Excimer laser corrects poor vision

Excimer laser surgery changes the geometry of the cornea. After such surgery, the human optical system becomes more complete and patients no longer need to use optical correction products (glasses or contact lenses).It is worth noting that during surgical treatment of refractive errors, the refractive power of the retina changes so that the light from the image is clearly focused on the macula. At the same time, my eyesight also improved significantly.

Why does vision decrease?

Diopter refers to the refractive power of the entire eye. Diopter is usually expressed in diopters. When this function is impaired, vision decreases, resulting in a decreased quality of life.Astigmatism, myopia, and hyperopia are associated with decreased vision in all cases. Any refractive error causes the focus of light rays to lie not in the plane of the retina but in front or behind it. Therefore, such patients require the use of external optical devices (glasses or contact lenses) to correct visual function. This need can be inconvenient and sometimes even unsafe.Among the diseases associated with refractive errors, myopia is the most common. According to statistics, one-third of the planet's inhabitants suffer from myopia. The disease can be diagnosed at any age, but most people with myopia are diagnosed between the ages of 8 and 16. In the future, the condition may stabilize or continue to progress. Regardless, myopia affects the quality of life and causes discomfort to the patient, so it requires close attention from experts.It is important to note that any visual impairment requires mandatory correction. Many people think that wearing glasses to correct vision will cause vision loss, but this is not the case. Conversely, without any correction, the eyes may stop functioning, certainly leading to amblyopia over time. In this case, even with perfect vision correction, it will not be 100%

Why is laser vision correction needed?

Since many people suffer from refractive errors (hyperopia, astigmatism, myopia), experts are constantly developing new and effective treatments. One of the newer methods that is very effective for refractive errors is laser restoration of visual function.Even though glasses and contact lenses are common, easy to use, and affordable, thousands of people turn to experts every day for laser vision correction.The explanation for why this happens is very simple. First, even the most modern glasses can cause some discomfort to the wearer. When worn for a long time, pressure will be exerted on the bridge of the nose and ears, sometimes accompanied by pain. Wearing glasses in winter is also very inconvenient, since they immediately fog up when the temperature changes drastically in a warm room. Additionally, wearing glasses not only causes discomfort but can also be dangerous when engaging in strenuous exercise.Glasses, like contact lenses, can be forgotten or lost, so a prudent person always has an extra pair of glasses on hand to replace them.
If you choose the right contact lenses, you will undoubtedly reduce the discomfort caused. For example, the lenses don’t fog up, put no pressure on the bridge of your nose, and are comfortable to wear during active activities. However, when using any lens, even the most modern ones, the concentration of oxygen in the corneal cells decreases. As a result, underlying blood vessels begin to grow into the cornea, and over time, dry eye syndrome may develop. In most cases, the eyes will undergo irreversible changes 5 to 10 years after starting to use contact lenses. Thereafter, patients often have to switch to glasses or find other alternatives.Laser correction of refractive errors can help patients give up contact lenses and glasses forever, thus providing a high standard of living with this treatment.It is important to note that not all patients are candidates for laser treatment of refractive errors. For example, children under the age of 18 cannot receive laser correction because their eyeballs have not yet completed development. For such patients, glasses and contact lenses are the only possible ways to improve vision. In this case, it is important to wear the lenses correctly to avoid irreversible changes to the cornea. Your ophthalmologist can help you do this if you see your eye doctor regularly and monitor the dynamics of your vision changes.

Preparation for laser vision correction surgery

To have laser vision correction surgery, you must first undergo a comprehensive eye exam. During the diagnostic process, the doctor individually evaluates the overall condition of the eyeball and all its structures. Many important parameters were also measured.Main diagnostic methods include:

• Visual acuity, the measurement of visual acuity;
• Barometer, used to determine intraocular pressure;
• Pachymetry, which measures the thickness of the cornea;
• Automatic refraction, automatically determines the diopter of the eye;
• Echo biometry required to measure eye length;
• Visual field measurement, which determines the boundaries of the visual field;
• The Schrimer test is necessary to assess tear production;
• Computer topographic analysis of the cornea, a modern method of elucidating corneal structure;
• Examine the fundus structure after initial maximum mydriasis using drops.

After careful preoperative preparation and diagnosis, doctors can speak with a high degree of certainty about the results patients can expect after laser correction. This also allows you to avoid the most common complications after surgery.

