Laser Eye Surgery

The introduction of the eye glasses was a life saver for people with eye disorders. Then came the contact lenses, eye surgeries; and now, even better is the eye laser surgery that's been making people's lives a little more comfortable.

There are two main types of lasers that are used for laser eye surgery. The VISX laser is used for candidates that are at least 18 years of age with astigmatism and/or nearsightedness. The other type is the Summit laser. The Summit laser is used for candidates are at least 21 years of age and it is also used to treat mild to moderate nearsightedness and astigmatism.

There are different types of laser eye procedures for different eye problems. The most common/notable eye laser procedures are:

Laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (also known as LASIK). This procedure the most popular laser eye surgery. It is performed on patients with astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness (non-extreme cases only). Although this procedure is non-reversible, it has a high success rate (over 99%) and if anything goes wrong, it can be easily corrected. LASIK is safer than eye glasses and/or contact lenses in the long run. Costs of LASIK in the US run from $2,000 to $3,500 (USD) per eye. In Turkey the cost is only $700 per eye.

Laser Thermokeratoplasty (also known as LTK or (CK), Conductive Keraroplasty). This eye laser surgery is done for patients that need reading glasses but have good distance vision; patient might still need to use reading glasses for very fine print or in other extreme reading conditions that places abnormal strain on the eye. A typical LTK surgery can cost anywhere from $2000 to $2500 (USD) per eye. This is the fastest eye laser procedure and normally takes three to five seconds.

Photorefractive Keratotomy (or PRK) is just like LASIK, but is slightly safer. This procedure is an alternative to LASIK and is generally performed on patients with thin corneas. The price for this procedure is the same as LASIK.

Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRIs) are used to treat astigmatism. The patient’s only eye problem must also be astigmatism. Unlike LASIK, there is a small risk of infection and this procedure is non-reversible. More than likely, another surgery will be combined with LRIs to reduce existing astigmatism. This procedure is not performed on patients with excessive astigmatism.

There are also other eye procedures such as Orthokeratology where a reversible non-invasive eye correction is performed or others such as intraocular lenses where a contact lens is implanted into the patient’s eye.

The freedom from having to constantly wear glasses and/or contact lenses has greatly increased ever since laser eye surgery began to gain popularity. Most of these surgeries do not require extra surgeries and results are instant. Apart from the instant results, eye laser surgery is also very fast; the longest lasts no more than 15 seconds.

Healthy vision is appealing, especially for those that have gone through the constant glasses to contact routine. When you do get eye laser surgery, remember to follow your doctor’s instructions on the aftercare steps and get ready to enjoy your new sight!

Sources:
"Bogotá Laser Refractive Institute." Wikipedia." Wikipedia, 2007.
"Laser eye surgery." By: Lewis, Carol. FDA Consumer, Jul/Aug98, Vol.
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“National Women's Health Report”; Apr2006, Vol.
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