You might have heard of LASIK, a surgical procedure that gives a lot of vision-correcting benefits to people who opt for it. In this procedure, surgeons use a laser beam to treat specific tissues underlying the corona. Over a period, these tissues get distorted, damaged, etc., so they need to be either treated or replaced.
Bad tissues like these don’t let you see effortlessly as they obstruct the eye lenses from focusing the light properly on the retina. But how do you know you need laser surgery for your eyes? Read this article to know more on this topic.
1. You suffer from nearsightedness
In this condition, you can see objects that are close to you but have trouble focusing on things that are far off. Nearsighted people have slightly bigger eyeballs than others. Their cornea is also somewhat more curved. When light rays enter their eyes, the former focus just in front of the retina, and this blurs the vision. This condition is also called Myopia. Click here to know more about Myopia. If you are myopic, consider visiting an eye-specialist for some medical advice.
2. Hyper Myopia
This condition is the opposite of Myopia. Eyeballs are shorter than usual, and your cornea has a flatter surface than the others. When light penetrates the cornea, it focuses on someplace behind the retina, and not on it.
3. Astigmatism
This condition happens when your cornea is uneven. Some parts of it may be flat, and some may be curved. This results in blurry vision. Astigmatism can be dealt by wearing glasses that bend light so that it focuses properly. However, a lasting solution to this problem comes in the form of LASIK. If you have astigmatism, consider visiting an eye-specialist.
Before your LASIK procedure, your surgeon will assess your eye and its various parts. He will check the curvature of your cornea. Based on his findings, he will send tiny bursts of laser to your cornea. Some parts of the cornea will be flattened while others will be raised. The goal of this surgery is to make reshape your cornea so that light focuses on the retina properly. Sometimes, your eye-surgeon may make a small flap on the surface of your cornea. LASIK surgery has many variants, each one having a different use.
4. Photorefractive Keratectomy or PRK
This procedure is used to treat people who have been hurt in their eyes. In PRK, the top epithelial cells of the cornea are scrapped bit by bit. After this, the patient is asked to rest for 3-4 days. PRK is also used to treat extreme cases of nearsightedness.
5. Laser-Assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy or LASEK
LASEK is used to treat people who have thin corneas. In this procedure, surgeons create a small flap over the cornea. LASEK, like LASIK, is also used to treat people who have been injured in their eyes.
6. Epi-LASIK
Eye surgeons separate the epithelial cells of the cornea with cells in the center ( stroma). A blunt blade does this. Later, the cornea is shaped by laser. LASIK is not for everybody. To qualify for this surgical procedure:
- Your eyes should be sufficiently healthy at the time of surgery. You shouldn’t have conjunctivitis, dry eyes, etc. Please wait until these conditions go away.
- Your eyes should have a sufficient thickness. LASIK is not fit for those who have too thin or irregular corneas.
- Your pupils must not be too large. Big pupils will result in you getting halos, starbursts, etc. after the surgery.
LASIK is an effective surgical procedure and can give you instant relief. Please consult your doctor if you want to go in for LASIK.
