Laser eye surgery can help treat a variety of eye conditions and improve vision quality. Treatments such as LASIK have become increasingly popular, but not everyone is a candidate for this surgery.
In this article, you will learn about the different types of eye surgery, what laser eye surgery for vision correction is like, and other things you should know before scheduling a procedure.
When do you need laser surgery in the eye?
Laser therapy involves using different levels of focused light rays to cut, shape, or remove certain structures in your body.
For the delicate layers of your eyes, laser therapy offers a less invasive approach than traditional surgery. Laser eye surgery may decrease your risk of developing complications and reduce your recovery time after surgery.
People tend to think about laser eye surgery in terms of vision correction, but doctors may also use it to treat other conditions, including:
- cancer
- cataracts
- diabetes-related retinopathy
- glaucoma
When it comes to refractive errors or vision correction, laser surgery can treat issues such as:
- nearsightedness (myopia)
- farsightedness (hyperopia)
- astigmatism
What are the types of laser eye surgery?
Healthcare professionals can use lasers to destroy, remove, or reshape tissue to address a variety of conditions, as mentioned above. These procedures might be considered either laser surgeries or laser-guided surgeries.
The most common form of laser therapy is refractive laser surgery to correct vision problems. Three main types of laser surgery fall into this category:
- LASIK: For this procedure, a surgeon uses two lasers — one to open up a flap in the surface of your cornea and another to reshape the cornea. They then smooth the protective flap back over your eye, and it stays in place without stitches once the surgery is complete.
- SMILE: In this technique, a surgeon uses a laser to reshape your cornea through a small incision that seals itself off after the procedure.
- Surface laser treatments (PRK, LASEK, and TransPRK): In these treatments, a surgeon removes the layer of superficial cells covering your cornea before reshaping the cornea. Over time, this skin layer grows back naturally.