch of cornel tissue in only 12 billionths of a second.

According to same studies, only 5% of the patients still use permanent glasses after the surgery while 15% need visual aids only when driving.

Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

The LASIK procedure is more complicated than PRK but it’s a solution for solving all types of myopia.

The surgeon uses the Microkeratome to cut a corneal tissue flap in order to replace it. Everything depends on the doctor because with LASIK he has to make a very precise incision.

The patient only feels a little discomfort and sometimes an irritation but those won’t last too long. In most cases, the patients returned to their normal life in only two or three days.

With LASIK there can be only one side effect and that is occasional glare at night.

Anyway, everyone should know that even if the results are said to be permanent, the age can influence the final results and in some cases the doctor may even suggested re-surgery.

By: Ricky Lim

Throw Away Those Glasses: Go For Laser Eye Surgery

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:36:33 +0000

For Julie, my best friend, world meant black without her spectacles. The poor myopic girl became the butt of social ridicules because of these thick glasses of hers. At twenty five she used to look like forty years old because of her glasses. Yes, she tried contact lenses once, but she wasn’t comfortable with them and the glasses were the only bridge between her and the world, until the summer of 2000, when she underwent laser eye surgery. Since then everything has changed for her. In her own words surgery brought her freedom; freedom to see the world with her own eyes without any kind of dependence.

Julie is not alone in her experience. There are thousands all across the USA, who are taking to Laser Eye Surgery, the most exciting advancement in ophthalmology. The traditional corrective measures for problematic eye sight involve using spectacles or contact lenses. But in recent years laser surgery seems to replace these traditional devices of correcting eye sight problem.

But what is laser eye surgery?

Laser eye surgery is a surgical procedure intended to correct common vision disorders, referred to as refractive disorders in ophthalmology which include myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness and also astigmatism or distorted vision.

In this surgery, the laser is aimed at the cornea, which is the outer and clear round structure covering the iris, the colored part of the eye and the pupil. The surgery intends to gently reshape the cornea by changing the thickness of the tissues of cornea. No matter whether you are far sighted or near sighted, the surgery will help your eyes bring the images into proper focus.

Can you opt for different types of laser surgery?

Yes of course you can. Currently there are mainly three types of laser eye surgeries, which you can choose from depending on the type of your eye problem and your budget.

So far LASIK is the most popular type of eye laser surgery that uses the most advanced technological equipment. This is a procedure, which involves carving out of a thin layer of cornea to create a flap. The objective of this procedure is to direct the laser to the tissues lying underneath. The flap which is replaced grows back naturally. And you get an improved vision almost instantly.

The next option is EPIFLAP or LASEK surgery. In this process, the outer layer of cells on the eye is partially removed to expose the cornea. Then laser is applied to flatten or reshape the cornea and the outer cells are pushed back. Just a matter of few days and you get impeccable vision.

The last and oldest option is PRK, which is performed on an outpatient basis with local anaesthesia. In this refractive surgery, laser is applied to remove microscopic amounts of tissue from the outer surface to reshape cornea.

Is it safe?

The laser eye surgery is a surgical procedure, approved by The US Food and Drug Administration. So you can understand there can be no question regarding its safety. But of course there are certain differences of opinion relating to its result, because the procedure is relatively new and long term effects of this surgery are still unknown.

If you are still doubtful, let me share with you a piece of information: according to a certain estimate, more than one million Americans every year undergo laser eye surgery to get rid of their glasses and contact lenses and the number is still increasing. A more valid proof of its growing popularity is the diminishing cost of the procedure.

Find more info at http://www.laser-eye-advice.info

By: Lucy Bartlett

Lasik Surgery – Seeing The World Like You Once Did

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:24:17 +0000

More and more people with vision problems are turning to LASIK to correct their vision. LASIK, which stands for Laser In Situ Keratomileusis is generally a safe, reliable and painless way to improve vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses. Thanks to new advances in laser technology, LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure that is used to correct refractive errors in the eye, such as moderate to high degrees of myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, and astigmatism or distorted vision.

LASIK helps change the shape of the cornea with the use of excimer laser. The knife that is used in the operation to remove a flap in the cornea is called microkeratome. There are several techniques that are employed to reshape the cornea. After the laser has reshaped the cornea, the flap is repositioned over the treatment area by the surgeon.

There are several advantages to this procedure: LASIK is considered as one of the greatest ophthalmologic breakthroughs in recent times. Many eye surgeons believe that even the most complicated refractive errors can be treated with the help of LASIK. This is a relatively simple procedure that allows a patient to go home right away after the operation and ensures a renewed vision within a week.

LASIK is an almost painless procedure with the use of anesthesia to the eye and the cornea. A very small number of patients have complained of little discomfort during surgery, much like a “scratchy feeling.” After the effect of anesthetic wears off, there is a varying degree of discomfort among the patients. But even if there is any irritation, it is usually minor and does not last beyond a few hours. However your eyes may be very sensitive to light for a few days. As LASIK is a relatively simple procedure, it can be performed at the clinic, instead of at a hospital. Most laser treatments do not take more than 15 to 40 seconds, depending on the degree of correction required. Recovery time is also minimal, and most patients are able to go back home after 30 minutes. Within 3 to 5 days following LASIK treatment, you will notice a dramatic improvement in your vision. LASIK treatment of your vision is more or less permanent. With age however some degree of re-treatment may become necessary.

