Every person who does not have vision problems cannot even imagine what it’s like to not see or to see insufficiently clearly. However, a huge number of people, forced to put on glasses or contacts every morning, dream of finally gaining clarity of vision. And the dreams of many of them can come true, because modern medicine offers laser vision correction to treat some eye problems. But can this approach really be considered a panacea? What are its advantages, and are there any disadvantages? Let's talk about the pros and cons of vision correction.
Vision correction using a laser is carried out under drip-type local anesthesia, the patient does not feel any pain at all, but sees a small red dot on which it is necessary to focus the gaze. When carrying out such manipulation, doctors use a microsurgical device that operates autonomously. This device shapes and then pushes back the upper layers of the cornea, allowing the laser beam to penetrate more deeply. After this, the invisible beam of the excimer laser seems to evaporate its thinnest layers, thereby changing the curvature of the lens. Thanks to this, a change in the fracture of light occurs in the eye, which will focus only on the retina, as a result of which a person will be able to see a clear and high-quality image at different distances. The total duration of laser exposure is only a few seconds. Next, the displaced flap is returned to its place and secured with collagen, the main substance of the cornea.
Benefits of vision correction
Thus, the main advantages of laser vision correction can immediately be called painlessness, as well as the absence of various stitches, scars or notches. The laser is controlled by a special program, and not by a person, so the likelihood that something will go wrong is close to zero. The patient does not require any special rehabilitation; fairly soon after the operation he will be able to return home and live his normal life.
Laser vision correction helps to quite effectively cope with farsightedness up to four and a half diopters, and it is also used to treat myopia up to minus twelve diopters. This operation also helps people suffering from astigmatism (curvature of visual perception due to uneven curvature of the cornea), which does not exceed four diopters.
Vision correction - cons
Laser vision correction, like any other operation, has its contraindications. So it is not performed on persons under eighteen years of age, because at this time the eyeball is considered not yet fully formed. However, correction can be carried out at an early age, if there are certain indications for this.
Laser treatment is not permitted if vision problems have actively progressed over the past year. Also, such an intervention is not carried out during the period of bearing a child or during breastfeeding, since at this time there is a significant change in the patient’s hormonal levels.
It is worth considering that there are certain contraindications from ophthalmologists. Thus, laser correction is not carried out if the patient has been diagnosed with keratoconus; in this case, the cornea takes on a conical shape. In addition, such manipulation cannot be carried out if the cornea is too thin, a state of immunodeficiency, viral infections and inflammatory eye lesions.
In certain cases, laser vision correction can cause a number of complications, including prolonged healing of the epithelium, decreased acuity of night and evening vision, the appearance of floaters, glare and other defects in front of the eyes during night blinding. However, experts say that all these side effects go away over time, you just have to follow the doctor’s recommendations.
In certain cases, insufficiently correct settings of the device and insufficient qualifications of the doctor can lead to overcorrection or undercorrection of vision. Of course, these side effects can be eliminated with glasses, contact lenses or repeated surgery, but it is better to prevent their occurrence and be especially selective in choosing a clinic and specialist.
How to recognize a quality clinic and a qualified doctor?
No specialist will promise a patient a one hundred percent result, because any operation is accompanied by certain risks. If this is your first time visiting a clinic, ask about their license; most often it is located in a fairly visible place; pay attention to its validity period, as well as the list of medical services that can be provided here. It is also worth clarifying information about the accreditation certificate, but remember that in reputable institutions the level of accreditation will be the highest.
In a normal clinic, the patient will definitely be asked about his health, and maybe referred for further examination, because hidden chronic illnesses can negatively affect the success of surgery.
The doctor conducting a consultation on laser vision correction is obliged to provide the patient with all the information about possible risks and side effects.
In most cases, laser vision correction proceeds without complications, but the likelihood of their occurrence must be kept in mind.
