Laser eye surgery is one of the most valuable medical developments of our lifetime. It has given ophthalmologists a tool to improve sight and in most cases eliminate the need for glasses for good.
Since the new technique was perfected in the late 1980s it has transformed thousands of lives and continues to grow in popularity. This highly specialised procedure allows surgeons to reshape the eye’s cornea correcting the faults that cause blurring of vision. The treatment can be used to correct both Myopia (nearsightedness) and Hyperopia (farsightedness) so the days when thick glasses or contact lenses were the only option to see clearly are gone.
The idea of laser eye surgery has been around since the 1950s and was the result of several different doctors who all played a part in the advance of the procedure. The technique was initially the innovation of Jose Barraquer, a Spanish ophthalmologist who first came up with the idea of cutting into the eye’s cornea to alter its shape.
Twenty years on, the radial keratotomy procedure was developed by the Russian doctor, Svyatoslav Fyodorov, who stumbled upon the important finding when he was treating a boy who had fallen and cut his eye on his glasses. Fyodorov discovered that by shaving off the front layer of the eye the young boy had recovered with better sight than before.
The development of the Excimer laser by a group of scientists from the University of California turned the eye surgery dream into a reality and, because of the inventiveness and dedication of these doctors, the first pioneering surgery was performed in 1989 in Greece. Since then the operation has become a common procedure performed around the globe.
Further developments to the procedure have resulted in two main types of laser eye surgery. Photorefractive Keratectomy, commonly known as PRK, a procedure carried out on the surface of the eye, and LASIK surgery, which differs because of the incision made to the surface of the eye and the laser treatment that is applied to the corneal tissue beneath.
Because of the delicate nature of an eye the operation needs to be performed with great care and, although the technology sounds complicated, in the hands of a qualified practitioner it is a relatively straightforward one. In general, the operation takes around 30 minutes although the actual laser treatment can take as little as a minute.
The technology and development of laser eye surgery has resulted in a simple painless procedure with a very quick recovery time. Today the surgery boasts a 95% success rate with most patients enjoying full 20/20 vision which is a testament to the brilliance of the doctors who invented the ground breaking operation.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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Lasik surgery is a medical procedure that is carried out by an ophthalmologist. It is used to correct abnormalities on the cornea of the eye such as myopia, astigmatism or hyperopia. These abnormalities usually end up impairing the vision, and are usually resolved by the wearing of corrective eyewear such as glasses or contact lenses.
The procedure is a form of refractive surgery that is frequently referred to as photorefractive keratectomy. The procedure involves the use of a laser and other specialist equipment. The procedure takes around thirty minutes to complete and a patient can expect to be fully healed within a short space of time while suffering absolutely minimal physical pain or discomfort.
After a series of consultations with the surgeon who will be performing the operation, the patient is asked to attend the clinic on the day of surgery itself. In the pre-operation stage the patient will be given a medicine to take that acts as a relaxant. This will be given time to work and the patient will be allowed to relax while the effects take place.
Once ready, the patient is sat in a chair that can recline to a horizontal position. An anaesthetic solution is the dropped into the eye using a pipette.
While the anaesthetic is given time to work, the surgeon will begin by mapping the eye. This is a computer generated process that is carried out by producing a blueprint for the eye that includes higher and lower order aberrations. This allows for the most accurate of surgical procedures and uses a format called Wavefront technology.
This is a more advanced method of the bladed procedure and is appropriately known as bladeless surgery.
The eye itself is kept open by a special instrument called a speculum while the other eye is kept protected with a separate shield. An instrument called a microkeratome will be used if the bladed form of surgery is being employed to cut a small hinged corneal flap on the outer layer of the eye.
In the bladeless form of surgery, a high temperature laser called an intralase will perform this part of the surgery instead.
After the flap has been created, another laser called an excimer is used to remove incredibly precise amounts of corneal tissue that is dictated by the mapping process mentioned earlier.
The amount taken will be enough to correct the abnormal shape and then the surgeon will apply very short bursts of light with the laser to actually reshape the cornea.
Once the cornea has been replaced, the hinged flap on the outer layer of the eye is replaced and the speculum is removed. The flap requires no stitches and will heal itself reasonably quickly.
Although the actual surgical procedure only lasts around 15 minutes, the pre-operative implications mean that the experience will last for around one hour in total.
Patient can go home the same day although they are not allowed to drive themselves, and a follow-up appointment takes place to check on the healing of the eye. Although vision can be blurred for some time afterwards, over 95% of patients are able to see perfectly afterwards.
To learn much more about the precautions of any laser eye treatment, visit AllAboutLaserEyeSurgery.com where you’ll find this and much more, including personal lasik, and other laser eye surgeries.
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Have you been thinking about having an eye surgery, you should think about Lasik eye surgery. Lasik is a kind of surgery that is hugely growing in popularity and has a very high recovery and success rate. These are the factors that you must be looking for before you choose your type of eye surgery.
As you may know, when you have eyesight problems such as short sightedness or even astigmatism, there is only one way to help this problem; removal and/or repairing your corneal tissue.
Lasik surgery safely removes the corneal tissue with a laser and this gentle laser then reshapes the cornea itself. This proceedure in turn adjusts and strengthens the power your cornea has to focus on objects far and near. This kind of surgery is more commonly known as refractive surgery. There are many types of eye surgeries that can be performed today to increase your vision strength. The most common other two types of surgery include, radial keratotomy and photorefractive keratectomy. These two surgeries are also aimed to reshape the cornea, but using different techniques to do so.
Lasik surgery can be done with a laser or with a small knife. The radial keratotomy is the type of eye surgery which uses this small knife. The small knife is used to make several slits in the cornea; these few small slits change the shape and the focus of your cornea. These two types of surgery are very effective as well as incredibly simple. There are little to no side effects that accompany these surgeries. Of course your eye will be incredibly sensitive following a surgery of this kind, but this is to be expected. You may feel slight irritation concerning your eye as well. These irritations are mild and a simple pain reliever will ease your pain. These symptoms are only directly following your Lasik surgery.
Lasik surgery is an eye surgery that works and that has proven success!
Original Source – Lasik Eye Surgery – http://www.lasereyeguide.com/lasik-eye-surgery.html
For more info on Laser eye surgery, Lasik and PRK visit – http://www.lasereyeguide.com
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