LASIK — Your gateway to a clear, bright vision
LASIK — Your gateway to a clear, bright vision
LASIK isn’t just a word; it’s the easiest way to see the world without glasses. Those who have worn glasses since childhood understand the importance of LASIK. The day often begins with glasses by the bedside, and the world is blurry without them. LASIK frees you from this confinement.
Today, we will discuss the basics and key aspects of LASIK.
LASIK is a broad term for refractive procedures designed to eliminate the need for corrective lenses like glasses. Various types of refractive surgeries are now available in ophthalmology to help you permanently eliminate glasses. These include different laser procedures (PRK, TRANSPRK, LASIK, LASEK, FEMTO LASIK, SMILE), implantable contact lenses (ICL/IPCL), and precise lens removal with or without intraocular lens implantation. The easiest way to avoid glasses is to wear contact lenses. Many people are aware of this, but contact lenses still require daily insertion and removal, which doesn’t offer true freedom. However, they are more suitable for some patients in very different situations.
For many of our patients who underwent the refractive procedure, it was a life-changing and life-enhancing experience. Many describe it as a time when the world was blurry and hazy before these procedures. Every morning, as soon as they got out of bed, they had to search for their spectacles. Unless they put glasses on, the whole world around them didn’t even seem to exist. This is an unexplainable handicap faced by many moderate to high-powered glasses wearers. The cosmetic blemish of being perceived as someone who carries oneself poorly in society, in peer groups, and in school or college often erodes one’s self-confidence. It is not easy for the general public or even their loved ones to understand their condition.
These refractive procedures offer hope to these groups. Calling them patients would be inaccurate, as their eyes are as normal as anyone else’s. To simplify, light rays from objects travel through the eye (like a camera with a lens), pass through the cornea, lens, and other media, and create an image on the retina (similar to a camera’s film). Our brain recognizes this image, allowing us to perceive the object. People who wear glasses experience some shifts in these structural positions, requiring additional lenses from outside to produce a clear image on the retina.
As refractive surgeons, we use techniques that modify these structures to help patients eliminate the need for corrective lenses, such as glasses. All laser methods (PRK, TRANS PRK, BLADE LASIK, LASEK, EPILASIK, FEMTO LASIK, SMILE) target the cornea to induce structural changes. The ICL/IPCL procedure entails implanting a surgical intraocular lens without causing structural changes to the eye. This applies to patients who are unsuitable for LASIK procedures and those with very high refractive powers. Before any of these procedures, patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation to assess safety, limitations, and potential risks. These assessments (preoperative LASIK workup) include examining the cornea’s shape and thickness, the eye lens, the anterior chamber depth, dry eye evaluation, retinal evaluation, glaucoma evaluation, and other factors. A LASIK workup is required for all patients to ensure safety and optimal outcomes.
Recently, over the past few years, PRESBYOND has become a prominent option in laser procedures. This is an excellent procedure for individuals over 40 who wish to eliminate the need for near vision or reading glasses. For those who have never worn glasses before, it can be pretty unpleasant to start wearing them at 40. Moreover, the adjustments needed to wear glasses often lead people to minimize their use as much as possible. Even for patients who have worn glasses for years, suddenly needing reading glasses can be an upsetting change. For all these groups, PRESBYOND offers significant relief.
This article would be incomplete without mentioning CONTOURA LASIK. Many young people are curious about CONTOURA LASIK. It is a technique where the laser is customized. CONTOURA is a machine, and other specific machines also use a similar technique. Therefore, if your eye requires this type of procedure, it can be performed using various machines.
Ultimately, all these refractive procedures aim to give people sight without glasses. They are trusted and completely safe when performed following proper guidelines. At Nandadeep SERI, we always strive to help patients with the latest technology, follow ethical practices, and achieve the best possible results.
