Did you know that cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy are just a few of the dominant eye diseases that Australia battles? These, along with the uncorrected refractive error, make up 90% of all eye-diseases affecting the older Australians.
Many people also suffer from nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, etc. These medical conditions affect your eyesight. To correct these visual impairments, many people opt for LASIK or Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis.
LASIK
This non-blade procedure gives little or no discomfort and quick recovery. Most patients report 20/20 vision after this procedure. In Australia, 100 per cent of those who opted for this treatment passed the legal driving standards.
During this procedure, the first laser used is a femtosecond laser, and it creates a flap in the superficial cornea area. This flap is made 105um deep; the corneal depth is more than 500um. During this procedure, this laser makes millions of gas bubbles that join together and form a superficial flap.
The second laser used in this technique is the excimer laser. It flattens the cornea under the flap in myopia and steepens it in hyperopia.
LASIK is FDA-approved, and this procedure takes just a few seconds per eye. In most cases, you’ll be able to drive the next day. You can also join your work only after this procedure. If you think you need LASIK for vision correction, please click here.
PRK
If you have astigmatism, nearsightedness or presbyopia, you can go in for Photo Refractive Keratectomy. This laser-based procedure is used to treat minor cases of blindness in people having thin corneas. PRK is the original laser surgery and was later replaced by the more popular LASIK. Please note that PRK is not feasible for people having moderate to high nearsightedness.
In PRK, the top epithelial cells of the cornea are removed and later a bandage-contact lens is inserted. PRK uses the same laser that is used in excimer laser surgery. Recovery time in PRK is more prolonged than LASIK; 4-5 days versus 4-5 hours of LASIK. The final improvement takes place over 3-4 weeks.
LASEK
This procedure that stands for Laser-Assisted Sub Epithelial Keratomileusis treats myopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism.
LASEK is quite similar to PRK, but there is one crucial difference. Unlike in PRK, the epithelium covering the cornea is not completely removed; the flap is put over one side, and after the procedure is over, this tissue is once again positioned on top of the cornea. Once the entire process is over, a contact-bandage lens is inserted to heal the wound. LASEK gives more discomfort than LASIK and PRK, and the recovery time is also higher.
Epi-LASIK
This procedure treats myopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. Epi-LASIK and LASEK procedures are quite similar. The only difference is how the flaps are created. In the latter, the flap is made by an oscillating separator that has a blunt edge. In LASEK, the blade has a sharp edge.
There is another vital difference between Epi-LASEK and LASEK. In the later, alcohol is used to separate the epithelial cells from the stromal cells of the cornea. In Epi-LASEK, no alcohol-based solution is used. Epi-LASEK is used in cases where patients have thin corneas and are unfit for LASIK. This surgical procedure gives some discomfort to the patients. After 3-4 weeks of recovery, you can drive easily on the roads.
LBV
Also called Laser Blended Vision, this procedure helps 45-year olds in correcting their distance and reading visions. The imperative eye is treated for distance vision, while the non-dominant one is corrected for reading. LBV also uses LASIK for vision improvement. For some myopic patients, eye-surgeons use PRK techniques as well. LBV is quite popular in many parts of the world and is FDA-approved.
Photo by Apostolos Vamvouras on Unsplash
