Laser eye surgery what does it involve

Is cataract surgery considered major or minor surgery? By Mr Sundeep Kheterpal Although cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed types of surgery around the world, there are still some risks involved and to perform this procedure, a surgeon requires extensive surgical experience and expertise. Mr Sundeep Kheterpal explains how easy it is to perform this procedure and what you should look for in a surgeon to do this procedure for you.

Laser eye surgery: how much does it cost? By Mr CT Pillai The price of laser eye surgery depends on which clinic you visit in the UK. We've asked one of our highly-experienced ophthalmologists Dr CT Pillai to explain the cost of procedures such as LASEK and why they may differ greatly, depending on where you go. For further information, read our Privacy Policy. Laser eye surgery. Home Medical dictionary L Laser eye surgery.

What is laser eye surgery? Why is it done? Laser eye surgery can correct common problems such as: myopia short-sightedness hyperopia far-sightedness mild astigmatism If you have a strong form of astigmatism, laser eye surgery may not be suitable for you and you may require lens surgery instead.

What does it involve? The main types of laser eye surgery are: LASIK laser in situ keatomileusis — this involves opening a thin flap on the surface of the cornea then reshaping the cornea underneath Surface laser treatments including LASEK and PRK — a less common treatment which involves removing the skin of the cornea, reshaping the cornea underneath, then allowing the skin to grow back. SMILE small incision lenticule extraction — this is a more recently developed form of laser eye surgery which involves only a very small incision on the surface of the eye, reducing the chances of dry eyes after surgery.

All laser eye surgery procedures are quick, taking about 15 minutes to complete. How do you prepare for laser eye surgery? It serves to allow light to enter the eye and is the first of two focusing systems in the eye. The other is the crystalline lens which is located behind it. During laser eye surgery, a computer-controlled excimer laser is used to remove microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea.

The aim is to restore normal eyesight, without the need for glasses or contact lenses. In one of the operations using the excimer laser, the thin outer layer of the cornea called the corneal epithelium is removed and the underlying layers are reshaped.

This procedure is known as photorefractive keratectomy PRK. In a more commonly used procedure, a thin flap of corneal tissue is created with another laser known as a femtosecond laser. The most widely used one is known as the IntraLase. This flap is then lifted out of the way. The excimer laser reshapes the underlying tissue and the flap is replaced to cover the newly recontoured surface. Alternatively, an instrument with a very fine blade called a microkeratome can be used to make the flap before the excimer laser reshapes the cornea.

It also makes use of the femtosecond laser to create an internal lenticule like a pancake of tissue in the cornea with a small incision with the laser itself at the edge of the cornea. The lenticule is separated from adjacent tissues using a spatula held by the surgeon and pulled out through this incision.

A person with myopia has no trouble focusing on close objects, but objects in the distance are blurry and difficult to see. Hypermetropia is more common than myopia but tends to cause vision problems later in life.

It is most often seen in people over the age of A person with hypermetropia sees distant objects better than close objects. They depend on glasses for up-close tasks such as reading. The most common variation of this is presbyopia, which usually starts when a person is in their 40s. Presbyopia is where people can see quite well in the distance, but need to hold reading material further and further away from their eyes to be able to see clearly.

This procedure is known as monovision. The diameter of the laser beam and the number of pulses that are directed onto the cornea are carefully controlled using computer technology, so that the surface of the cornea is reshaped. The procedure is performed using local anaesthetic eye drops and takes around 5 minutes per eye. However, the time taken for the reshaping of the cornea with the excimer laser is usually less than a minute.

Different sight problems require different treatments. For example:. If the procedure is successful, the cornea is able to focus light rays directly onto the retina at the back of the eye, rather than in front of or behind the retina. Some people who have laser eye surgery will still need to wear glasses or contact lenses to achieve optimum vision, although their natural eyesight should be much improved.

Most are totally free of glasses and contact lenses for many years. The long-term effects of laser corneal sculpting are believed to be minimal if the eyes are deemed to be well suited to the procedure. In the LASIK procedure the reshaping takes place under a micro-thin flap fashioned using another laser, the femtosecond laser introduced to the UK by Centre for Sight in After this the excimer laser uses iris registration technology to recognise and track the eye.

The flap is lifted and reshaping takes place. The whole procedure takes less than 7 minutes per eye. This process is painless, though patients can expect to experience a little pressure when the Intralase laser creates the flap. After the procedure patients sometimes report a stinging sensation for a few hours.

Different procedures are used depending on your particular vision problem. Here is a quick summary of the most popular procedures for different eyesight issues:. This is the most common laser eye surgery procedure in the UK. It can be performed on short sighted, long sighted, astigmatic patients and those requiring reading glasses. During the procedure the surgeon creates a small flap of very thin corneal tissue with the Intralase femtosecond laser. The exposed tissue is then reshaped using the laser and the corneal flap is replaced.

During the procedure the flap remains joined to the cornea like a hinge. This enables the tissue to be repositioned exactly, minimising healing time.

The flap is kept in place by natural suction. During the treatment the entire epithelial outer layer is removed to expose the area and, unlike LASIK, no flap is created.

The laser is then used to reshape your cornea. In contrast to LASIK surgery, the recovery time with PRK is longer as it takes some time for new epithelial cells to regenerate on the surface of the eye. Healing time is typically 5 to 7 days.

It is used to correct mild to moderate short sight and astigmatism. As with PRK eye surgery, the corneal epithelium is separated but, instead of completely removing this tissue, the surgeon creates a flap — similar to the corneal flap made during LASIK eye surgery. The laser is then applied to reshape the cornea.