How is laser vision correction performed?

During the procedure, microdermabrasion of the corneal material is performed, causing changes in its surface curvature.
After doctors use an excimer laser to correct the shape of the cornea, the light from the image converges on a point that lies strictly within the plane of the retina. All methods used in modern medicine are very safe, accurate and provide high vision.
The laser vision correction procedure itself lasts about 10-15 minutes on average. Local anesthesia is used during the procedure, and special eye drops are used. This allows you to minimize pain during and after surgery. After the surgery is completed, the patient is observed in the clinic for about an hour and a half. The patient is then sent home with all the advice given. It is important to note that laser vision correction surgery has virtually no impact on the patient's pace of life, meaning there are minimal restrictions during the postoperative period.During the comprehensive physical examination, the doctor will give all explanations about the preoperative and recovery characteristics. To systematize this information, there are very convenient reminders where patients can find answers to all their questions.

Benefits of Excimer Laser Vision Restoration

Vision correction using excimer laser is a very common procedure and is in demand in all countries.The advantages of this approach include:

• reliability of results;
• painless;
• Execution speed (no more than a quarter of an hour);
• Safety;
• Procedures are performed on an outpatient basis;
• wide range of possibilities;
• Short recovery period;
• Results are predictable, predictable, and highly accurate;
• No cuts or seams;
• simplicity and accessibility;
• No additional testing is required;
• Highly efficient and effective for life.

It should be noted that despite the wide range of possibilities of laser vision correction, this procedure does not guarantee against the development of various eye pathologies in the future.

Contraindications for laser vision restoration

Unfortunately, laser correction of visual function is not always possible. All contraindications to this procedure can be divided into two main categories: temporary and permanent. Among the temporary contraindications, the most common are those of reversible lesions of the eye (or the entire body). After these diseases are cured, laser correction can be performed. Temporary contraindications include:

• Progressive myopia due to refractive instability;
• Acute inflammatory changes in the eye itself and other body systems;
• Pregnant;
• Lactation;
• Fundus changes, including ruptures and dystrophic changes;
• The degenerative process of corneal cells.

If ongoing contraindications exist, laser vision correction becomes impossible. These include:

• thin cornea;
• glaucoma;
• Lens subluxation;
• retinal detachment;
• cataract;
• decompensated diabetes;
• Previous retinal detachment surgery was performed.

Interestingly, even if there are absolute contraindications to laser vision correction, you can choose effective alternative treatments that will help restore your vision.

Key differences between laser surgery and other techniques

There are many types of laser correction of refractive errors. After reading the name, most patients do not understand the nature of the procedure as abbreviations or established terms are mainly used. A distinctive feature of SuperLASIK’s REIC and LASIK procedures is the second stage of the procedure, which involves a femtosecond laser.The term SuperLASIK is not entirely correct when used in practice, as patients may perceive traditional LASIK technology as somehow inferior and inferior. In foreign literature, a more correct term (custom LASIK) is used. Translated, this surgery should be called personalized LASIK. This does not mean that traditional LASIK surgery has disadvantages. There are just some special cases where SuperLASIK is best, while in other cases you can limit yourself to simple LASIK surgery. That is why when choosing a method of laser vision correction, it should be done individually and taking into account the data from preoperative examinations.An important difference between FemtoLASIK and traditional laser correction is that the procedure is completely non-contact. In femtosecond laser surgery, the first stage is to cut a superficial corneal flap with a microkeratome. This technology is fairly new, so sufficient experience has not yet been accumulated to definitively determine its effectiveness and safety.Many doctors believe that the femtosecond laser is much safer than microkeratome, but other experts disagree and prefer mechanical flap formation.Another new method of laser vision correction is the Smail procedure. During this procedure, only femtosecond lasers are used, and there is no stage of forming a surface flap from corneal tissue. In this case, the deep layer of the cornea immediately forms the refractive part. The latter is removed through a minimal incision (2-4 mm) in the surface layer of the cornea using special instruments. This incision is also made using a femtosecond laser.It is important to understand that vision and the eyes are one of the most important tools for humans to interact with the outside world. Few would disagree that a person needs constant eyesight, that is, 365 days a year. That's why it's so important to take care of them from an early age.