Dr. Jorge Alió is an ophthalmologist of international prestige. He excels in the specialties of cataract, cornea, refractive surgery, keratoconus, intraocular lenses and glaucoma. He has been named by the British magazine The Ophthalmologist as the tenth most relevant ophthalmologist in the world. He was a pioneer in the introduction of refractive surgery in Spain, in new corneal transplant techniques and in the treatment of keratoconus. In the following article he explains how to eliminate myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism with laser surgery.
Myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism can be corrected by means of corneal refractive surgery in a precise manner in an operation that lasts only a few minutes. These techniques are performed using a laser that modifies the curvature of the cornea permanently, eliminating the refractive defect of the patient, and thus, the need to wear glasses and / or contact lenses. It is a type of intervention that has been performed for more than twenty-five years, with a very high success rate, providing a better quality of life and vision to many people. But it is important to put yourself in the hands of an ophthalmologist specializing in cornea, who has extensive experience and handles the most advanced techniques, which provide greater precision and safety.
How is laser surgery performed?
Laser surgery is a very safe and highly precise surgery, in addition to being very minimally invasive: the Intralasik (or Intralase) technique performs a first high-precision 100% laser corneal cut, totally adapted to each patient, and then applies another laser that modifies the curvature of the cornea. But with the new Relex Smile laser it is possible to treat myopic patients with high prescriptions who could not be treated with other techniques, or those with very thin corneas, since it makes only a 2 mm incision instead of an entire corneal flap, thus preserving greater stability of this part of the eye. It is also recommended for people with risky professions, athletes.
In principle, a single intervention is sufficient to correct the prescription, but sometimes a second operation may be necessary to eliminate a possible residual prescription. This would not imply any risk for the patient, and it would be necessary for the complete visual correction and the definitive elimination of his glasses. However, it is very important that the patient’s vision defect is stabilized.
The operation is performed in a few minutes, which is a great relief for our patients, who see that their vision improves significantly when they leave the operating room. In addition, both eyes are operated in the same surgery, so the patient will only have to undergo surgery once. Hospitalization is not necessary, it is performed with topical anesthesia in the form of eye drops, and the patient can return to daily life in the following 24-48 hours with certain precautions.
What are the possible complications of laser surgery?
In order to know if someone is a good candidate for laser surgery or not, our recommendation is that all patients undergo a complete ophthalmologic examination to assess their suitability and rule out previous pathologies; if this type of treatment cannot be performed, there are other techniques that can solve the prescription problem, such as intraocular lens implantation.
This technique is used in cases of high prescriptions (high myopes) or when the candidate’s corneal thickness is not suitable for laser surgery.
Intraocular lenses are also a good option for those of presbyopic age or with eyestrain, since there are multifocal lenses that correct several vision defects at the same time, such as myopia, presbyopia and, in the case of toric lenses, also astigmatism.
Surgical Alternatives to Corneal Refractive Surgery
In order to know if someone is a good candidate for laser surgery or not, our recommendation is that all patients undergo a complete ophthalmologic examination to assess their suitability and rule out previous pathologies; if this type of treatment cannot be performed, there are other techniques that can solve the prescription problem, such as intraocular lens implantation.
This technique is used in cases of high prescriptions (high myopia) or when the candidate’s corneal thickness is not suitable for laser surgery. Intraocular lenses are also a good option for those of presbyopic age or with eyestrain, since there are multifocal lenses that correct several vision defects at the same time, such as myopia, presbyopia and, in the case of toric lenses, also astigmatism.