4 Eye Conditions You Can Fix with Surgery

Vision stands as one of the most important of the senses humans possess. Without clear vision, things become cloudy, blurry, and dark. As people lose their sense of sight, they find it virtually impossible to do many of the things they used to do. Activities like reading small print, viewing the screens on electronic devices, and even driving may be severely restricted. To prevent significant vision loss from impacting a person's independence, it is comforting to know that many vision problems can be corrected with surgery. The following eye conditions represent four common causes of vision loss for which a surgical approach makes vision correction possible.

Far Sighted, Near Sighted, and Astigmatism

Three of the most common eye conditions people encounter are being far sighted, near sighted, or having an astigmatism. When a person is far sighted, this implies that the eye is smaller than normal, causing light to focus behind the retina. This in turn makes it easier for people to see things far away, rather than up close. When a person is near sighted, the eye is typically larger than normal. This causes light to focus in front of the retina. This makes it easier for people to see things up close, rather than far away. When a person has an astigmatism, this tends to cause images to look blurry, because the eye is not round, but more football-shaped. When it comes to matters of reshaping the eye or the cornea, LASIK surgery is one surgical option which provides people with a high degree of vision correction. The Visx Star IR Excimer laser works equally well in standard or custom LASIK procedures, improving the accuracy of the procedure by better eye movement tracking through precisely recording spots on the patient's iris.

Cataracts

Cataracts are formed when the eye's natural lens, which is located behind the pupil and the iris, becomes cloudy. According to the World Health Organization, cataracts are the number one cause of blindness around the globe. It is estimated that there are more cases of cataracts than the total number of macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma cases combined. The lens is composed of water and properly arranged proteins. As we age, it is common for the proteins to clump together to form a cataract. Surgery at an SLC LASIK center to clear or replace the lens with an artificial lens is used to correct the vision when the formation of the cataract has progressed to a point where vision loss warrants corrective surgery.

Detached Retina

Another common eye problem causing vision loss is a detached retina. A detached retina may begin with a small hole or tear in the retina and progress to a more serious detachment. As the retina is separated from the blood vessels that nourish it with oxygen, this produces a race against time to surgically repair the retina before too much permanent vision loss occurs. Common ways of surgically treating a detached retina include, but are not limited to: photocoagulation, cryopexy, pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling and vitrectomy.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma refers to a class of eye disorders which ultimately cause damage to the optic nerve. When the optic nerve is impaired, this severely restricts or completely prevents the signal from the eye from reaching the brain. Glaucoma is generally related to a condition of increased pressure in the eye known as ocular hypertension; however, glaucoma sometimes occurs when inner ocular pressure is normal. Peripheral vision loss and blindness are common in cases where glaucoma has gone untreated. Catching glaucoma early is essential to preventing vision loss. Common forms of surgical treatment include the following: selective laser trabeculoplasty, trabeculectomy, trabeculotomy, goniotomy, iridotomy and iridectomy. As people age, it becomes ever more important for them to proactively take care of their vision for as long as possible. From improving dietary factors to wearing protective eye gear, many serious eye disorders may be prevented or avoided altogether. The longer people maintain their vision, the longer they will be able to enjoy their independence.