Laser Eye Surgery: Pick The Option That's Right For You

Thanks to the latest advancements in medical technology, there are now a whole host of different treatment options to correct your vision through laser eye surgery. The problem for many patients, however, is knowing which procedure is appropriate, and not being swayed by the cost of the treatment. In this article, we look at the most widely used methods of laser eye surgery, and discuss what they involve.

LASIK

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is a procedure which involves a thin sliver of tissue being cut, then lifted to allow a laser to vaporise some of the corneal tissue which lies beneath. This changes the shape of the cornea slightly which results in the correction of refractive errors. The flap of tissue is then placed back down over the eye and left to heal. Typically, LASIK is be used to correct short-sightedness (myopia), far-sightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.

IntraLase

The IntraLase procedure is similar to LASIK apart from the fact that the laser does not cut the cornea from the outside. What it does is to create the flap by focussing the beam of laser light to a precise point within the stroma (the central layer of the cornea). This creates thousands of microscopic bubbles which are precisely positioned to define the flap. The process takes approximately 45 seconds, which then allows the surgeon to carry out the corrective procedure. Because the cornea is not cut with a blade, the risk of complications is significantly reduced.

LASEK

LASEK (Laser Assisted Epithelial Keratomileusis) is an advanced version of PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) laser eye surgery. Also known as the "PRK epiflap" or "Advanced Surface Ablation", LASEK surgery involves the removal of the epithelium by using a weak alcohol solution. A laser is then applied before the epithelium is put back onto the eye and secured by a contact lens. The contact lens is then removed a few days later.

Zyoptix

Zyoptix is a personalised form of LASIK which involves the use of wavefront technology to scan the front of the cornea, identify any irregularities, and create a map specific to your eye. Using this map, the computer-guided laser can very precisely modify the surface of the cornea. Additionally, the machine can also accommodate for the natural movements of your eye throughout the procedure. Uniquely, the Zyoptrix procedure can also identify irregularities in the cornea which can create optical problems such as glare, halos and starbursts from looking at a light source.

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