Laser Eye Surgery

Nowadays, thanks to the rise in technology, there are a range of alternative surgical techniques that can be used to restore a person’s sight.

The varying procedures for laser eye surgery include PRK, LASIK, LASEK, Intralase and Wavefront techniques. The all vary in standard and price as they all have varying success rates. However, in each of the different techniques the procedure is more or less the same, with only small, acute differences in the technology, equipment and surgery.

A consultation with your eye doctor is imperative as any diseases in the eye must be cleared up before surgery. Not doing so may result in further complications or may disqualify you from carrying on with the laser eye surgery procedure.

Patients can choose to have one or both eyes operated on at the same time. Many patients choose to have one eye operated at a time to avoid running the risk of losing vision in both eyes. Once the patient is in the seated position, the surgeon places anaesthetic drops in the eyes in order to render them numb. An eyelid clip may also be used to stop the patient from blinking or closing their eyes.

As the anaesthesia takes effect the surgeon will use a highly precise instrument called a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser, to make an extremely thin flap in your cornea. This flap is then folded upwards to reveal the cornea so that a computer-controlled laser can shape it. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it. This usually takes around 30 seconds. Once completed, the flap in repositioned against the cornea and will heal within minutes. Antibiotic eyes drops will then be added to ensure against infection. The higher you prescription the longer the surgery will take. If you are to have both eyes operated on, the surgery on the second eye will begin immediately after the operation on the first eye have finished.

LASIK & LASEK

In Photo Refractive keratectomy (PRK) the top layer of the cornea, called the epithelium, is scraped away to expose the stromal layer underneath, while in LASIK and LASEK eye surgery the flap is repositioned after completion. It is reported that patients undergoing PRK eye surgery will suffer more discomfort in the days after the laser eye surgery procedure.

Warefront Laser Eye Surgery

Similarly, Wavefront LASIK does not vary too much from the standard procedure. The added value of Wavefront LASIK is that the computer is more precise and therefore capable of restoring eyes that have a higher prescription.

Laser Eye Surgery Recovery Times

Following laser eye surgery it is essential you follow your doctors’ orders and rest well and use all the prescribed medication given to you. While you may be able to return to work the next day it is best to judge how your eyes feel before over-exerting them so soon after surgery.