How to Choose the Right Corrective Vision Eye Surgery

Laser eye surgery has become so advanced that glasses may one day be nothing more than museum pieces. If you're considering a procedure, review the various pros and cons of your options before committing.

Instructions

• 1

  Corrective eye surgery began in the United States with Radial Keratotomy, RK. It consists of cutting incisions in the cornea to flatten the eye surface to correct nearsightedness. Unfortunately, it caused problems with night vision and at high altitudes. It's not popular in US anymore, but is still available at cross border clinics in Mexico.

• 2

  Photorefractive Keratectomy, PRK, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States in 1995. It was the first laser correction procedure that directly ablates eye tissue to correct vision. First, the top layer, the corneal epithelium, is removed. The cornea is reshaped, and then the epithelium is allowed to grow back. PRK is still the surgery of choice if your cornea is unusually thin. In Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASEK), the corneal epithelium is removed, preserved and replaced.

• 3

  With Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), the surgeon removes a thin, hinged flap in the surface of the eye. The flap is turned over, and a laser then reshapes the eye. The flap is put back in place where it acts like a natural bandage. The big advantage of LASIK over other options is that there is little discomfort and the procedure heals fully in hours. Wavefront LASIK conducts a sophisticated light wave analysis of how the eye sees. Bladeless LASIK uses another laser to cut the flap. Sometimes this is called IntraLASIK.

• 4

  Conductive Keratoplasty, which is also known as NearVision CK, was FDA approved in 2002. It alleviates farsightedness, including both hyperopia and age-related presbyopia. Nearvision CK uses low heat radio waves to shrink collagen in the periphery of the cornea, allowing the eye to focus closer.

• 5

  Scleral Expansion Bands are a set of four tiny implants just below the sclera, the white part of the eye, and outside the cornea. They help the eyes to resist presbyopia by stretching the sclera. They are used in Europe, but have not been approved here yet.

• 6

  Another surgical remedy is to turn to implantable lenses, which are similar to contacts. These were first approved by the FDA in 2004. Your eyes' corneas are left in place. These implants are placed over them. Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) is like cataract surgery. However, instead of removing a cloudy lens, RLE replaces a faulty but clear lens with one that refracts light properly. Some lens options include bifocals that can correct nearsightedness and farsightedness. RLE has a higher risk of complications than laser eye surgery.