Before Laser Eye Surgery
Your vision is blurry and you have difficulty seeing close up or further away objects. Vision issues vary per individual.
After Laser Eye Surgery
Your vision will clear up without the use of visual aids. If you were nearsighted or farsighted, you will see close objects more clearly.
How Do I Know if I Need Laser Eye Surgery or Laser Vision Correction?
Laser treatment for eyes works by altering the curvature of the eye and focusing the power of the cornea to correct vision problems. Many people who’re suitable for such surgery already make use of contact lenses and/or eyeglasses. However, as vision naturally degrades as we age, with the most dramatic differences usually noticed after the age of 40, it might not be until after this time that you become a candidate for laser vision correction.
Laser eye surgery is commonly carried out on those who suffer from age-related vision issues.
Other reasons you might need such treatment include:
- Having a prescription for shortsightedness, longsightedness, and/or astigmatism.
- Contact lens wearers who have difficulties with wearing contact lenses
- Those who’ve been incorrectly diagnosed with having dry eyes and are therefore inaccurately deemed unsuitable for laser surgery.
While not every situation can be treated by laser eye surgery, the vast majority of common conditions can be. The more complex conditions are best approached by a specialist surgeon. Such individuals can offer the most advanced cutting-edge laser surgeries, many of which are designed to address vision conditions that, up until recently, were unable to be adequately serviced by laser vision surgery.
What Happens During Laser Eye Surgery?
There are different types of laser eye surgery. Depending on which is deemed most appropriate for your needs, the intricacies of the procedure will differ slightly. However, whichever treatment you undergo you can expect the following:
- Both eyes are often treated in a single session
- The process takes around 30 minutes
- Your eyes will be numbed before treatment using anesthetic eye drops
- You will lie down during the procedure
- Special spring clips will be fixed to the eyelid to allow you to blink safely during the procedure
- You’ll be able to return home the same day
The range of laser treatment for eyes
- LASIK (Laser in situ Keratomileusis): Used to treat nearsightedness and, on occasion, farsightedness, and astigmatism. A laser is used to remove very fine layers of tissue from the cornea to reshape the cornea.
- SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction): Similar to LASIK but the thickness of tissue removal is slightly greater. It might also be removed from deeper into the cornea. The procedure is used to correct nearsightedness.
Surface Laser Treatments—PRK, LASEK & TransPRK: PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy and all of the surface laser treatments remove a fine layer of tissue beneath the clear layer of the cornea. This then regrows, smoothing off as it does. This allows the eye to work at an optimal level. Such treatments are generally used for those with moderate nearsightedness, although in some cases it can be used to treat longsightedness and astigmatism.
How Does WBEC Provide the Best Laser Eye Surgery Near Me?
The West Boca Eye Center (WBEC) provides laser vision correction from one of the country’s leading specialists—Brent Bellotte MD. The key to the most advantageous outcome is down to the selection of the right procedure and the skill of the surgeon who carries it out. Bellotte is highly regarded by his peers on a global scale. He’s an accomplished clinician who’s dedicated much of his career to the ongoing development of laser vision correction treatments, bringing cutting edge procedures to those who need laser eye surgery. Boca Raton-based, the WBEC is an ultra-modern eye center that offers patients the very latest in eye care procedures.
The clinic has been wholly designed to provide academic-level diagnostic facilities. This, combined with the forward-thinking expertise of Dr. Brent Bellotte, is the reason people travel from across the nation (and further afield) to avail themselves of the state-of-the-art treatment options provided by an ophthalmologist who’s a world-leader in the field of laser vision correction.
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a type of eye surgery to reduce nearsightedness (when you have trouble seeing distant objects clearly) and sometimes farsightedness (trouble seeing close objects clearly) and astigmatism (blurred vision at any distance). In this procedure, an eye doctor removes very thin layers of tissue from the cornea. The cornea is the clear dome on the front of the eye.
LASIK (Laser in Situ Keratomileusis)
LASIK is a type of eye surgery to reduce nearsightedness and sometimes astigmatism and farsightedness. LASIK is the abbreviation for laser in situ keratomileusis. In this procedure, an eye doctor removes very thin layers of tissue from the cornea. The cornea is the clear dome on the front of the eye.
How much is laser eye surgery?
