Treatments of vision disorders such as myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism with excimer laser have been widely known in medicine. Millions of patients have been treated with this method since 1980s. In laser treatments, no tissue removal is made in the eye. Cornea is re-shaped by ablation which is a method of vaporization.
LASIK method consists of making a small opening a flap on the upper surface of cornea and adjusting the vision ability with excimer laser.
There are different variations of LASIK treatment:
If a patient suffers from myopia, hypermetropia or astigmatism but does not have the sufficient thickness of cornea to have a LASIK treatment, PRK is one of the solutions.
The upper surface of cornea which is called epithelium is folded and excimer laser is applied to the inner surface. As there is no flap made onto the cornea, a protective contact lens is located on the cornea. Obtaining the results can take longer than a LASIK treatment – around 3-4 weeks. 2 to 4 days after the procedure can be slightly painful due to the healing process of epithelium. In a classical LASIK surgery, corneal flap is opened, whereas in PRK surgery the epithelium tissue is scraped and folded.
It is performed in patients that do not have enough thickness of cornea. It may resemble to PRK treatment, but in this technique the epithelium is elevated with thinned alcohol solution and then laser is applied. As there is not any incision made in the epithelium, pain level is lower than PRK, but having the results take longer than a LASIK procedure.
This technique is another alternative to PRK and LASEK. The only difference is that a special device that is called epikeratome is utilized to elevate the epithelium. Pain is much lower than PRK and LASEK, and the healing process is shorter.
Local
10-20 Minutes
1 Days
0-1 **
*It is for informational purposes only, be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
**Pain rating scale: from 0 = absence to 5 maximum pain.
Watery eyes, itching, aching, having difficulties in reading, blurry vision, squinting, headaches are the main indicators of eye disorders.
Our main aim is to provide the same quality of vision that you have with your glasses. The results 0,5 and below are considered as successful and the patient does not need to use glasses or lenses anymore. Laser treatment is the best when performed in a stable period (1 year) in terms of eye prescription. If the patient’s eye number increases when the procedure is done, it may continue to increase after too.
After having i-LASIK and LASIK methods that require a corneal flap, you may feel pain, aching or burning sensation for 6 hours. Whereas in LASEK or PRK methods where flap is not made but corneal tissue is scraped and folded, you can have pain for 2-3 days. In order to reduce this pain it is recommended to use protective contact lenses.
It is normal to have dry eyes for some time after the surgery and it is recommended to use artificial tear drops for this dryness. Within time this problem will disappear naturally and you will not have to use drops anymore.
Laser surgeries can very well fix astigmatism, along with myopia and hypermetropia.
In laser treatments the main aim is to decrease the vision acuity number to – / + 0,50. 6 months after your procedure, if there is still a higher acuity number, you can have the treatment again after an examination to see if you still have enough thickness of cornea, with the help of pachymetry, orbscan and corneal topography. If you are suitable to have another surgery, your surgeon will not make a new flap, but use the old incision where your first flap was made.
After your consultation, your doctor will recommend you the best method suitable for you, based on your corneal thickness and shape.