Laser Eye Surgery
Types of Laser Eye Surgery
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.
Your free consultation with an 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.
Who has Laser Eye Surgery
People are visually impaired and need to wear either contact lenses or glasses who wish to have permanent vision correction operations may choose to undergo laser eye surgery. Laser eye surgery is not always recommended for patients who suffer from presbyopia although your surgeon will be able to consult on this. Amblyopia or lazy eye correction can be performed by laser eye although blindness can not be treated. Astigmatisms and cataracts affecting the corneal area can be treated using this method. If you have had keratoplasty surgery then laser eye treatment is not suitable.
The 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
Postoperative laser eye surgery it is essential you follow your doctor's 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.
Payment Options
Many clinics and private hospitals will accept a wide range of payment options including finance credit and 0% apr interest deals where the amount repayable will equal the total cost of the surgery. Credit card payments, cash are commonly accepted and many clinics will offer cashback on laser eye suergery costs. High street clinics such as Optical Express, Intralase and Optimax may be cheaper than smaller privare clinics. Some treatment centres may require a deposit prior to the operation which will be deducted against the cost of the laser eye surgery. Bank loans are available for health operations and depending on the severity of the eye disfunction it may be possible to receive the surgery on the NHS. There may be a moneysaving benefit to making appointments to have both eyes operated on together in order to qualify for a discount. It is a good idea to check your health insurance details in the event of any complications to check you are covered.