Destination The Pacific

Laser eye surgery offers alternatives

Written by Henry Johnson

Myopia, or nearsightedness, affects more than 800 million people worldwide and up to 20 percent of the United States population. Mainstream ophthalmological treatment has traditionally consisted of eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct the problem, but refractive eye surgeries such as LASIK and LASEK are becoming increasingly popular means of dealing with the problem. When a person has myopia, he or she can see objects that are close reasonably clearly, but far away objects are blurry and difficult to see. How nearsighted you are determines your ability to focus. Folks who are severely nearsighted can only see objects clearly if they're a few inches from their face; folks who only have a mild case of myopia can see clearly for several yards. Nearsightedness may develop practically overnight or take years to develop. Often myopia has its first onset during late childhood or adolescence, and the condition frequently runs in families. Myopia can have a number of impacts on one's quality of life, causing folks who are nearsighted to need to squint to see clearly and to experience headaches from excessive strain on their eyes. Folks who are nearsighted often have to hold books very close when reading and will likely be unable to drive safely if their myopia is untreated. Myopia has a number of possible causes. Two parts of your eye are used to focus images: the cornea and the lens. In an eye that's shaped as it should be, these focusing elements all have a smooth curvature just like that of a rubber ball. In a properly functioning eye, the cornea and the lens refract light to create a sharp, clearly focused image on the retina. If your cornea or lens is abnormally curved, they fail to refract light properly, thus resulting in a fuzzy image. Myopia, and just how myopic you are, can be diagnosed in an eye exam performed by an eye specialist. There are three basic types of eye specialists that you can go to for this: ophthalmologists, specialists who have a medical doctor's degree and are capable of performing all forms of eye care, including diagnosis, prescribing corrective lenses and performing eye surgery; opticians, basically the pharmacist of the eye trade, who fills prescriptions for corrective lenses; and optometrists, specialists who have a doctor of optometery degree and who can diagnose eye disorders and prescribe corrective lenses. While corrective lenses have been the standard treatment for myopia for centuries, laser-assisted refractive surgery is becoming an increasingly popular option for correcting myopia. Pioneered in the late 80s and early 90s, laser-assisted refractive surgery has been steadily refined over the succeeding years. Today laser-assisted refractive surgery can offer patients almost immediate improvement in their vision, the opportunity to make future corrections if their eyes change over time and the opportunity to forgo glasses and contacts. There are several forms of laser-assisted refractive surgery to choose from. By consulting with your ophthalmologist, you can choose the procedure that is best suited to help with your specific problem and circumstances. Here's a list and brief description of some of the laser-assisted and non-laser assisted refractive surgeries available. LASIK: Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis is a procedure which uses a keratome and a laser to cut a flap into your cornea. Once the flap is cut, the surgeon will then use an Excimer laser to sculpt your cornea into the proper, rounded shape. LASEK: Laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis is a procedure in which you surgeon will cut a flap in the protective cover of your cornea, or epithelium. Once that flap is cut, the surgeon will use an Excimer laser to reshape the outer layers of your cornea and scuplt its curvature. The epithelial flap is then put back into proper position and the patient must use a bandage contact lense for a few days. PRK: Photorefractive keratectomy is a procedure similar to LASEK, but with one major difference. The surgeon will remove the protective cover of your cornea, and then allow it to grow back naturally. The new epithelium will mold itself to the new shape of your cornea. Just like LASEK, you'll need to wear a bandage contact lense after the surgery. IOL implant:  In this procedure, your surgeon will implant lenses into the eye in front of the natural lens of the eye. This is a rare procedure and is the subject of some debate among eye surgeons. Refractive surgery, particularly laser-assisted refractive surgery is safe. Only about one percent of patients who under go laser-assisted refractive surgery experience severe complications. While all surgery poses some risk, the risks involved with laser-assisted refractive surgery is relatively low.

 

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