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Is Laser Eye Treatment Permanent?

Laser eye treatment is permanent, but its effects are not. That one simple sentence sums up the hope and the frustration inherent in vision improvement surgeries. You go to the doctor to have your vision fixed, enjoy the benefits for a time, and then wake up one day noticing that the world has gone a bit fuzzy around the edges. What is going on?

Changes Over Time

For 9 out of 10 people, the problem has nothing to do with the laser eye treatment you paid for when you were in your 20’s or 30’s. The issue is with your eye. As the eye ages, it becomes less flexible, and this changes its abilities to refract light and give a clear picture of the world.

Laser eye treatments can address refractive imperfections caused by the shape of your eye. By reshaping the cornea, the clarity of your vision can be improved. The effects of this reshaping are permanent. A topographical map of your eye will show you the differences, and you will need to modify your ophthalmological screenings for glaucoma and cataracts as a result of your treatment.

However, the refractive analysis that your ophthalmologist did at the time of your surgery was designed to give you the best vision possible for the current state of your eyes for your age. As your eyes age, your refractive analysis may become less applicable to your vision. You will notice this as a gradual blurring, especially of distant objects, as distance vision goes first.

Preserving Your Vision

What can be done? At the moment, there is little that can be done to reverse the effects of aging of vision. LASIK surgery is very limited in its potential for touch ups, although PRK/LASEK offers more opportunity for follow-up work. However, like any cosmetic surgery, there reaches a point beyond which things are simply not going to get any better looking.

Glasses and contact solutions are good compensating options. Depending on the way your cornea healed after your surgery, you may not be able to wear just any brand of contact. Some contacts require certain curvatures to provide a good fit to your eye. Have a thorough discussion with your doctor about the best options for the health of your eye—laser eye treatments coupled with contacts can limit oxygen flow to your cornea, and you will want to ensure you continue to get enough oxygen to your eye to maximize your remaining vision.

Additionally, discuss with your eye doctor any supplements you may want to take to feed your eye as you age to keep your vision strong. There are a number of products on the market, but not all are effective. However, your doctor should be able to recommend a budget-friendly product that will help you get the best vision from your eyes as you continue to age.

Laser Eye Treatment Technologies

There are actually many different technologies used for laser eye treatment, with new ones constantly being developed. There are essentially two steps to the procedure. First, the surgeon gains access to the cornea, which is the part of the eye that bends the light entering it, producing our vision.

Here are a few ways that the surgeon accomplishes this:

• During LASIK eye surgery , the surgeon uses a tiny handheld blade to cut a flap in the surface of the eye.

• IntraLase LASIK lasers use a computer-guided beam of light to create the access flap. It is more precise than the blade technique, so it heals better than traditional LASIK flaps.

• LASEK eye surgery involves the lifting of the outer layer of your eye with a fine blade. Then, alcohol is used to loosen the tissue so that the laser can access the underlying cornea.

• PRK eye surgery “vaporizes” the outer surface of the eye using a special laser. This method takes a little longer to heal than other laser eye treatment methods.

Once the surgeon can access the cornea, it is precisely reshaped to change your vision. Usually, this employs a computer-guided laser beam. Current technologies include:

• Excimer lasers . These have been used since the early 1990’s. This type of laser uses light to vaporize a small amount of tissue from the center of the cornea. This is a cool beam of ultraviolet light, unlike other surgical lasers that burn tissue using heat, or produce a shock wave to separate the tissue. By vaporizing the tissue one layer at a time, the Excimer laser is very accurate for changing the shape of the cornea.

• Wavefront Custom LASIK is an even more personalized form of vision correction, using Wavefront-guided lasers. This technique uses special lasers to measure eye irregularities on a 3D map, which then guides the computer in reshaping your cornea. This is much more accurate than traditional laser eye treatment.

There are new methods being developed every year, making laser eye treatment more accurate than ever before. The decision of one procedure over the other should involve careful consideration and discussions with your doctor to figure out which method would work best for your eye condition and personal preference. The technologies vary in the specific eye conditions they are able to treat, as well as the recovery time. A good surgeon will explain all of the options to you and help you choose the best one for your situation.

The Different Laser Treatments For Eyes

Many people assume that LASIK and laser eye treatment mean the same thing. In fact, LASIK is just one technique for laser eye treatment. There are new methods being developed every year, making laser eye treatment even more accurate. The one you choose should be based on your specific eye condition, as well as personal preference. These surgery options are very sophisticated, so you should understand your eye correction prescription before choosing one. Here are a few of the most commonly used methods:

• LASIK - This is the most commonly used procedure for people who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. A small incision is made in the corner of the eye, creating a flap. Then, a computer-guided laser beam is used on the cornea underneath the flap. This precise reshaping of the cornea is what changes the patient’s vision. At the end of the surgery, the flap is simply repositioned over the eye. Healing time is just a few days.
• LASEK - LASEK involves the lifting of the outer layer of your eye with a fine blade. Then, alcohol is used to loosen the tissue. Finally, the laser is used underneath it, on the cornea, just as it is used in LASIK. This option offers a very fast recovery time, usually within a day or two.
• Zyoptix - A very new procedure, this technique can be used for many eye conditions. The laser works more quickly, allowing the surgeon to be more accurate when reshaping your cornea. This can produce better vision results.
• PRK - Photorefractive keratectomy is one of the oldest procedures, and it is not as commonly used today. With PRK, the outer surface of the eye is removed using a laser. This procedure works best on people with mild or moderate eye conditions. On the downside, the recovery time is more gradual than with newer method, and it can take several months for your eyes to fully heal.

There are several other options as well, which are used to correct specific eye issues. All of these methods involve the reshaping of the cornea to change the vision. They differ in how the cornea is accessed by the surgeon, as well as how the cornea is reshaped. Discuss all of the possible options with your laser eye surgeon before deciding on a method for your laser eye treatment. A good surgeon will explain all of the options to you and help you choose the best one for your situation.

• Recent Updates

  • What Are The Side Effects of Laser Eye Treatment?
  • Is Laser Eye Treatment Permanent?
  • Recovering after Laser Eye Treatment
  • The Benefits of Laser Eye Treatment
  • Laser Eye Treatment Technologies

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