Refractive
surgeries
How are the results of refractive
surgery?
Before undergoing any refractive surgery procedure, one must realize
that none of these procedures can guarantee you perfect vision without
glasses in all the cases. These surgeries are based on the average
calculations from a large population, but as different individuals may
respond differently to surgery, there might be some variation in the
outcome results obtained. The aim is to decrease your dependence on
glasses/contact lenses. The reliability of the procedure is quite good
in mild to moderate levels of refractive errors, with most of people
being able to carry out their daily activities without glasses. But for
high degrees of refractive errors, the variation is more and some people
may still need glasses, though of much lesser power than before, to see
clearly.
Another thing to remember is that though these procedures are safe and
without complications in majority of cases, there are a few uncommon but
significant complications of these procedures, which may lead to a
decrease in vision.
What are the various refractive
surgeries?
The refractive power of the eye can be changed by any of the three
approaches:
- Changing the curvature of the cornea: this is
the most popular mode of refractive surgery.
- Removing the natural lens and replacing it with
an artificial lens of adequate power: it is similar to a routine
phacoemulsification surgery,
except that it is done in a clear lens and not a lens with cataract.
As it is an invasive procedure and it also increases the chances of
retinal detachment in eyes with high myopia, it is not recommended
nowadays.
- Putting an additional artificial lens within
the eye on top of the existing natural lens: this technique is still
not very popular as it is also invasive and may increase the chances
of cataract formation.
What are the ways of changing the
curvature of cornea?
The commonly used methods for refractive surgery are:
- Radial Keratotomy (RK)
- Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK)
- PhotoRefractive Keratotomy
(PRK)
- Laser-Assisted In-Situ
Keratomileusis (LASIK)