Eye Laser Surgery Options
Today you will find young children, adults and elderly people who have some vision problem or the other and need the aid of vision correction devices. Maybe due to short sight (myopia), long sight (hypermetropia) or the irregular curvature of the cornea or lens, they may have difficulty in focusing on a particular point (astigmatism). This is because due to some reasons, the rays of light that enter into the eye do not form an image or directly focus on the retina and the image is diverted to some other part of the eye or behind the retina which leads to a blurry image.
These defects can be corrected through laser eye surgery or refractive surgery. Such a surgery improves the image formation process of the eye. The surgery techniques used depends upon the condition of the patient and his requirements. Lasik or in medical terms known as Laser, Assisted, In-Situ Keratomileusis, "PRK" photorefractive keratectomy, (LASEK) Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelium Keratomileusis and C-ten, these are all surface based procedure. The one in which corneal incision is done is Radial Keratotomy and finally (LTK) Laser Thermal Keratoplasty. The Lasik procedure is a flap based procedure and helps the cornea to form the image by concentrating the light properly on the retina.
PRK uses a local anesthesia to deaden the muscle of the eye, and the unwanted tissue in the corneal stroma is removed with the help of an excimer laser. A bandage contact lens is used to reduce the healing time. LASEK procedure is done with the help of a fine surgical instrument and alcohol to loosen the corneal epithelium and create a flap. The shape of the cornea is rectified with the help of the Excimer Laser. With the use of the new technique Epi-keratome, the epithelium is removed permanently.
A refractive surgery which is the most modern and also the fastest procedure is the C-Ten. In this the surgeon cuts open the epithelial layer with the laser and he uses the laser to rectify the shape of the cornea. This process is the only one, where no physical contact is made with the eye. Contact lenses are used to protect the epithelial tissue and allow healing. Usually those who suffer from myopia and irregular astigmatism undergo this surgery. In order to improve the image formation and alter the shape of the cornea, surgeons make incisions shaped like spokes to alter the shape of the cornea and improve the image formation. This is the Radial Keratotomy procedure.
The LTK which uses a holmium laser for surgery is also a non-touch surgery. The surgeon skillfully makes concentric burns on the cornea with the help of a laser, thereby improving the focus of the eye on the light rays better and bringing about a substantial improvement in image formation. If you want to avoid eye surgery, the other option you have is the Bates method for eye sight correctness; you have to religiously perform certain exercises devised by Dr. William Horatio Bates. It is a slow process but with immense patient and dedication, you may succeed.