The cost of laser eye surgery is dependent on the type procedure carried out, it’s complexity, and any necessary medications provided pre, during, and post-surgery.
While it’s impossible to provide a definitive cost as each procedure is priced according to the individual’s unique needs, a ballpark figure is anywhere between $1,000 – $3,000 per eye.
Who invented laser eye surgery?
Many people credit ophthalmologist and humanitarian Patricia Bath with the invention of laser eye surgery. While she was, indeed, a pioneer of laser surgery for cataracts, the therapy as we know it today has its roots in the groundbreaking work of Dr. Lendeer Jans Lans. This Dutch doctor published a theoretical paper in 1896, whereby he proposed that making incisions in the cornea could rectify abnormal curvature and cure refractive errors, such as astigmatism. To have made such accurate predictions well over 200 years ago is nothing short of astonishing.
Others who built on this theory include the Spanish ophthalmologist, Dr. Jose Barraquer and Japanese-born, Dr. Tsutomu Tsato. They both theorized and carried out research in the late 1930s. Further development occurred in the 1970s, when the work of the Russian ophthalmologist, Dr. Svyyatoslav Fyodorov further honed the technique.
The most dramatic leaps forward in the provision of laser vision correction have been seen in the last decade—indeed, even in the last few years. As we continue to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge, the techniques only promise to become even more refined in the future.
What is laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery is a safe and effective method to correct vision abnormalities and reduce the need for corrective lenses (glasses and/or contact lenses). Also known as laser vision correction, the procedure uses lasers to reshape the cornea of the eye. This allows the mechanism of the eye to focus in a better manner, leading to clearer and sharper eyesight.
There are various techniques available. Laser eye surgery is successfully used to correct shortsightedness, longsightedness, and astigmatism.
Does laser eye surgery hurt?
While there’s a range of different types of laser eye surgery, they all have one thing in common—that the procedure causes very little, if any, discomfort when it’s carried out. Your surgeon will use special eye drops that numb the eye during the procedure.
Post-op discomfort depends on the type of laser surgery you undergo.
In the case of LASIK, there will be little or no pain afterward. You may feel that your eyes are dry for a few days or weeks, something that your surgeon can rectify by prescribing eye drops.
Those who undergo PRK might experience a little pain for up to a week after the operation. This is because a layer of the cornea is removed and it takes up to a week for it to grow back. Discomfort is alleviated by the insertion of a contact lens immediately after surgery. It has the dual effect of protecting the surface of the eye and reducing post-operative pain. It’s removed 3 or 4 days later. Your surgeon will advise on over-the-counter or any other necessary medications to reduce pain in the short-term after PRK is carried out.
How does laser eye surgery work?
Laser eye surgery utilizes cool laser beams to make subtle alterations to the shape of the cornea. This corrects tiny imperfections, allowing for light to be correctly directed through the eye and resulting in clearer, sharper vision.
For most people, this results in vision improvement of 20/40 or better. The reliance on glasses or contact lenses is reduced or removed completely, leading to what many refer to as a life-changing benefit.
There are different types of procedures— LASIK (Laser in situ Keratomileusis), SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction), and Surface Laser Treatments, such as PRK, LASEK & TransPRK. PRK stands for PhotoRefractive Keratectomy.
The one that is most suitable for you will be determined in conjunction with your eye surgeon. He or she will assess your eyes, carry out tests, and discuss the options that will best treat your condition.
What does laser eye surgery do?
Laser eye surgery is a procedure that corrects various vision impairments—shortsightedness, longsightedness, and astigmatism. It improves vision, leading to a life with less or no dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses. Over 95% of people who undergo one of the many forms of laser eye surgery are satisfied with the outcome.
Major advances in the types of laser eye surgery have led to a variety of available treatments, making this life-changing option suitable for the large majority of people.
Sometimes referred to as laser vision correction, all the different types of laser eye surgeries work to create the same outcome—that of reshaping tiny imperfections in the eye that have led to suboptimal vision. When visual acuity is perfect, light travels through the eye and is received by a layer called the retina. However, this light trajectory can be impeded by bumps and unevenness of the cornea. These cause the rays of light to bend (refract) and to fall either in front or behind the retina.
By using a cool laser beam the surgeon will make tiny adjustments to the cornea that result in vastly improved vision.