Banish Eye Glasses with Laser Eye Surgery

With the advent of laser eye surgery you can store your glasses and throw away your contact lenses. Laser eye surgery gives you the freedom of not having to put on your glasses to take in the crisp mornings and your surroundings. Read on to find out the common types of laser procedures you can have done to liberate your eyes and achieve 20/20 vision.

Types of Laser Procedures

There are four types of laser eye surgeries you can choose from. These laser surgeries include the two performed by the Excimer laser PRK (Photo-Refractive Keratectomy), and LASIK (Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis), as well as the two new procedures called LASEK (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis) and Epi-LASIK.

  • PRK: This procedure was introduced in the early nineties. Using a surgical blade the surgeon will remove the outer layer of the cornea. The surgeon will then use a laser beam, to vaporize small amounts of tissue in order to correct the shape of the cornea to clear vision. Recovering from this procedure takes about a week.
  • LASIK: This surgery is a bit more complex than the PRK and was introduced in the mi-nineties. It involves the surgeon cutting a flap in the cornea and lifting it to remove amounts of tissue from under the cornea. To remove the tissue, the surgeon will use a computer-guided laser. He will then place the flap back over the cornea. With LASIK surgery the eye heals faster than it does with PKR.
  • LASEK: This is a combination of the PRK and LASIK surgeries. The surgery involves cutting the outer layer of the cornea, known as the epithelium and lifting it off in a single layer with the use of alcohol. The surgeon will then use a laser beam on the tissue under the epithelium, similar to a PRK surgery. When the laser correction is completed the epithelium is placed on the cornea. LASEK is favorable to people with minor vision correction. Healing time for this procedure takes roughly two weeks.
  • Epi-LASIK: This is a variation of the LASEK procedure, where the epithelium is removed with the use of a blunt mechanical device instead of a sharp surgical blade.
So what are the benefits and risk of each type of surgery? Which procedure is suitable for you? Read our articles The Requirements and Laser Eye Surgery: Risks and Benefits to find out.
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