Collective Efforts to serve Humanity
About LASIK Eye Treatment
LASIK or Lasik, commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism, since it is in the cornea.
Now you have access to the latest technology that can help to correct the vision permanently in a quick, painless, and safe way.
What is LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the eye's cornea in order to improve visual acuity.[2] For most people, LASIK provides a long-lasting alternative to eyeglasses or contact lenses.
LASIK is most similar to another surgical corrective procedure, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), and LASEK. All represent advances over radial keratotomy in the surgical treatment of refractive errors of vision. For patients with moderate to high myopia or thin corneas which cannot be treated with LASIK and PRK, the phakic intraocular lens is an alternative.[4][5] As of 2018, roughly 9.5 million Americans have had LASIK[1][6] and, globally, between 1991 and 2016, more than 40 million procedures were performed.[7][8] However, the procedure seems to be a declining option for many in recent years.[9]
Why is LASIK done?
Refractive error is a problem in which the eyes lose their ability to focus the light on the retina with precision due to irregularities in the shape of the eye or cornea. Each type of refractive error forms due to any of the following reasons:
-
The eyeball length either grows too long or too short
-
The shape of the cornea becomes irregular
-
The eye lens start to age and loses its ability to focus light
Due to any of the above reasons, people of all age-groups experience vision loss. With age, refractive errors only progress and become more problematic. LASIK surgery is performed for the correction of these refractive errors:
-
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a condition in which the eyeball becomes long or the cornea becomes curved. Due to this, the image is formed in front of the retina, making it difficult for the person to see faraway objects.
-
Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is a condition in which the eyeball becomes short or the cornea becomes too flat. In hyperopia, the image is formed behind the retina making it difficult to see nearby objects.
-
Astigmatism is a condition in which the cornea curves and flattens unevenly. Due to this, both distant and nearby vision is affected.
With the help of laser technology, all these refractive errors can be corrected with precision.
Types of Refractive errors:
Myopia
Hyperopia
Astigmatism
Causes
Symptoms
-
Short or long eyeball
-
Curved or flattened cornea
-
Aging of the eye lens
-
Corneal inflammation
-
Eye injury
-
Blurry vision
-
Double vision
-
Headaches
-
Seeing a glare or halos around lights
-
Squinting and strain in the eyes
-
Inability to see closer or farby objects or both
DIAGNOSIS
-
Comprehensive Eye Examination
Both visual acuity tests and refraction tests are done as a part of a comprehensive eye exam that is done once a year. It also involves other tests like a corneal exam, pupil exam, extraocular muscles exam, etc.
-
Refraction Test
A refraction test is also called a vision test which helps the eye doctor to determine the prescription of the eyeglasses or contact lenses you will need. The doctor will assess how the light bends as it travels through the cornea and lens of the eye.
Once it is confirmed that you need corrective lenses, the doctor will either use a computerized refractor or shine a light into your eyes to find what type of prescription you’ll need. The amount of light that bounces back off your retina will tell the refractive score A phoropter will be placed in front of your eyes and the doctor will use different lenses to accurately identify your refractive power.
-
Visual Acuity Test
A visual acuity test is done to see your ability to see the details of a letter or symbol at a specific distance. This test is meant to evaluate the eye’s ability to identify the shapes and details of the objects. Visual acuity tests can be done for color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
There are two tests done for visual acuity, Snellen and random E test.
-
In Snellen, the doctor uses a chart of letters or symbols in which letters are arranged in different sizes in rows and columns.
-
In the random E test, the doctor asks the patient to identify the direction of the letter.
The results of both these tests combined help the doctor to calculate the refractive error which will be used during the surgery.
-
Pachymetry Test
The test is done to determine the thickness of the cornea. As the surgery involves the removal of corneal tissues, it is important to know how many tissues will remain after the correction. People who have a thin cornea are often not considered an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery.
-
Corneal Topography
In this test, a 3-D map of the cornea is created with the help of a computer-assisted diagnostic tool. It produces a detailed visual description of the shape and power of the cornea. It will help the doctor to determine how much corneal tissue will be removed and the right ablation pattern.
How to prevent it?
The eyes are a very important part of our body and their health matters a lot to see the world around us. What most people don’t realize is that vision problems can be avoided and eyes can be kept healthy if they follow the steps below:
-
Focus on maintaining your blood sugar levels. Higher sugar levels can increase the blood pressure significantly and may affect the optic nerve that can impair your vision.
-
Know your family’s eye health and history to know if you are potentially at risk of developing certain eye diseases. Refractive errors can be hereditary, i.e., if your parents had some kind of refractive error, you are more likely to get it at a young age.
-
Eat healthy food to protect your sight. You must have heard from many people that carrots, green leafy vegetables, fruits, etc. are good for your eyes. It is true as some food items are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are good for eye health.
-
Wear protective eyewear while playing sports or other activities in which there is a risk of eye injury. If your eyes get injured, the vision is the first thing that will be affected.
-
Quit smoking as it is bad for your overall health as well as your eyes. It will damage the optic nerve which will ultimately impair your vision.
-
Go for a regular eye checkup to ensure that the vision problems can be detected at an early stage. This will help to get proper treatment for the condition and prevent it from advancing.
-
Give your eyes proper rest if you spend your entire day watching a computer screen. Take breaks throughout the day and use some eye exercises to keep the ciliary muscles strong.
OUR SURGERY SPECIALISTS DOCTORS
Dr. ABCD
MBBS,
10 yrs of experience
Dr. ABCD
MBBS,
10 yrs of experience
Dr. ABCD
MBBS,
10 yrs of experience
Lasik Eye Surgery
There are two most common types of LASIK surgery done for the treatment of refractive errors:
-
Intra-LASIK- In this type of LASIK, the surgeon will use the laser to cut and reshape the cornea.
-
PRK- For the people whose corneas are thin, they can rely on the PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) technique to correct their vision. During the surgery, the entire layer above the cornea is removed to reshape the cornea. Then the layer is left to be repaired itself.
-
Topography-guided LASIK Surgery or Contoura LASIK- In this technique, around 22,000 points are marked on the cornea through topography and then the abnormalities in the cornea are corrected through the excimer laser.
In case you are ineligible to undergo LASIK surgery, the doctor will also recommend alternative treatment methods, such as Implantable Collamer Lens, also known as ICL to help you restore vision effectively.
