What are the surgeries to treat myopia?
Myopia surgery can be performed with excimer lasers (PRK and LASIK), femtosecond laser (SMILE) and pseudophakic intraocular lenses (phakic intraocular lenses, i.e. without removing the crystalline lens).
In people over 60 years of age, cataract surgery applied when you have one is very advanced, since it also involves the elimination of the myopic or hyperopic defect by replacing the crystalline lens with a lens (pseudophakic in this case).
What technological advances do you use?
Our favorite technique is SMILE, which is the most evolved technique since it allows treating the cornea practically without invading it, leaving only a small incision of 2 mm and without any corneal action being visible to the naked eye. It is a very stable, extremely safe and precise procedure that normally improves the vision that the patient had preoperatively with glasses. Other advances are phakic lenses, mentioned above, in whose development we have participated, and pseudophakic intraocular lenses of the accommodative type, which have also been developed from our research.
When can surgery be performed?
In general, we advise around 17-18 years of age, with refractive error already stable at this age.
Are there any contraindications?
The main ones are the existence of an abnormal topography, suspicion of a latent corneal disease such as keratoconus, dry eye and insufficient corneal thickness for its realization.
What are the risks involved in the procedure?
Very few. The risk of infection is very remote and caution should be exercised in eyes that have suffered from herpetic keratitis so as not to treat them. Otherwise, if the patient is properly chosen and the pathologies mentioned above are ruled out, it is a surgery of immense safety and excellent results.
Is it necessary to repeat the surgery after some time?
No, unless the myopia evolves. In general, we tend to operate after the age of 18, when myopia is already stable, but it can also be performed earlier and then retouched as appropriate for the patient throughout his or her life. Pregnant women who have been myopic, especially of more than 5 diopters, can increase their myopia during pregnancy and can also be treated if sufficient corneal thickness is left. In general, it is the ophthalmic surgeon who should monitor these cases and decide on the opportunity of treatment if myopia increases. The operation is therefore stable, no graduation is lost over time and if myopia increases it is because the case had to increase anyway.