Laser Eye Surgery and Eye Tests

Regular eye test are not only important to check whether your prescription has changed, they can also reveal numerous problems you may have with your eyes that otherwise may go undiagnosed. Eyes are often good indicators of how a person is feeling – a person’s eyes look dramatically different when the person is tired or ill compared to happy. A simple eye test can determine whether a person has high blood pressure or diabetes as well as whether their eyesight has deteriorated or not. These tests can also determine whether the patient has glaucoma or cataracts and ensures that these conditions can be treated as early as possible. Opticians can also determine whether the patient has been leading a healthy lifestyle. Having an eye test is extremely important when preparing for laser eye surgery as opticians can identify any issues you may have prior to surgery. An optician will be able to determine what type of laser eye surgery will be suitable for your needs. Obviously each individual is different, but generally speaking, you can have laser eye surgery if you suffer from: myopia (short sightedness), hyperopia (long sightedness), astigmatism (blurred vision at any difference) and cataracts. There is also a variety of types of laser eye surgery which are suitable for different conditions such as Lasek, Lasik and PRK. Lasik is the most popular type of procedure and is often used as a generic term for laser eye surgery. Lasik is a type of refractive eye surgery that is used to correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Lasik surgery removes the eye’s corneal tissue in order to reshape the cornea and improve vision. Lasek is the treatment that patients have if Lasik is unsuitable. If a patient has a thinner than average cornea, for example, will usually be referred for Lasek surgery. Additionally, some patients perceive Lasek to be the safer option (rather than Lasik) as Lasek surgery is not as invasive as the surgery does not penetrate the tissue bed as deeply. PRK surgery is the predecessor of Lasik surgery and used to be the leading type of surgery. PRK is still one of the leading types of surgery and can often be one of the cheapest. This type of surgery is perfect for patients who have low to moderate refractive errors. Unlike Lasik and Lasek, PRK removes a thin layer of the cornea’s surface that naturally replaces itself as it heals. The cornea will take a few months to heal and during which time the patient will see great improvements with their vision. In order to see which type of surgery will you suit your needs, please call Laser Surgery Eye on 08000807997 today.