Reshaping the cornea or the front of the eye with a laser is the most general mode of correcting vision (e.g. PRK or lasik). However, you may not meet the rigorous criteria when it comes to laser eye treatment like this and so other methods would be more right.
One option would be implantable contact lenses. The process primarily involves placing a pre-made plastic contact lens within the eye. This is not to be mistaken as the similar conventional contact lenses you would regularly apply every day as an alternative to spectacles. Implantable contact lenses are designed to sit between the iris (coloured part of the eye) and the natural lens within the eye.
They are molded with wings to keep it in position and for them to sit fittingly in the eye. The shape of the center is round, equipped with the specific power essential to correct your vision. The spectacles prescription which is measured before the operation begins is what determines the power.
Before the slim piece of plastic is inserted into the eye, a local anaesthetic is needed. Should patients require mild sedatives, they can consume them orally to steady them down while the short operation takes place. To enlarge the pupils, another eye will also be used, enlarging the hole where the implantable contact lens will be placed; between the iris and lens.
Around 3mm in length, there would be two minuscule incisions to be made at the edge of the cornea. To introduce the implantable contact lens into this minor incision, a device which rolls up the artificial lens will be used. The contact lens will then be ejected out of the implantation device once within the eye, unfolded, of course. Maneuvering the lens to sit behind the iris, the right arrangement is done with a metal prong inserted into the second incision.
The total time that the surgical operation takes is around 30 minutes.
No stitches are necessary as the corneal incisions mend promptly on their own. Translucent shields are set over the eyes to be removed the following day.
Implantable contact lenses receive a lot of advantages over conventional laser eye treatment such as lasik.
For instance, lasik cannot be performed on thin corneas as it involves reshaping the cornea so enough thickness is required. For moderate to high amounts of myopia (short-sightedness) or astigmatism, lasik cannot be performed as more of the cornea needs to be removed. Implanted contact lenses would be likely.
If your Rx changes after the operation, the implantable contact lens can be removed and a fresh lens put in its position. This can be done a lot of times. Lasik can only be done for a limited number of times as the cornea becomes thinner with each operation.
Implantable contact lenses are becoming an increasingly general refractive surgical surgery. With better materials and lens designs, this may be the touchstone in vision improved in the future.
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