What is Laser Eye Surgery?
There are two types of particularly common procedure. LASIK surgery is the type used for correcting general eye problems such as myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness) and astigmatism (having an irregular shaped cornea). The procedure is extremely quick and completely painless and patients can be back at work just a couple of days, even the very next day in fact.
LASEK surgery is suitable for those people with thin corneas and therefore unable to undergo LASIK surgery. During the surgery, lasers are used to reshape the cornea in a person’s eye, but just like the LASIK surgery the procedure is simple and causes no pain. There may be a slightly longer recovery period for this type of treatment but otherwise it is as safe and effective as LASIK surgery.
As well as birth conditions such as myopia and hyperopia, both types of laser eye surgery can be used to treat a number of illnesses and conditions of the eye. Glaucoma and cataracts are two conditions in particular that respond very well to laser surgery. During cataract surgery the current cloudy lens of the eye is replaced with a new, artificial one. The results are instantaneous. Glaucoma surgery relieves the pressure in the eye that has built up over the years and caused blurred vision or poor eyesight in general. Although laser eye surgery for glaucoma cannot restore any lost vision, it can prevent the condition from getting any worse.
Both Wet and Dry age related macular degeneration can be treated effectively with laser surgery and anyone suffering from diabetic retinopathy should certainly consider it too. These conditions are extremely serious and if left untreated can very easily cause partial or complete blindness. Macular degeneration is common amongst older people and can very seriously affect their quality of life. With the development of laser treatments there is now effective help at hand.
Laser eye surgery is the closest thing there is for a “cure all” treatment for eyes. Since its introduction it has helped cure millions of people around the world. From minor conditions that cause few problems to serious conditions like glaucoma, LASIK and LASEK surgery work extremely effectively to restore sight. It can be carried out on an outpatient basis and because of the very quick recovery periods causes the minimum of disruption to a person’s life. There are very few reasons not to undertake laser eye treatment if you are suffering from poor sight and a great number of reasons to go for it!