Learn About Laser Eye Treatment
If you are fed up hunting for your glasses or struggling to put in your contact lenses then why not consider the option of laser eye treatment which corrects your vision permanently?
Whether you are short sighted, long sighted or even have astigmatism, there are specific procedures available which can help you to see things clearly once again and which offer a permanent solution to vision problems.
Eye correction is a commonly performed procedure, especially considering that around three quarters of British adults wear glasses or contact lenses to correct vision.
Anyone seeking a permanent solution to vision problems could investigate the possibilities offered by laser eye surgery. There are various methods of laser treatment available so it makes sense to explore all the options before making your final decision.
LASIK (Laser-Assisted-In-Situ-Keratomileusis) eye surgery is currently the most frequently performed elective procedure in the world.
This type of laser eye treatment uses a cool beam of light from the excimer laser to gently reshape the front surface of the eye. The entire LASIK eye treatment takes around 10 minutes and, unlike other laser correction techniques, LASIK eye surgery patients tend to experience less discomfort following the procedure. Both eyes can be treated by LASIK simultaneously so there is no need for repeat trips to your eye surgeon.
LASEK is another type of laser eye surgery which involves removing the top layer of the cornea as a flap before re-sculpting it with an excimer laser.
The flap is then replaced on the surface of the eye and a soft contact lens is inserted for a few days following the surgery.
New technologies are emerging and Advanced CustomVue Wavefront allows the surgeon to further customise a LASIK or LASEK eye treatment to specifically suit the individual’s vision.
Wavefront technology has the capability to measure and correct the unique imperfections of an individual’s vision, meaning you have the potential to correct your vision to a more accurate degree than can be achieved with glasses or contact lenses.
IntraLase is another option which can form part of a LASIK eye surgery procedure and is an alternative method of creating the protective flap at the beginning of the treatment. IntraLase creates the flap using a precision laser instead of a mechanical method.
Laser treatment has a history stretching back over 40 years. The excimer laser, used in laser eye treatment, was first developed in 1970 though the term “excimer” first appeared 10 years earlier in the 1960’s.
The term excimer first emerged in 1960 and was used to describe an energised molecule with two identical components.
The excimer laser is therefore simply an instrument that is used to vaporise tissue with a cold, consistent beam of light. The excimer laser uses ultraviolet wavelengths between 193 – 351 nm.
Research and development into laser eye treatment has continued since the excimer laser first emerged with the most significant progress occurring during the 1990s.
