Vision Enhancement

Until recently, glasses and contacts and surgery were the only options available to correct vision problems now with the latest advances in laser surgery, there are several other options available to correct these problems.
Learn about LASIK, Intacs and cataract surgery using the menu on the right.

Cataract Surgery

The basic operation to remove a cataract is called phacoemulsification / extracapsular cataract extraction. This technique involves making a small incision where the cornea, the clear layer covering the lens, and the sclera, the white of the eye, meet. Through this incision, two of the three structures of the lens -- the hard nucleus and the soft cortex -- are removed. The last structure, the lens capsule, is left in the eye to support the intraocular lens implant.

Recovery

2 to 6 weeks.

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Conduct Keratoplasty (CK)

This procedure corrects farsightedness. Thermal spots are positioned in one or more ring formations just outside of the line of sight of the eye. The surgeon does this by placing the tiny penetrating tip of the radio frequency generator into the cornea and applying the energy. The conductive qualities of the corneal tissue transfer the energy as heat, denaturing the collagen at the spot.
The circular column of flattened corneal tissue that is formed is very small.
When created in ring formations, this increases (steepens) the curvature of the cornea, enabling the eye to focus on near objects.

Recovery

2 to 3 days.

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Corneal Transplant Surgery

This procedure treats cataracts. After taking measurements of the amount of tissue to be removed, the diseased corneal is cut and lifted away from the eye with a special round tool that works much like a cookie cutter called a trephine.
Once the damaged tissue is removed, the donor cornea is cut to a matching size and placed on the patients eye.
It is held in place with very fine stitches using suture material that is about as thin as a hair.

Recovery

6 to 12 months.

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Inatcs

Intacs treat nearsightedness and keratoconus. A tiny opening, less than 2 mm, is made near the upper edge of the cornea beneath the eyelid.
Precise, specially calibrated instruments are used to create two small tunnels in the periphery of the cornea.
The corneal tissue is separated, but not cut. Intacs are inserted through the opening so that they rest in these tunnels, between the layers of corneal tissue. Once in place, the two arcs flatten the cornea so that light rays can properly focus on the retina.

Recovery

2 to 3 days.

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Phakic Intraocular Lenses (IOL)

This procedure treats nearsightedness. For several of the lens types, the implantation procedure is the same as for cataract surgery.
However, unlike cataract surgery, portions of the lens are not removed.
Instead, the artificial intraocular lens is folded and placed within the posterior chamber of the eye, behind the iris and the natural lens.
This placement has been associated with an increase in developments of cataracts, although changes in the surgical procedure is thought to now increase aqueous flow between the implanted lens and the natural lens, which is expected to reduce cataract formation.

Recovery

1 to 7 days.

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Laser Thermal Keratoplasty

Laser energy is applied for about three seconds in a pattern of points around the circumference of an imaginary circle that is outside the line of sight of the eye. Laser Thermal Keratoplasty corrects farsightedness.
The exact number of laser applied "dots" is dependent on the vision correction needed.

Recovery

1 to 3 days.

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LASIK

A surgical operation where a flap of surface cornea is cut and rolled aside in order for a laser beam to remove internal tissue from the inside (stroma or body) of the cornea.
Following removal of tissue the surface layer is reattached. The amount and shape of the removed tissue is determined by the pre-operative refractive error i.e. myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism.
The procedure takes 10 - 15 minutes and is usually performed under topical anaesthetic which may be accompanied by an oral sedative for relaxation.

Recovery

Sensitivity to light usually disappears in a couple of days. Blurred vision or visual distortions occur in some patients but usually dissapear within several weeks and can last up to 3 months.

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Surgical Reversal of Presbyopia

Surgical Reversal of Presbyopia (SRP) is a non-laser surgical procedure that treats a normal result of the aging process, the reduced ability of the older eye to focus at close range. Affecting almost 100 percent of those over the age of forty, presbyopia has been traditionally treated with reading glasses, or if the patient is also nearsighted, bifocals.
After the application of topical anesthesia, the surgeon uses a diamond knife, guided by a computer, to cut four small tunnels in a circular pattern around the sclera. The inserts are placed in the small tunnels.
After the inserts are in place, the outer portion of the eye is surgically stitched closed over the openings.

Recovery

2 to 3 weeks.

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Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)

An excimer laser is used to reshape and change the curvature of the cornea. Depending on the type of correction needed, the laser either reduces the thickness of the cornea and/or changes the way it slopes in order to allow light to focus correctly on the retina. The laser can perform its function without destroying or harming any of the surrounding cells.

Recovery

3 to 4 weeks.

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Radial Keratotomy

To correct nearsightedness Your doctor will make the incisions on the surface of your eye.
These incisions usually follow a wheel-spoke pattern. The cuts weaken the outer layer of the cornea, and the pressure from inside the eye causes the weakened spots to arc or bend, thus reshaping the cornea and correcting the vision.

Recovery

1 to 2 days.

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