Introducing 3 generations of laser refractive surgery for the eye

When you have certain complaints related to vision or eyes, you are probably already imagining the worst things that can happen. Especially if the eye doctor recommends treatment with refractive surgery. However, don't be afraid when you hear his name. This surgery is not creepy like in horror movies, really. Refractive surgery technology for the eye is always evolving so that it doesn't cause pain or dangerous side effects. For more details, see the following reviews.

What is refractive surgery?

Refractive surgery is a surgical procedure that corrects vision problems such as farsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia to reduce a person's dependence on wearing glasses or contact lenses. Refractive surgery is able to change the refractive strength of the eye so that vision becomes better.

Refractive surgery helps improve the refractive strength of the eye by changing or modifying the normal shape of the cornea. The cornea itself is a part of the eye that is shaped like a dome, very clear, and is at the very front of the eye. The cornea consists of five layers, namely the epithelium (outermost layer), Bowman's membrane, stroma, descemet membrane, and endothelium (innermost layer). To improve vision, it is necessary to carry out modification measures to the stromal lining.

Types of laser refractive surgery for the eye

There are currently three generations of laser refractive surgery procedures. All three are the first generation of the PRK (Photo Refractive Keratectomy), the second generation of LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomyelusis), and the third generation of SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction). To date, LASIK is the most common and frequently performed refractive surgical procedure. Well, here are the explanations and differences for each refractive surgery that you may need to undergo.

1. Photo Refractive Keratectomy (PRK)

In PRK, the front portion of the cornea (epithelial layer) is removed. Then with a laser, the ophthalmologist will modify the shape of the cornea. The PRK procedure only takes approximately 5 minutes for one side of the eye.

After surgery, the patient must wear special contact lenses to protect the cornea. Now, because a part of the cornea is removed, it takes a long time for the patient to see again clearly. It takes approximately a week for the patient to see properly, so the PRK procedure is usually done on one side of the eye first.

Meanwhile, for the epithelial layer to return to normal it takes several months. PRK can be used to correct myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism.

2. LASIK surgery

LASIK also uses the same principle, which is to change the shape of the cornea using a laser. The difference with PRK is that in LASIK a "flap" will be made first. Using a laser, the front of the cornea is partially sliced ​​and then opened like opening a window. After that, the cornea is modified using a laser. Then the front of the cornea is closed again.

Because of the flap, healing after LASIK is much faster. It only takes one day for the patient to resume normal activities. However, the LASIK procedure is not recommended for people who are at risk of trauma to the eye such as boxers because the flap makes the cornea less stable.

In addition, for those of you who have a thin cornea, LASIK is not recommended. Like PRK, LASIK can also be used to correct myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism.

3. Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE)

SMILE is a development of the previous two generations. Still with the same principle, but the SMILE procedure is different from LASIK and PRK.

Using a special laser, the eye surgeon will cut the inside of the cornea (to be precise the stromal layer), then make a small incision at the edge of the cornea as a way out to remove a portion of the cornea that was laser cut. The incision is only 2-4 mm in size (hence the name " small incision " or small incision), much smaller than the LASIK procedure which makes an incision as large as 20 mm.

With a smaller incision, the SMILE procedure has a smaller risk of side effects than LASIK and PRK.

Just like LASIK, it only takes one day for the patient to recover and be able to continue his normal activities. This is because usually your eyesight gets much better within a day. The drawback is that this procedure can only be used to treat myopia.

The three laser refractive surgery procedures above have their respective advantages and disadvantages. The right choice is different for each person so it is much more necessary to consult with your eye doctor first.