LASIK/LASEK for High Astigmatism: Ensuring Careful Vision Correction
Hello everyone,
I am Dr. Kim Joong-hoon, head director of Gangnam ID Eye Clinic, dedicated to restoring clear and bright vision for you.
With the global popularization of digital devices, an increasing number of people are experiencing vision deterioration from a young age. It is estimated that over 50% of adolescents have myopia and astigmatism, making these conditions common issues.
While glasses or contact lenses can correct myopia and astigmatism, many adults seek vision correction surgery to avoid the various inconveniences associated with these tools.
Medical technology has advanced significantly, leading to a variety of vision correction surgery options. However, the latest procedures are not suitable for everyone, and some individuals experience side effects such as eye irritation, blurred vision, and dry eye syndrome.
To minimize the risk of these complications, it's important to find a vision correction method that is suitable for each individual. Today, we will explore LASIK and LASEK for high astigmatism and how to determine the best approach.
"Definition and Symptoms of High Astigmatism and Myopia"
High astigmatism refers to a severe refractive error in the cornea or lens, exceeding -4.0 diopters. It can cause blurred vision and discomfort in daily life.
Causes include genetic and environmental factors. Children are more likely to develop astigmatism if their parents have it. It can also result from changes in corneal shape due to conditions like ptosis.
Astigmatism prevents light from focusing on a single point, causing objects to appear blurry, distorted, or doubled. Symptoms such as night vision problems, light sensitivity, and depth perception issues can impair concentration, activity, and overall quality of life.
High myopia, or severe nearsightedness, is defined as a refractive power of -6.0 diopters or more, or an axial length of 26mm or greater.
It causes distant objects to appear very blurry, making daily life difficult without glasses or contact lenses. As the eyeball elongates, the retina thins, increasing the risk of serious eye diseases like retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Regular monitoring is essential.
“Why is it difficult to correct high astigmatism and myopia?”
LASIK involves creating a corneal flap, lifting it, and using a laser to reshape the cornea. LASEK involves removing only the surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) before laser reshaping.
LASIK offers less pain and faster recovery, allowing a quick return to daily activities, but the flap can be vulnerable to external impact. LASEK, which doesn't create a flap, is more resistant to impact but involves more pain and a longer recovery period.
Individuals with high myopia or astigmatism are at greater risk of side effects after LASIK or LASEK because more corneal tissue needs to be removed.
Greater corneal ablation increases the risk of regression, dry eye, and keratoconus. If you are considering vision correction surgery, especially for high myopia or astigmatism, thorough eye exams and consultations with medical professionals are crucial to ensure safety.
“All-Laser LASEK: Possible Even with Thin Corneas and Poor Vision”
To address the drawbacks of LASIK and LASEK, all-laser LASEK has gained popularity. This method uses a laser for the entire vision correction process, including the removal of the corneal epithelium.
All-laser LASEK offers reduced pain and faster recovery, making it a popular choice among students and working professionals who want to quickly return to their daily routines.
It also lowers the risk of side effects, alleviates dry eye, and overcomes corneal opacity. Furthermore, it can reduce myopic regression and correct irregular astigmatism, leading to excellent vision outcomes.
This method is suitable for individuals with corneas too thin for conventional laser vision correction, those with physically demanding occupations or hobbies, those with small eyes or corneal irregularities, and those concerned about dry eye or seeking rapid vision recovery with minimal pain.
“Two-Day LASEK and Save LASEK: Possible Even with High Astigmatism and Myopia”
Two-Day LASEK uses the Amaris Red device to ablate the corneal epithelium and stroma without separating them, minimizing corneal damage. It uses only a laser in all processes, without manual steps in the epithelial removal, providing greater precision.
The eye-tracking system compensates for eye movements during surgery, reducing potential errors. It also results in a smaller wound area (approximately 40% reduction), leading to less pain and faster recovery.
This can reduce side effects such as night glare and light scattering, resulting in stable and satisfactory vision correction.
Save LASEK uses the EX500 device, ablates a minimal amount of corneal tissue, and offers high accuracy. It has a wide range of applications and can be used even for high myopia and astigmatism, provided the basic requirements are met.
It also offers less pain, faster recovery, and reduces the risk of side effects such as night glare and ghosting, making it a highly satisfactory vision correction method.
“Finding the Right Method for You”
If you are considering vision correction surgery, accurate assessment of your eye condition through a thorough eye exam and sufficient consultation with a medical professional are the most important factors in choosing the most suitable method.
To this end, it is wise to check whether they provide 1:1 customized vision correction surgery, have a detailed eye examination system, have skilled medical staff, have the latest testing machines and equipment, and have a solid aftercare program.
As the demand for vision correction surgery increases every year, many places promote various events, but as it is an important eye surgery for our body, it is more important to compare carefully before proceeding with high myopia and high astigmatism LASIK and LASEK than the cost.
Thank you for reading the long article. This has been Kim Joong-hoon, head director of Gangnam ID Eye Clinic.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/tkatlrltkatl/224036537503
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