Since being brought to market 1990s, tens of many of us all over the world have taken advantage of
Lasik eye surgery and put away the eye glasses and contacts forever. The technique is relatively cost-effective and simple, yielding positive results in the most common of Lasik patients. But what number of those patients know the science behind Lasik?
Lasik is short for for the medical term “
laser in situ kertomileusis”. The term describes, in essence, what the procedure does; it uses a low level laser to reshape the cornea, the eye’s transparent covering. In patients with near and far-sightedness the cornea is often misshapen, causing blurry eyesight at certain distances. By reshaping the cornea the majority patients can expect between 20/20 and 20/40 vision after the procedure. Lasik also is effective astigmatism, an abnormal curvature of the cornea which, under normal conditions, is the shape of a half-moon.
With near-sighted patients the cornea has too much point at the crown of the curve. The laser is used to remove excess tissue and thus, remove the point. Far-sighted patients have the opposite problem; a cornea which is too flat. In cases like this the laser is used to remove tissue on the perimeter, forming the proper curve. With astigmatism the corneal defect can be manifested in several ways, but the entire process of removing tissue to restore corneal shape is the identical.
As Lasik science has advanced over the years, wonderful advances have been developed in using lasers to treat other vision disorders as well.
Cataract affected individuals, for instance, begin to lose their vision as calcium deposits from at the rear of the cornea. This condition often rendered its victims blind in past years, but concentrating on the same low-level laser an ophthalmologist can now safely and quickly open the cornea and remove the cataract completely. The cornea’s ability to self-heal very rapidly after the procedure makes the effective use of Lasik even more attractive for cataract patients.
Though Lasik eye surgery can be an effective treatment for a lot of vision problems, it does not address the underlying issue which caused the distress initially. Normal aging, and various health-related issues can once again cause the cornea to lose its proper shape, thus mitigating the benefits of the surgery. However, typically the return of poor vision takes a few months, making the use of the surgery well worth the risk.
Since being brought to market 1990s, tens of many of us all over the world have taken advantage of Lasik eye surgery and put away the eye glasses and contacts forever. The technique is relatively cost-effective and simple, yielding positive results in the most common of Lasik patients. But what number of those patients know the science behind Lasik?
Lasik is short for for the medical term “laser in situ kertomileusis”. The term describes, in essence, what the procedure does; it uses a low level laser to reshape the cornea, the eye’s transparent covering. In patients with near and far-sightedness the cornea is often misshapen, causing blurry eyesight at certain distances. By reshaping the cornea the majority patients can expect between 20/20 and 20/40 vision after the procedure. Lasik also is effective astigmatism, an abnormal curvature of the cornea which, under normal conditions, is the shape of a half-moon.
With near-sighted patients the cornea has too much point at the crown of the curve. The laser is used to remove excess tissue and thus, remove the point. Far-sighted patients have the opposite problem; a cornea which is too flat. In cases like this the laser is used to remove tissue on the perimeter, forming the proper curve. With astigmatism the corneal defect can be manifested in several ways, but the entire process of removing tissue to restore corneal shape is the identical.
As Lasik science has advanced over the years, wonderful advances have been developed in using lasers to treat other vision disorders as well. Cataract affected individuals, for instance, begin to lose their vision as calcium deposits from at the rear of the cornea. This condition often rendered its victims blind in past years, but concentrating on the same low-level laser an ophthalmologist can now safely and quickly open the cornea and remove the cataract completely. The cornea’s ability to self-heal very rapidly after the procedure makes the effective use of Lasik even more attractive for cataract patients.
Though Lasik eye surgery can be an effective treatment for a lot of vision problems, it does not address the underlying issue which caused the distress initially. Normal aging, and various health-related issues can once again cause the cornea to lose its proper shape, thus mitigating the benefits of the surgery. However, typically the return of poor vision takes a few months, making the use of the surgery well worth the risk.
