Wouldn’t you love to throw those glasses away and never have to wear them again? Well you can, the advances in eye surgery have given many people the sight needed to ditch those glasses and enter the world of those with two eyes.

What is laser eye surgery?

Laser eye surgery is a new advance in surgical procedures that removes the use of the traditional spectacles.

Laser eye surgery works by directing a laser onto the cornea; the cornea is the clear structure covering the iris (the colored part of the eye around the pupil). The laser works by reducing the thickness of the cornea to a point where the eye can bring images into focus correctly.

In total there are three types of laser surgery available, LASIK, LASEK and EPIFLAP.

LASIK eye surgery

LASIK eye surgery is the newest of the three surgeries and works by slicing a thin layer of the cornea off so it forms a flap so the laser can target the tissue underneath. The flap is then put back to where it was sliced from, and the body naturally repairs it causing vision to be improved almost instantly.

LASEK or EPIFLAP eye surgery

These treatments involve partially removing the epithelium, the outer layers of the cells on the eye, so the cornea is revealed. A laser then reshapes the cornea; the eye is bought back to its normal position where it repairs within days.

Treatment safety

The medical world is divided over the safety of newer treatments but these treatments have been approved and used in many surgeries throughout the western world with nothing but success.

Like many treatments there is a small percentage of risk involved and there have been instances where surgery has caused issues and the patient has required cornea transplants after the surgery.

Who can have laser eye surgery?

Not everyone is suitable for laser eye surgery, only healthy adults can be considered because a child’s eye has not fully formed and performing surgery on an unhealthy adult can increase the risk of complications.

Eye surgery popularity

Laser eye surgery has become very popular in recent years because the price of eye surgery when set against the cost of spectacles over a few years looks appealing; also a lot of people are becoming more knowledgeable on the treatments available as it becomes widely available.

Sir Elton John is one of many stars that’s has admitted to thinking about getting rid of their spectacles once and for all and plunge for laser eye surgery.

The future of laser eye surgery

Laser eye surgery keeps improving all the time, with advances in technology happening constantly in medicine it is only a matter of time before a new, improved surgery is found.

If you have been thinking about improving your eyesight through laser eye surgery it may be worth reading more information about the different surgeries and finding recommended consultants in your area who carry out the procedure before deciding it is definitely what you want.