Thus LASIK is a safe way of correcting your vision. So take advantage of this advancement in ophthalmology and start seeing the world like you once did with your new vision.

By: Susan Jan

Lasik Laser Surgery: Change the Way you Look at This World

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:41:07 +0000

LASIK Laser surgery are amongst the most widely acceptable procedures available today which are meant for vision correction. And what more, its popularity is actually increasing with each passing day. To explain what LASIK actually means, keep on reading here. It is surely going to help your eyes. LASIK surgery is a medical terminology which stands for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis.

In LASIK Laser surgery, Laser beam which are man made waves, are used in here as a vision correction tool. Laser was actually meant for making computer chips but its application in ophthalmologic industry was soon discovered by Dr. Stephen Trokel. It is a condensed beam of ultraviolet light which is focused on the affected eye area where the abnormality lies. It works by reshaping the corneal surface.

LASIK eye surgery proves fruitful in correcting vision problems such as hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism. But such vision problems such as presbyopia cannot be treated at least by this procedure as it comes under a dissimilar causal base. It is an age related abnormality where muscles of the eye get weak, and the eye lens get thicker, thus it requires a different application procedure of eye treatment.

The demand of LASIK Laser surgery is actually soaring each day because of the many advantages that it comes with. It never takes more than twenty minutes for the entire surgery procedure to finish. But it is always beneficial to reach your clinic one hour before the scheduled time of surgery. It helps you get prepared for the surgery, both physically and mentally. Your doctor gives you medication such as Valium if you are feeling anxious. Anesthetic drops are put in your eyes before the surgery is started. It makes them insensitive for a while and you do not feel any pain. Unlike common perception, laser beam does not make you feel any heat in the eyes. It reaches only to a microscopic depth, creating its magic only at the corneal surface.

Coming back to the advantages of choosing LASIK laser surgery over other vision correcting options is that it comes with minimal complications. Problem arises only when some grossly wrong procedure has been adapted by your eye surgeon. Otherwise, it does not cause anything more than a little numbness or dryness of eyes. So what are you still thinking, just go ahead and get yourself an all new LASIK vision for a better tomorrow!

By: A Sachdeva

Lasik Vision Surgery: New Technology Prevents Side Effects

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:11:33 +0000

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard about some of the side effects associated with getting lasik vision correction surgery. For instance, after getting lasik surgery some people complain about symptoms of glare, halos and decreased night vision.

In fact, I remember attending a business briefing where the speaker started by mentioning he just had lasik surgery the day before. He told the audience, “The good news is I think you’re all going to heaven because everyone has halos around their heads!”

If you’ve considered getting lasik surgery but were concerned about some of the less-than-desirable side effects, you’ll be glad to hear that new technology is reducing those dreaded halos and glare. Known as “custom” or wavefront-guided lasik, this relatively recent improvement in eye surgery technology produces better vision quality when compared to traditional lasik vision surgery.

“Most significant,” says US Navy Captain Steve Schallhorn, MD, the Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the Navy Medical Center, San Diego, “is the improved quality of vision with the wavefront-guided procedure, fewer problems with halos and glare, better night vision, and higher patient satisfaction.”

Traditional lasik reshapes the patient’s cornea with a laser to correct visual problems like nearsightedness or farsightedness. With conventional lasik, the laser is guided based on formulas similar to the ones used to determine your eyeglass prescription. Conventional lasik is effective at treating “lower-order” aberrations like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (also called “refractive errors”).

Wavefront-guided lasik, on the other hand, measures how light is distorted as it passes into the eye and then is reflected back. This creates a 3-D optical map of the eye, highlighting the imperfections and disorders that lead to visual errors. Wavefront technology then creates a custom treatment plan for each eye and guides the laser during the surgery.

Wavefront-guided lasik can effectively treat the same lower-order aberrations that conventional lasik can treat as well as treating “higher-order” aberrations such as decreased contrast sensitivity, night vision, glare, shadows and halos. In fact, there are a growing number of patients turning to wavefront-guided lasik to correct side effects from previous laser eye surgeries.

“With this technology breakthrough, we can now measure these disorders, show the patient what’s going on in their eye, link that information to the laser, and actually correct higher-order aberrations,” says Roger Steinert, M.D., associate clinical professor of ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School. “Wavefront technology enables the surgeon to improve overall vision quality better than in the past.”

Of course, this advanced technology comes with a higher price tag than traditional lasik surgery. And just like conventional lasik, wavefront-guided lasik is a surgical procedure and has risks associated with it. Be sure to consult with a qualified lasik surgeon to discuss potential complications and ensure you’re a good candidate for this type of surgery.

But if the choice is between crystal clear vision with no side effects and going through life seeing all the people going to heaven, I think I’ll go with the first option, please!

By: Marc Menninger