You may have learnt from other parts of the Eyesite.org website that the laser eye operation will correct focusing problems such as myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness), presbyopia (reading glasses – this depends on the particular characteristics of your eyes and it is not always possible) and, if you have Wavefront Correction, also very subtle focusing problems such as ‘higher order aberrations’ for example ‘spherical aberration’ or the oddly-named ‘coma’. You will need to decide your preference for LASIK which is a flap-based technique or LASEK or EPI-LASIK which are surface-based technologies. Whichever type of laser eye surgery you prefer (please read other chapters in the Eyesite.org website for advice on which may suit you best), the laser eye operation will be done as an outpatient procedure, lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. For LASIK a Femtosecond laser or alternatively an instrument called a Microkeratome will be used to create a flap on the cornea (the ‘front window’ of the eye and one of the eye’s principle focusing structures, the other being the natural lens inside the eye). The delicate flap is lifted and an excimer laser will gently correct the focusing defect by removing a precise and pre-determined amount of cornea tissue (don’t worry, the excimer laser corrects one dioptre of myopia by removing only twelve microns of cornea, so unless you have a very large prescription there is likely to be plenty of cornea to spare!). Replacement of the flap and application of an contact lens (removed the next day or one day later) signal successful completion of the laser surgery. Incidentally you may have heard or read the term ‘photorefractive keratectomy’. This is an old name for LASIK or EPI-LASIK. Another note – avoid ‘radial keratotomy’! This was a technique that became outmoded many years ago that used a blade instead of a laser to change the shape of the cornea by making several radial cuts through almost the entirely thickness of the cornea surface. Radial keratotomy is completely outmoded, in the opinion of the writer of this article. It was far less precise than laser eye surgery, unable to correct nearly as much myopia (short-sightedness) or astigmatism (uneven curvature of the cornea surface) and did not work at all for hyperopia (hypermetropia or long-sightedness). There was unfortunately a significant tendency for complications to set in years after radial keratotomy – specifically patients often became increasingly long sighted during the years after this refractive procedure and also suffered from an irksome problem called ‘diurnal variation’ in which the focus of the eye varied throughout the day. Finally radial keratotomy often provided unsatisfactory night time vision because of glare.
Eyesite surgeon Dr Simon Levy uses confidence-inspiring laser eye surgery technology – the Alcon Wavelight Refractive Suite which includes the world’s fastest excimer laser, the Wavelight EX500. Treat yourself to Eyesite’s premium service by calling 020 8951 1951 today.
