26 Jun The Evolution of Corrective Eye Surgeries

Corrective eye surgery has come a long way over the years and it’s a good thing it has. See, humans are very visual beings who rely on eyesight for almost everything. Eyesight issues would, at one time, have been all but a death sentence. So, here are some breakthrough moments in the history of corrective eye surgery.

Photorefractive Keratectomy

This was the very first surgical process that used lasers to change the curvature of the cornea by removing ablate tissue. For a while, this surgery was a revolutionary method of correcting vision issues. Then Lasik came around. To this day, Lasik is preferred. This is due in part to the fact that Photorefractive Keratectomy can cause discomfort immediately following the procedure.

Lasik

Lasik corrective eye surgery only takes 10 minutes per eye to complete. It has been heralded for many years as one of the most definitive glaucoma treatments and can improve eyesight dramatically with little risk involved. One thing most people don’t know is that there are different variations of Lasik.

1. Lasek
   This procedure creates an incredibly thin flap in the epithelium so that the laser can then reshape the cornea. The flap is first repositioned using alcohol.
2. Epi-Lasik
   Instead of lifting the epithelium flap with alcohol, a small specialized cutting tool is used.
3. Wavefront Lasik
   This high tech version of the surgery is used to detect minute vision defects and auto update the procedural parameters using wavefront analysis.
4. Bladeless Lasik
   When making the corneal flap, a femtosecond laser is used instead of a surgical blade.

Lasik is very versatile at reshaping the cornea for many different eye issues. But what happens if you need to have a lens implanted?

Cataract Surgery

Cataracts block your natural lenses so that in order to halt the progression of this visual impairment, you need to have a specialty lens implanted. Multifocal IOLs are the tools for the job and can’t be replicated with Lasik. These lenses are a long-lasting solution for people suffering from cataracts.

Our technological advancement in the corrective eye surgery practice has been beyond impressive. Giving people the ability to see again is as heartwarming as it sounds. It’s no wonder Lasik and other revolutionary surgeries are heralded as some of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th and 21st centuries.