Eye defects are among the health problems that make daily life difficult and disturb individuals. These defects, which necessitate the use of glasses or contact lenses for a healthy vision, negatively affect the comfort of the people, and the use of glasses is visually undesirable for many people.
Laser Treatment for Eye Problems
With the advancing medical technology, it has become possible to treat eye defects and eliminate the necessity of wearing glasses with the help of laser applications for patients with suitable profiles. While visual disorders such as nearsightedness or astigmatism at various degrees can be treated with Excimer laser applications, some problems related to the transparent layer of the eye can be treated using the same technique. Treatment of eye defects with the help of laser technique, which is simple and does not require surgical interventions, provides a permanent improvement that continues for life, and relieves patients both physiologically and psychologically.
For Which Eye Defects Is Laser Treatment Applied?
In ancient times, when medical technology and the areas of use of laser were not as developed as today, eye disorders were a permanent health problem that required the use of glasses for life. In particular, as the degree of defect in the eye increases, patients may find it difficult to perform even their simple daily tasks without glasses. In addition to all these, glasses can cause an aesthetically undesirable appearance and can disturb individuals with eye defects psychologically.
With the widespread production and use of contact lenses, many of the individuals who do not want to wear glasses turn to the use of prescription contact lenses, but due to reasons such as the difficulty caused by constantly wearing and removing them, the feeling of discomfort in the eye, not adapting to every eye structure and making the eye prone to infections. has some disadvantages compared to its use. With the help of laser techniques that have started to be used in eye defects with the developing technology in recent years, eye disorders can be completely eliminated in patients who are suitable for the use of this technique.
Excimer laser treatment for refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. It is a method that is used safely in the treatment of bees. In addition, problems such as spots and scars of the transparent layer (cornea), which is the outermost layer of the eye, can be eliminated with the help of laser treatment. In some types of strabismus that can be healed with the use of glasses, it may be possible to treat or alleviate the strabismus with laser therapy.
What are the Treatment Methods Applied with Laser in Eye Defects?
Among the Excimer laser treatment methods, PRK- LASEK, LASIK, Intralase are LASIK.
- PRK-LASEK provides superficial treatment in the cornea. With the PRK technique (with the help of a spatula or alcohol), the corneal epithelium is removed and laser is applied to the underlying stroma with the LASEK technique. It is accepted as the gold standard for myopia and hyperopia surgeries in our country and all over the world and is used safely.
- Intralase LASIK (iLASIK) laser is also called Femto-lasik. Today, it is the most advanced method of laser treatment of refractive errors and is safer than other treatment methods. In the management of computer-controlled systems, the incision required for LASIK is made with a laser. With this method, a person's corneal map can be mapped and personalized treatment can be performed. The patient can get rid of the use of glasses.
How is Laser Treatment Performed?
After deciding which technique will be used for the procedure in patients who are determined to be suitable for laser treatment, the appointment day is given. Patients using contact lenses should stop using lenses 1 week before the procedure. On the day of the procedure, patients should not wear make-up and should not use perfume because it affects the laser mirrors.
When the appointment day comes, anesthesia is applied before the procedure is started. The anesthesia method used in laser eye treatment applications is drop anesthesia. This The cornea, the outermost layer of the eye, is anesthetized with anesthesia technique. Just a few drops of anesthetic into the eye is sufficient to numb the area. Afterwards, the patient does not feel any pain or pain during the procedure. The simple and short procedure is completed in as little as two or three minutes for each eye.
Patients do not usually need to stay in the hospital after the procedure. After being examined in detail by the physician, the patients who are kept under surveillance for a certain period of time are sent off to their homes comfortably without closing their eyes. It is considered normal for patients to experience blurred vision, mild pain and stinging in the eyes, watery eyes and burning sensations for about 5-6 hours after the completion of the treatment. Necessary information on this subject is given to the patient by the physician after the operation. After the laser treatment, patients should protect their eyes from external impacts, avoid rubbing and be careful not to let water touch their eyes for the period recommended by their physicians.
Is There Any Risks in Treating Eye Defects with Laser?
Many individuals who are researching laser treatment options for eye defects have question marks in their minds, such as whether the procedures are risky, and whether there is a possibility of reoccurrence of eye defects. takes place. One of the frequently asked questions about this subject is whether there is a risk of returning the glasses number. Just as healthy eyes may deteriorate later, it is possible to develop defects in laser-treated eyes. However, this risk is very low when applied to people over the age of 20 whose progression has stopped.
The probability of recurrence is much lower in laser-treated hyperopia (nearsightedness) defects compared to myopic defects (farsightedness). Likewise, the biggest reason why laser eye treatment is not recommended for individuals under the age of 18 is that the probability of recurrence is much higher than in adults. There is an obstacle to performing other eye-related surgical operations in patients treated with laser treatment techniques that have been safely applied for more than 20 years around the world. incline. These patients, like all individuals, can have these operations if other eye surgeries are required.
Who is Not Suitable for Laser Treatment?
Except for individuals under the age of 20 and people whose eye number continues to progress, they can have these operations for laser treatment. There are also some unsuitable patient groups. These can be listed as follows:
- Those with dry eyes,
- People with corneal deformities,
- Those with active eye infections,
- Thin corneas Those who are
- Pregnant,
- Those who have diseases that affect the immune system such as rheumatic diseases, diabetes or that may prevent eye recovery are not suitable for laser treatment.
In patients with suitable eye structure, laser treatment can be applied up to 10 degrees in case of myopia, plus 5 degrees in hyperopia, and up to 5 degrees in astigmatism. However, it may not be possible to reach these degrees in patients with insufficient corneal thickness. In patients with suitable eye structure, laser can be applied more than once.
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