Are you trying to figure out if you should get corrective laser vision surgery? Did you know that there are different corrective laser vision surgery options?
Deciding that you want some form of corrective laser surgery is a big step. Improving your vision will change your life.
Vision correction surgery is any kind of surgery that uses a laser to correct vision problems. There have been a lot of advancements in this field and thousands of lives changed because of it.
Vision correction surgery usually involves reshaping your cornea. It can also mean replacing your natural lens. Keep reading to learn about some of the laser vision correction options offered at Chicago Cornea Consultants™!
LASIK
LASIK is the most common type of vision correction surgery. This is a great option for patients who are 18 and older. This age requirement is mandated by the FDA.
LASIK is best for patients who are farsighted, nearsighted or have astigmatism. During LASIK, the surgeon makes a flap in the outer layer of the cornea and uses a laser to reshape the cornea.
Reshaping the cornea lets light focus correctly and corrects refractive errors. The flap makes LASIK a unique vision correction procedure.
Other types of LASIK we offer include:
Contoura Vision Assisted LASIK
Contoura Vision Assisted LASIK is also known as “topography-guided LASIK”. This is because it uses topography to map out the cornea. Using the map gives your surgeon more precision and control over the LASIK procedure.
With Contoura, each LASIK procedure is specifically crafted for each patient’s individual eye. This brings a new custom approach to LASIK that wasn’t available before.
Blade-Free Intralase
Before LASIK was a bladeless procedure, it involved using an instrument called a microkeratome. The microkeratome was used to create the flap in the cornea but came with some issues.
By using Intralase, the microkeratome is no longer necessary. Intralase is much more precise and makes LASIK safer than ever before.
The Intralase laser is used to create the corneal flap. After Intralase creates the flap, an excimer laser then reshapes the cornea.
PRK
PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is a type of laser surgery. It is used and approved to treat low to medium levels of astigmatism, nearsightedness or farsightedness. During PRK, a laser reshapes your cornea.
The surgeon removes the epithelium, which is the protective layer of skin that covers the cornea. Though PRK and LASIK are similar, the biggest difference is that there is no corneal flap created.
Instead, the epithelium is completely removed. Then, a soft contact lens gets placed on the eye while the cornea heals.
The epithelium will eventually grow back after several weeks, but as a result, it takes longer to heal after PRK. PRK is often a better procedure if you have thinner corneas and don’t qualify for LASIK.
Laser Cataract Surgery
Laser cataract surgery uses a laser for cataract surgery, rather than hand-held surgical instruments. During cataract surgery, your surgeon makes a small incision near the cornea. The natural lens is then pulled out through the incision and replaced with an IOL, or artificial lens.
Laser cataract surgery involves using a laser to break up the natural lens into smaller pieces, which are then suctioned out through the incision and removed.
RLE
RLE (refractive lens exchange) is the same as cataract surgery. During RLE, your surgeon will make a small incision near your cornea.
They will then remove the natural lens and replace it with an artificial lens. RLE is a good option for individuals with extreme farsightedness or nearsightedness.
It is also a good option for patients with dry eyes, thin corneas, and other cornea problems. RLE can be done in conjunction with LASIK or a similar procedure to fix astigmatism.
You can also undergo RLE even if you don’t have any of these problems, or if you don’t have cataracts. Having RLE early is a way to avoid needing cataract surgery later on.
The artificial lenses are called an intraocular lens (IOL). IOLs can help restore close up vision and fix farsightedness and nearsightedness.
Lenses are called accommodating IOLs or multifocal IOLs. Toric IOLs are specially designed to correct astigmatism. This lowers the chances of needing glasses after RLE or cataract surgery.
KAMRA Inlay
Tired of using reading glasses? The KAMRA Inlay may be able to help! The KAMRA Inlay is for patients with presbyopia. KAMRA is a tiny, mini-ring shaped device.
It’s implanted into the cornea and acts a lot like a camera would, focusing light onto the retina. With presbyopia, the lens loses its flexibility with age, usually around the age of forty or fifty.
This makes things like reading glasses necessary to see things up-close. By having the KAMRA Inlay, you can make depending on reading glasses a thing of the past!
Want to find out if there’s a vision correction option that’s right for you? Schedule an appointment at Chicago Cornea Consultants™ in Chicago, IL today!
