Get the details about laser surgery for the eyes, from this article. Read on to know the process and its advantages.
Treating eye related disorders has become highly technical today. With the advent of laser surgery, one can get rid of high power glasses and corrective lenses. Laser surgery for the eyes is known as LASIK, the acronym for Laser-in-situ keratomileusis. This corrective treatment is done with the help of laser rays. The process will be further explained in the following segment.
Before going into the process, I feel it’s necessary to let you know about the invention of LASIK. Laser eye surgery was first introduced by a Columbian based Spanish scientist, Jose Barraquer in the year 1950. They performed an operation to alter the shape of cornea by the clinical procedure of keratomileusis. The research work gained a new dimension when Mani Lal Bhaumik introduced the Excimer laser technology in the year 1973 and his discovery was patented. This way LASIK became so acceptable amongst doctors as well as people.
LASIK: How it Works
LASIK is a refractive surgery procedure for correcting a number of eye problems. It includes treating astigmatism, hyperopia and myopia. The laser eye surgery procedure is quite complex and requires sophisticated preparative steps. The process goes this way. People who are wearing lenses or glasses are asked to discontinue wearing them 5-21 days ahead of the surgery. The cornea is examined thoroughly and to determine the thickness and the surface contour.
Thickness testing is done with a pachymeter and the surface contour is measured by a topographer. This way the topographic map of the cornea is framed. This process is also followed for lasik surgery for eyes with astigmatism. This way the surgeon makes the correct estimation of the amount of corneal tissue to be removed.
This painless surgery is performed by this way. The eye is first held to place by a corneal suction ring and the eye is immobilized to create a flap. A procedure known as IntaLASIK is applied for creating a flap with the help of microkeratome. This results in creation of tiny bubbles in the cornea and then the flap is lifted and folded back. This reveals the stroma. The second step deals with remodeling the corneal stroma. The laser actually vaporizes the tissue without any burning sensation.
The process ensures that no damaged is caused to the adjacent stroma while passing the laser beam. This process is much more efficient than Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), a process adopted before the discovery of LASIK. PRK is also laser eye surgery process used earlier to ablate the outer surface of cornea with the help of a laser beam. While lifting the flap, the patient’s vision turns blurred.
Today, an eye tracking system is developed to follow the position of the eye with high speed. The final step is known as repositioning the flap. Once the shape of the corneal stroma is reshaped, the LASIK flap needs to be repositioned or fitted properly on the eye. It’s checked carefully for the presence of air bubbles or debris. It’s a natural adhesion process that heals the eye.
Postoperative care is utmost essential for quick recovery and clearing of vision. Surgeons prescribe anti-inflammatory eye drops and oral antibiotics as well. Patients are also given dark glasses to wear for sometime. The eye is supposed to be protected from bright light for at least one week and working before computer or watching T.V is strictly prohibited for a couple of days.
Advantages
The advantages of laser eye surgery have made it so popular among people. This corrective vision therapy works no doubt the best. It has corrected vision in nearly 80% of the population worldwide. Moreover, the process is almost painless and the vision is corrected within a day or two after the surgery. Laser eye treatment is also a very fine process that doesn’t involve any stitches and bandages. Once LASIK is done, a person permanently gets rid of corrective lenses or high power glasses. That was all about the advantages of a laser surgery for the eyes.
The most important point to consider is the cost, because not everyone can afford the cost. So, how much does LASIK cost? The price depends on the procedure adopted for the surgery. InraLase is quite expensive while wavefront-guided LASIK with excimer laser technology is widely adopted by people due to its reasonable prices (approximately USD $350 to USD $500 ).
You can get further details from a reputed surgeon before getting a surgery done.
