Nowadays, laser eye surgery techniques, namely LASIK (Laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis), LASEK (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis) and PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) are the most popular ones with excellent patient safety records and significant success rates already published in the literature. Not everybody is eligible for laser eye surgery due to following reasons: too thin or irregularly shaped corneas, elevated refractive error, unstable vision problems, dry eyes, under age of 18, pregnancy, degenerative disorders, and previous laser eye surgery complications.
Complications are rare if surgeries are performed by well experienced and skilled surgeons. Halos and glares during night driving, dry eye episodes, hazy vision, and reduced sharpness of vision are reported. However, these complications are temporary visual disturbances and discomforts. They usually disappear within 3-6 months. Other complications are flap complication (it may be lifted during the surgery, but it is replaced using natural bandage), dry eyes (it is temporary and corrected by eye drops) and remarkable under-correction, overcorrection or regression problems (some are temporary and for the others it may still be necessary to use glasses or contact lenses).
LASIK is the most popular refractive surgical procedure applied on the eye for correcting common visual problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. This procedure aims to make the patient’s vision clearer and sharper, and to reduce the patient’s dependence on prescription eye glasses and/or contact lenses. With this procedure, an ultra-thin protective flap is created on the front surface of the eye using microkeratome blade or femtosecond laser by the surgeon. After the first laser beam, a second laser beam is applied for reshaping cornea’s imperfection. As a third step, the surgeon will fold back gently the protective ultra-thin flap of the patient’s cornea. The recovery time for LASIK is fast and the patient immediately returns to his/her normal routine life. The healing may naturally take hours and days. The patient’s vision usually improves within 24 hours. After the treatment, the patient feels a slight pain or sore but it is easily relieved by medicines suggested by the surgeon. The patient should not rub the eye for at least one week.
i-LASIK is enhanced by iDesign. It is more secure and has more precise results compared to traditional LASIK technique as it is a blade free laser procedure. A femtosecond laser is used instead of microkeratome blade.
LASEK combines LASIK and PRK techniques and is preferred for the patients who are not suitable for LASIK surgery. It is actually very similar to PRK surgery. The differences between the two methods are not clear. LASEK avoid from flap creating and reattaching complications in the cornea. It also causes dry eye less frequently than LASIK. In LASEK surgery, the flap created is pretty thinner than in LASIK surgery. LASEK can also be enhanced by iDesign.
There are some disadvantages of LASEK surgery:
- It has longer visual recovery time than LASIK surgery, but similar to PRK eye surgery.
- It causes more pain and discomfort than LASIK surgery, but less pain than PRK surgery.
- Patients with LASEK surgery need to wear bandage contact lenses for the protection of the treated area, but this is not necessary for patients with LASIK surgery.
iDesign is an innovative system creating a highly-detailed 3D map of the eye and enhancing the treatment. This technology detects over 1,200 microscopic eye imperfections. Therefore, an iDesign map is unique for everyone like fingerprints. With this technology, the surgeon determines the treatment 25 times more accurately than a standard prescription for glasses and/or contact lenses.
PRK is a keratectomy method by using alcohol, which allows the surgeon to remove easily the corneal epithelium. Contrary to the traditional PRK method, transPRK (transepithelial PRK), also known as no touch or touch free laser surgery, corrects refractive errors by well controlled excimer laser based on no-touch procedure, which is the removal of the corneal epithelium and stroma in a single step.
What is Laser Treatment?
Eye defects are among the health problems that disturb individuals and make their daily lives difficult. These defects necessitate the use of glasses or contact lenses in order to have a healthy vision experience. On the other hand, using glasses is a situation that is not preferred by many people.
As a result of developments in medical technology, laser treatment applied to patients with the appropriate profile can be applied to treat existing eye defects and eliminate the need to use glasses. With excimer laser applications, it is possible to treat visual impairments such as near and far vision or astigmatism at various degrees. With the same technique, some problems related to the transparent layer of the eye can also be treated.
Laser treatment, which is a simple procedure that does not require any surgical intervention, can be used to treat eye defects and provide a permanent lifelong recovery. In this way, patients can relax not only physiologically but also psychologically.
In the periods when medical technology and laser usage areas were not sufficiently developed, eye disorders were considered permanent problems that required the use of glasses for life. As the degree of eye disorder increased, the possibility of patients performing their daily routines without using glasses was eliminated.
With the production and widespread use of contact lenses, many people who did not prefer to wear glasses started to use prescription contact lenses. On the other hand, the need to constantly wear and remove contact lenses brought with it a difficulty of use. In addition, there are some disadvantages such as the discomfort caused by contact lenses in the eye, making the eye prone to infections and not being compatible with every eye structure. As a result of the developments in technology in recent years, the use of laser techniques to correct eye defects provides the opportunity to completely eliminate eye disorders in suitable patients.
At this point, excimer laser treatment can be used safely in the treatment of refractive errors such as hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism. In addition, problems such as stains and scars on the cornea, the transparent layer, which is the outermost layer of the eye, can be eliminated with laser treatment. In some types of strabismus that can be improved by using glasses, strabismus can be alleviated or treated by using laser treatment.
How is Laser Treatment Performed?
PRK-LASEK, LASIK, Intralase LASIK are the most well-known laser treatment methods. In the PRK-LASEK method, which provides superficial treatment in the cornea, the corneal epithelium is lifted with the PRK technique and the LASEK technique is applied to the stroma below.
In the LASIK method, a piece of the corneal tissue is lifted with a blade and the excimer laser is applied to the tissue under the flap. This method is considered the gold standard in hyperopia and myopia surgeries and is applied safely.
The Intralase LASIK (iLASIK) method, also known as Femto-LASIK, is the most advanced and safe method that can be used for laser treatment of refractive errors today. The incision required for LASIK is made with laser, provided that it is in the method of computer-controlled systems. By drawing the corneal map of the person, treatment can be applied to the person and the need to wear glasses can be eliminated.
The method to be preferred is determined depending on the eye defects to be treated, the degree of the defects, the general health status of the patient, age and eye structure. After the decision is made that the patient is suitable for laser treatment and the method is determined, the day is determined. If the patient uses contact lenses, they should stop using them 1 week before the procedure.
Drop anesthesia is applied before the procedure begins. With this procedure, the cornea, which is the outermost layer of the patient’s eye, is numbed. A few drops of anesthetic are applied to numb the area. The patient does not feel any pain or ache during the procedure. The procedure is completed in approximately 2 to 3 minutes for each eye.
Patients are usually kept under observation for a certain period of time after the procedure and are discharged. Blurred vision, watery eyes, burning, mild pain and stinging may be felt for 5-6 days following the treatment. During the healing process, it is necessary to protect the eyes from possible impacts, not to rub them and not to let water come into contact with the eyes for the period specified by the doctor.
Laser Treatment Prices
Laser treatment prices may vary depending on the eye problem to be treated, the degree of the problem, the preferred method, the expertise of the ophthalmologist who will perform the application and the price policy of the clinic where the application will be made.
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