What is refractive surgery and in which cases is it used?
Corneal refractive laser surgery is a series of surgical techniques that modify the surface of the cornea to correct various mild and moderate refractive defects. These techniques are very safe and reliable.
They are used to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia or eyestrain.
What aspects should be taken into account before undergoing surgery?
Before undergoing refractive surgery, patients should:
- Have a stable refractive defect.
- Not suffer from ocular diseases that contraindicate the surgery.
- Not present contraindications in the preoperative tests.
- Not take medications that contraindicate proper healing.
- Not to be pregnant.
- Not to be breastfeeding.
What is the preoperative stage and what to consider?
Before surgery, in the first visit, a complete ocular examination of the anterior pole will be performed, the current refractive status, ocular health status and corneal parameters will be evaluated, as well as a complete examination of the posterior pole. Depending on the results, the most advisable surgery for each patient is decided.
If the patient is a contact lens wearer, he/she should stop wearing contact lenses 5 days before surgery.
The day before the surgery, the patient’s values from the first visit are confirmed and the parameters for the treatment are determined.
What happens after surgery?
After the intervention, recovery from this surgery is fast, you can lead a normal life a few hours after the intervention.
As with any surgery, there may be complications such as dry eyes, infections or corneal deformities.
However, these are minimized as long as the ophthalmologist performs a detailed examination of the patient and an adequate calculation of corneal parameters.
What care should be taken?
After surgery, care depends on the technique used, but is usually minimal. In general, the eyes should not be rubbed or squeezed, they should be protected from blows and shocks, light should be avoided, dust should be kept out of the eyes and the patient should not look at the computer screen for the first few days. It is important that each patient follows the instructions of the expert ophthalmologist.
What is the success rate of refractive surgery?
The success rate of refractive surgery depends on the ophthalmologist making a good diagnosis and a good calculation of parameters for the correct correction of the visual defect.
In addition, the use of state-of-the-art lasers such as the new TranEpi PRK technique offers great control of aberrations, performs the procedure without contact, in just a few minutes, and normally has very high success rates.
Can any patient undergo eye surgery?
If we combine the large number of techniques that exist for the correction of the different refractive defects with an adequate diagnosis of the patient by an expert ophthalmologist, any patient could undergo refractive surgery.