Corrective Eye Surgery - Might Be The Right Option

Corrective eye surgery is often used to correct refractive problems in the eye and eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.

Some of the problems that refractive eye surgery can correct are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), elongated corneas, and astigmatism.

There are several different procedures that can be employed to correct these problems, depending on their severity and the type of eye problem that you may suffer from.

There are four major corrective eye surgery procedures. The most common surgeries now use lasers to help reshape the cornea.

The four types of refractive eye surgeries that we are going to discuss in this article are:

• corneal incision procedures
• flap and photoablation procedures
• thermal procedures
• and implants.

Corneal incision procedures use a diamond-tipped knife to make very tiny incisions in the cornea. This alters the surface of the cornea and is used to correct any vision errors. Since the use of lasers has taken over the medical world, this procedure is not done nearly as much now.

Flap procedures basically cut a small flap in the cornea so that it can be reshaped and correct the refractive errors.

LASIK is probably the most common of this type of procedure. It uses a laser beam to make the flap and remove excess tissue. Then the flap is replaced and smoothed out, making a thinner cornea.

Photoablation is the second step in flap procedures where ultraviolet radiation is used to remove excess tissue from the cornea.

It is a cool heat so as not to damage any of the surrounding eye tissue. Once the tissue is removed the cornea can be reshaped to correct the vision problem.

Thermal procedures are used to temporarily correct farsightedness.

Using thermal heat 8-16 small burns are formed in a ring around the pupil. This makes the cornea steeper. The thermal heat can be applied with either a laser or an electric probe.

Implants are essentially contact lenses that have been permanently implanted just behind the cornea. This procedure is usually only an option in very severe vision problems.

Possible Complications Of Corrective Eye Surgery

In almost any kind of surgery there can be complications. Although rare, you should be aware of the possibilities.

• In flap surgeries, occasionally a perforation of the eye could occur. This rarely happens, and usually only when older equipment is used.

• Also in flap procedures, there can sometimes be an irregular flap, or a tiny speck can get in there before the flap is closed causing you to see “floaters” in your line of vision. Laser problems occur in less than 1% of eye surgeries done today.

• There are also some problems that can happen during the healing process. Some people experience vision problems like halos of light, starbursts, double vision, or a constant glare. Your night vision can also be affected. These issues usually decrease in time.

• You should not rub your eyes following any eye surgery. In flap procedures, the flap can actually be dislocated and cause eye pain and hazy vision.

• The most common side effect of eye surgery is dry eyes. This can easily be corrected with some eye drops. As with any surgery there is always a risk of infection which will slow your healing process. But they can be treated with antibiotics.

Recovery

The recovery time varies depending on the surgery. It could be only a few days or last up to a month.

Whatever method you decide upon, make sure to discuss it thoroughly with your doctor. (It might not even hurt to get a second opinion or two.)

If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contacts, then refractive eye surgery just might be the right option for you.

Read more about this topic on the following pages:

Types of Eye Surgery - A Short Overview
Let's discuss the different types of eye surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness).

Refractive Surgery And Dry Eyes - Before And After The Operation
Do corrective eye surgery and dry eyes always go together? And what can be done before and after the procedure to prevent the problem or moderate the condition?



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