Posted by: Associates in Ophthalmology (NJ) in Uncategorized
Tired of glasses and contacts? Wanting to get rid of your glasses is a valid desire, but surgery in any form can be intimidating. In many ways, surgery on your eyes can be the most intimidating.
Vision correction options like LASIK, PRK, or RLE are popular methods to improve eyesight. The surgeries are all considered to be safe and provide predictably astounding results.
LASIK, for example, is successful in over 97% of patients. That’s an incredible statistic in any medical field. Keep reading to find out more about vision correction procedures available!
What is LASIK?
LASIK is a procedure that corrects your vision at the root of the problem. The source of most refractive errors is misshapen corneas.
Your cornea is the transparent tissue that covers your pupils. Nearsightedness occurs when the corneas of your eyes are too long and pointed. This causes light to come into focus before it reaches your retina.
Farsightedness occurs when the cornea is flat. This causes light to focus behind the retina. Astigmatism happens when the cornea is uneven.
This forces the light to focus on several points. People with astigmatism can have nearsightedness or farsightedness as well.
To correct the cornea, it’s reshaped using lasers. After numbing your eye, a laser creates a flap in the top layer of your cornea.
This flap is then lifted and the actual reshaping is done to the second layer, which is much thicker. A different laser is guided with computer software.
This software removes tiny amounts of tissue from predetermined points around the cornea. At the end of the procedure, after lowering the flap, the top layer will take on the new shape of the cornea.
Vision will be almost immediately clearer. The flap does not need stitches or glue to heal.
But it is quite susceptible to damage and complications over the next few months. Because of this, you need to be very careful during recovery.
What is PRK?
PRK or photorefractive keratectomy is a procedure that produces results on par with LASIK. PRK is usually better for those that have thinner corneas or aren’t good LASIK candidates.
The procedure is essentially the same as LASIK. Instead of creating a flap, a small part of the top layer of the cornea is simply removed.
After completing the reshaping of the cornea, a bandage contact is then put over the opening. This protects the incision site but it is left to heal from there by itself.
Having no flap increases recovery time and difficulty, but eliminates the risk of flap complications.
What is RLE?
A refractive lens exchange is another good alternative to LASIK. It is typically used for patients that are suffering from presbyopia.
Presbyopia is a condition that causes the lens of the eye to become more rigid. The lens needs to be flexible to change focus.
To solve this problem, the lens can simply be removed and replaced with an artificial lens.
Wondering if there’s a vision correction procedure that’s right for you? Schedule an appointment with one of the doctors at Associates in Ophthalmology in Livingston, NJ now!
