Eye Laser Surgery Techniques and Procedures

Eye laser surgery has in the recent past become more and more dependable, a fact you can vouch for by the three million odd successful surgeries done the world over and a little over a million in USA alone.

If you are curious to know, there are almost as many surgery types as there are eye ailments. The most performed ones in this family are for vision correction and prevention.

First things first. The acronym stands for Light Amplification Stimulated by Emition of Radiation. You can take it as the artificially highly intensified light emitting out of radiations from non material matter called as photons (photons are energy particles of electromagnetic type found in light). It is possible to control the various aspects, like the intensity, dispersion and the color with necessity being the only guiding factor. So, this type of surgery uses a low intensity, monochromatic beam for better control and desired results.

The techniques and procedures are developed in various ways to suit different needs. These are LASIK, PRK, LASEK, EPI-LASIK, CK, P-IOL, and RLE. The technique LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. This technique uses a high speed blade to cut open a flap on cornea that can be hinged over at the end. The blade here is called as microkeratome and it moves over a guide (suction ring) pre-located on the eye ball. This guide is located after admission of an anesthesia in to the eye for your comfort. The exposed middle tissue by the open flap is then vaporized to the desired level by controlled pulses and the flap is replaced.

PRK is another technique used in vision correction. It is short for Photorefractive Keratectomy. This technique is pretty much similar to that of LASIK in the way it is performed. Then you would ask me as to why there are two different names. Here the absence of cutting off of a corneal flap signifies all the difference. The excimer (of ultra violet rays) is directly used on the cornea to remove a pre calculated amount of the tissue to flatten its curvature. So a change in the cornea brings the focal point of the eye lens to the retina reducing near sightedness. LASEK, Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis, was conceived as a technique that caused less discomfort, low occurrences of corneal haze and faster recovery. As you might not know, LASEK uses a technique to fool the wound response by going deeper for corneal ablation. This is the major difference LASEK has with PRK where the ablation is superficial.

Another major application of this type of eye surgery is in Glaucoma. Briefly, glaucoma is a condition of the eye where the anterior pressure has shot up (beyond 20 mm of Hg) due to higher build up of vitrious humour. The beam is used to make a hole in the iris to relieve the IOL, intra ocular pressure. Another technique increasingly coming to center stage these days is Selective Trabeculoplasty. These eye surgery procedures are pain less. Permanence and Safety Aspects in Eye laser Surgery The excimer laser assisted eye surgery is unlikely to regress to its original pre surgical position though it is not completely ruled out. This type of surgery being a super specialty is not entirely technology specific as regards to safety. This being an art is more dependant on the performer than the facilitator that is technology. FDA has approved LASIK and PRK devices and the procedures have passed the scrutiny of various agencies should comfort all of us.

Also read our article about Laser Vision Treatment