Laser Eye Surgery

 

LASER EYE SURGERY

Laser Refractive Eye Surgery is a minimally invasive surgery where lasers are used to reshape the front of the eye (the cornea) and correct for a prescription so that the individual no longer needs to wear glasses. It has an extremely short recovery time (patients can usually see clearly the next day).  

 

PRE-SURGERY
Usually, patients will be referred by an Optometrist, as not everyone is eligible for Laser Eye Surgery; it depends on their prescription, the thickness of their cornea, and the possible presence of other eye issues. Hence an eye test before a referral is recommended. 

 

SURGERY
The surgery is completed in about 10 minutes for each eye, and the individual is awake but does not feel anything due to the eye being anaesthetised. The 3 currently practised techniques are LASIK, PRK, and SMILE. 

LASIK: Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. This is the most common technique and includes 2 steps and 2 lasers. 

SMILE: Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. This technique is the quickest, newest, and most advanced technology for laser eye surgery, this is a single step "keyhole" type surgery. It has the fastest recovery, however, has a smaller range of prescriptions it is suitable for. 

PRK: Photo-Refractive Keratectomy. This is the original laser surgery technique, and although is not as common now due to technological advances it can have benefits for patients with thinner corneas or specific lifestyles. 

 

POST-SURGERY
The day after laser eye surgery patients can usually see fairly clearly, however, full recovery can take up to 1 month. LASIK weighs in at 96% satisfaction, according to the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. 

The potential negative “long term” effects of Laser Eye Surgery are: 

  1. Dry Eye: for a few months after, around 30% of patients can experience dry/irritated eyes(1). This is treated with eye drops and for most people doesn’t last more than a few months. 

  2. Refractive Error: laser eye surgery is completely successful on the first time for over 95% of people(1), but in the odd case where the prescription is not fully corrected, a repeat procedure can be done after the 3 month mark. There is the odd occasion too where the person’s prescription is not properly corrected even after a repeat procedure, and so they will still need glasses, however this is in less than 5% of cases. 

  3. Glare & Haloes: this can be noticed by <5% of patients(1) after the procedure, and is due to the laser cutting into the cornea it can disrupt the perfect alignment of the cells (which means the cornea is completely clear with no uneven refraction of light) which can lead to glare & haloes in some patients. 

 

REFERENCES

LASIK Complication Rate: The Latest Facts and Stats You Should Know. (2021). Retrieved 18 August 2021, from Reference here

 
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