Have you ever considered laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery is becoming an increasingly popular procedure used to correct vision problems, such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. It can be quite a scary thought, having surgery on probably the most precious part of our body. To see the world really is extraordinary and it feels like a bit of risk to do anything that puts the eyes at risk. However, as a daily contact-lens wearer myself, it’s quite exciting to think about never having to put anything in my eyes again in order to be able to see. So to answer the question above, yes I have considered laser eye surgery many a time.
What does laser eye surgery involve?
There are various types of laser eye surgery, some more invasive than others. We’ll go through the types below:
Types of Laser Eye Surgery
- LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis):
- The most common type.
- A flap is created in the cornea, and a laser reshapes the underlying corneal tissue.
- The flap is then replaced, acting as a natural bandage.
- PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy):
- The surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) is removed, and the corneal tissue is reshaped with a laser.
- The epithelium naturally grows back over time.
- Suitable for patients with thinner corneas.
- LASEK (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis):
- Similar to PRK but involves loosening the epithelial layer with alcohol and moving it aside before reshaping the cornea.
- The epithelium is repositioned afterward.
- SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction):
- A minimally invasive procedure.
- A laser creates a small, lens-shaped piece of tissue (lenticule) in the cornea, which is then removed through a tiny incision.
- Less disruption to the corneal structure compared to LASIK.
How fast is the recovery?
The recovery is generally very quick, and has a high success rate for vision correction. The results can either be reduced, or completely eliminated dependence on glasses or contact lenses. I think for me personally, there would have to be an almost 100% guarantee that I’d never have to wear contact lenses again if I were to put myself through the procedure, but this is totally dependent on person to person, and would require tests and a thorough consultation to figure out.
Are there any risks?
There are some risks, like with any surgery, and those can include dry eyes, glare, double vision, undercorrection or overcorrection, or even regression. However it really depends upon specific needs and your health condition. A lot of the potential risks and complications involved, are things that I personally already suffer with being a contact lens wearer, so for me they are extremely minimal and I don’t think they would put me off.
Are there requirements?
There are usually requirements for being suitable for laser eye surgery, and these can include having a stable vision prescription for at least 12 months, having no significant eye conditions such as cataracts or glaucoma, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and having an overall good health.
If you’re thinking about having laser eye surgery, there are places such as St Paul’s laser eye surgery based in Liverpool, with professional surgeons that can help you with any enquiries or appointments. They also offer a free consultation, so even if you’re not fully decided yet, that can be a great place to start and seek advice.
