LASIK, short for laser in situ keratomileusis, is an eye surgery to correct vision defects such as long-sightedness or short-sightedness. LASIK surgery is one of the most common methods of refractive surgery.
Here you will find all the important information about the treatment and qualified LASIK surgeons.
LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) is an eye operation that can correct various types of defective vision. The operation can be a sensible alternative to contact lenses or glasses for long-sightedness or short-sightedness. Of course, the patient should be aware of the opportunities and risks associated with LASIK surgery. This is an outpatient procedure that is performed using pain-relieving eye drops.
Experts have been using LASIK surgery since 1990. Doctors use a laser to remove the corneal tissue, which changes the curvature of the cornea.
Because the procedure is performed under the surface of the cornea, patients can regain sharp vision relatively quickly and painlessly. However, the incision in the cornea results in a higher risk for patients.
The aim of the surgical method is to correct defective vision. In the best case scenario, patients can then manage without artificial vision aids.
Due to their curvature,the cornea and the lens of the eye refract the incident light and project the image sharply onto the retina. In the case of defective vision (short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism), the focal point is not on the retina, but in front of or behind it.
LASIK laser eye surgery can correct these impairments quickly, with few complications and without pain. The curvature of the cornea can be changed by removing tissue. This adjusts the refraction of light and the focal point. Doctors use a laser to precisely control the removal of tissue in the micrometer range. This is why the procedure works reliably.
The LASIK procedure has been in use since 1990. Experts use a corneal plane or a femtosecond laser to cut a thin flap into the cornea. They unfold this flap so that the laser can ablate the underlying tissue.
Visualization of defective vision
Possible applications of LASIK
The LASIK method is suitable for the following dioptres and clinical pictures:
The eyeball is too long in the case of short-sightedness. The sharp image of distant objects therefore lies in front of the retina of the eye. For sharp vision, the focal point of the light rays must therefore be further back. This requires a flattening of the cornea.
With long-sightedness, the eyeball is too short so that the focal point is not on the retina but behind it. To increase the refractive power, the laser removes the corneal tissue in the periphery.
Due to the deformed cornea, the incident light does not reach one point on the retina.
The lower part of the cornea is removed to simulate the effect of reading glasses.
There are various other procedures for higher degrees of defective vision, such as an implantable contact lens (ICL).
The degree of defective vision up to which LASIK is used varies from clinic to clinic. The German Ophthalmological Society recommends LASIK for short-sightedness of up to minus ten diopters.
The LASIK method is not suitable for everyone with defective vision.
The basic requirements are
LASIK surgery is not suitable for:
LASIK surgery is also not possible if the patient is dependent on taking contraindicating medication.
Because every patient has different expectations of this procedure, a detailed discussion with the doctor is essential beforehand.
Some examinations are necessary before the actual procedure:
The cornea must be thick and stable enough for the procedure. If the patient's cornea is too thin, any responsible doctor will refuse the operation for safety reasons.
If the conditions for the operation are met, you can wait until one eye has regained its full visual capacity. The preliminary examinations are used to record the specific data for the treatment and to clarify whether there are any contraindications.
Before the preliminary examination, the patient should not wear contact lenses for about two weeks.
In addition to determining the corneal thickness, further examinations should be carried out in advance:
The latter is necessary to obtain information relevant to the procedure.
Femtosecond laser
Treatment with the femtosecond laser(FEMTO-LASIK) has been gaining ground for some years now, as this procedure is considerably safer. If the laser incision is not made correctly, the treatment can be stopped and repeated at any time. If the procedure is aborted, no damage to the cornea remains.
The advantage of laser surgery is that the incision can be made with extreme precision. The cornea usually heals within two days. Healing of the entire incision area, on the other hand, can take up to several months.
The following video shows the LASIK treatment procedure:
One of the biggest advantages is the fact that patients experience hardly any pain during and after the operation. In addition, the treated area heals extremely quickly. Compared to implants, there is also a much lower risk of infection.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to the LASIK procedure.
The procedure destabilizes the cornea. The extent to which the visual defect can actually be corrected depends on the size of the pupil and the thickness of the cornea. Many patients find the fact that their eyes are very dry after the procedure unpleasant. As some studies show, the desired correction of defective vision can be achieved in around 80 percent of patients.
Complications are very rare and occur in less than one percent of LASIK operations.
However, problems can occur after the procedure. As a general rule, the higher the number of diopters to be corrected , the greater the likelihood of side effects.
The following complications are possible:
Both the dryness and the feelings of glare subside in 95 percent of patients within the first three months. However, if the visual defect is 5 diopters or more, the sensitivity to glare may be permanent. As a result, the patient may no longer be able to drive at night.
The prices for LASIK eye surgery have fallen sharply in recent years. They vary from provider to provider. In Germany, the procedure costs at least 1,000 euros per eye. In addition, there are the costs for various examinations.
Statutory health insurance companies generally do not cover the costs of this procedure . For private patients, it is worth talking to their health insurance provider: private insurers weigh up each individual case. In any case, it is possible to deduct the costs of laser treatment from tax. It is recognized as an extraordinary expense.
With a probability of more than 90 percent, the visual defect after the operation is 0.5 diopters above or below the target value.
This means thatmore than 90 percent of patients can manage without glasses or contact lenses after the procedure. In more than 80 percent of cases, patients achieve a visual acuity of 100 percent or more without correction.
In five to ten percent of patients, a residual visual defect remains after treatment. Doctors can correct this with a follow-up correction.
However, itcannot be guaranteed that LASIK vision correction will last a lifetime. Visual performance can deteriorate again over the course of a lifetime due to natural causes.
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