Lasik Panama

Seeing Straight with Laser Vision Corrective Eye Surgery

Laser vision corrective eye surgery is becoming extremely popular in today’s age due to the general affordability and the desire of many in society to maintain good vision without the help of glasses or annoying contact lenses. This surgical procedure is offered in such a varied number of individual avenues that there is certainly a type of laser vision corrective eye surgery that is right for anyone.

Eye surgery is also known as “ophthalmic surgery” or “ocular surgery”. Laser vision corrective eye surgery is not necessarily the same as “refractive surgery”, although many often assume the terms to be interchangeable. Refractive surgery does not always involve lasers to make the incision but rather refers to the general purpose of the procedure to reshape or “refract” the cornea.

The FDA first approved the laser as a surgical tool in 1995, so the advances in the field of laser surgery are generally recent. The agency did, however, restrict the use of the laser to trained surgeons experienced in the field of laser surgery and in the operation of the laser, specifically.

Types of Laser Eye Surgery

There are many types of laser vision corrective eye surgery that can repair many ailments that affect vision and the eye. Cataracts refer to a clouding of the vision or the eye’s lens. They tend to affect the elderly the most and can distort vision to degrees mirroring legal blindness. Laser surgery can correct the problems that come from cataracts by simply reshaping and removing the “clouds” and changing the environment that creates them.

Glaucoma is an eye disease that can lead to blindness due to blood pressure on the eye. Affecting an estimated 3 million Americans, glaucoma is known as the leading cause of blindness. There are several types of glaucoma which are mostly classified due to the urgency of the onset. Laser surgery can stop the spread of the symptoms by relieving the pressure on the eye.

Macular regeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly and those 65 years of age or older. Macular regeneration affects the retina in that it breaks down or “regenerates” thus causing problems with the area of the eye responsible for sharpness and contrast in vision. Laser surgery can treat macular regeneration but cannot entirely cure it, so the symptoms can be controlled but the process cannot be entirely stopped.

Laser vision corrective eye surgery can repair and ease the pain of several eye ailments and improve the quality of life for many.