Refractive Surgery
Refractive surgery
- A procedure to decrease the refractive errors in the human eye by means of reshaping the cornea.
Conditions Treated
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Astigmatism
Types of Refractive Surgery
- LRI: Limbal Relaxing Incisions
- Lens Replacement
- One type of keratotomy procedure. Astigmatic keratotomy (AK) treats astigmatism. The surgeon cuts the cornea in areas that are too bulgy, flattening them to a more regular curve.
- Conductive Kerotoplasty(CK)
Used to treat farsightedness and presbyopia, CK shrinks tissue to reshape the cornea. With this procedure, the surgeon uses a radio frequency probe instead of a laser. No cutting or tissue removal is necessary. The procedure takes about three minutes.
- IntacsCorneal Inserts or Implants
- A surgical option for correcting nearsightedness that doesn’t involve lasers. Corneal implants use two clear pieces of a plastic polymer that are inserted into the cornea. These implants are designed for long-term vision correction.
- A procedure in which the eye surgeon cuts the cornea to change its shape, reducing a refractive error. Depending on the refractive error, patients may undergo radial or astigmatic keratotomy. A third type of keratotomy, hexagonal keratotomy, is no longer practiced.
- LASIKLaser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis
- Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) treats nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The surgeon cuts a flap in the stroma, then uses an excimer laser to remove material under the flap. LASIK usually takes less than one minute per eye.
- Laser epithelial keratomileusisLASEK
- Is similar to LASIK, except that the eye surgeon cuts a flap in the epithelium only, instead of through the epithelium and part of the stroma. LASEK is used most often for patients with thin or flat corneas who are poor candidates for LASIK, which requires more corneal tissue.
- Photrefractive KeratectomyPRK
- Is a surgical process to treat nearsightedness, mild to moderate farsightedness and astigmatism. The surgeon uses an excimer laser to remove tissue from the cornea surface. This removal (or ablation) results in a new shape, thus reducing the vision problem.
- Radial keratotomy(RK) treats mild to moderate nearsightedness. A surgeon makes incisions in a radial (spoke-like) pattern in the cornea, causing it to flatten and reduce nearsightedness.
- VerisysPhakic IOLImplantable Contact Lenses
- An intraocular lens implant for patients with a high degree of nearsightedness who are not LASIK candidates. Available for prescriptions from -5.00 to -20.00.
External Links
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