Best Laser Eye Surgery Procedure

Laser eye surgery is becoming a commonplace procedure but which is the best laser eye surgery to choose these days? Which is the least painful and which offers a fast healing time and good results?

Actually there are different laser eye surgery procedures for different people. Depending on the degree of your refractive error, how thick your corneas are, your budget and other factors, the recommended type of laser eye surgery might be different for you than for someone else. There are also other eye problems which laser eye surgery cannot treat.

Which is the Best Laser Eye Surgery?

There are various eye laser surgery operations to correct short sight, long sight and astigmatism. The main ones are PRK, LASIK and LASEK. PRK is the original laser eye surgery. LASEK is a no-flap procedure often used for people with thin corneas. Custom Wavefront LASIK, Epi-LASIK and IntraLase LASIK are other quite new eye surgery procedures.

Custom Wavefront LASIK means that a three dimensional measurement of your eyes is made by a computer before surgery so a precise, individual vision correction can be achieved. Epi-LASIK is another option and in this procedure alcohol is used to remove the outer layer of the cornea. IntraLase LASIK is when a second laser is used, rather than a blade.

All of these procedures are safe, apart from the risks associated with any surgical procedure, and will give you the same end results. Some surgeons prefer one of these methods over the others and other surgeons only offer one of these treatments. Sometimes a patient is only suited to one type of eye surgery.

The Difference Between Laser Eye Surgery Techniques

LASIK is one of the most common laser eye treatments carried out today. With this surgery, a thin flap is cut into the cornea with a femtosecond laser or a microkeratome blade. The surgeon folds back the flap and removes corneal tissue with an excimer laser, then the flap is replaced. LASIK is an outpatient procedure and the painless surgery takes only a few minutes.

LASEK is used for patients with corneas that are too steep or too thick for a LASIK procedure, meaning that cutting a flap would be difficult. LASEK was developed to reduce the risk of complications arising from making a flap in a cornea which is the wrong shape or thickness.

If you are not a good LASIK candidate, you might also qualify for PRK which is similar to LASIK but without the flap, epi-LASIK or LASEK. There are also non-laser vision correction procedures to think about.

Which Laser Eye Surgery Heals the Quickest

People who have LASIK eye surgery experience less pain and quicker vision correction on the whole. With PRK the vision correction is gradual rather than immediate and can take several months. PRK is also used for people with thin corneas or large pupils since LASIK might not be an option for these patients. As with other types of surgery, when choosing the best laser eye surgery, you should ask your doctor or ophthalmologist for advice. You might even like to get a second opinion.

The most expensive surgery is not necessary the best eye surgery for you and the newest technology does not necessarily guarantee superior results. There are different types of surgery for different people, so it is best to speak to your ophthalmologist or doctor for their expert opinion. Your eye structure, current prescription, eye health and general health factors must be considered to find out which is the best laser eye surgery for you.

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