Refractive surgery techniques are used to eliminate or reduce prescription defects (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) in order to achieve good vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses.
For the surgical treatment of these alterations, specialists in Ophthalmology find different technical options depending on the age, the diopters present, the visual acuity and the state of the crystalline lens.
Refractive surgery with LASIK
The best known and most commonly used technique to correct refractive errors is LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) using the excimer laser.
The objective of the treatment is to reshape the cornea to correct the refractive error of the eye. Altering the curvature of the cornea changes the way light rays enter the eye. As a result, light rays can be properly focused on the retina for clearer vision.
LASIK laser results
With LASIK laser, good results can be obtained in cases of myopia between 1 and 12 diopters, hyperopia between 1 and 5 diopters and astigmatism between 1 and 6 diopters.
In addition, and depending on each patient’s prescription defect and the characteristics of his or her eyes, the treatment can be personalized. In this way, the cornea is homogeneously shaped and the irregularities that may appear with other types of laser are avoided. All this contributes to better visual quality.
For patients with myopia, the laser is used to flatten the cornea, for those with hyperopia the cornea is made steeper and for those with astigmatism the laser is used to soften it. This surgery is generally painless and can be completed in minutes.