Archive for May, 2007

If LASIK is not right for your eyes, or if the thought does not appeal to you, consider contact lenses, Orthokeratology (Ortho-K), or, that old standby, eyeglasses. These options are cheaper, may fit your life better and be less scary than surgery. They are less invasive, less risky, and have the benefit of reversibility.

Setting LASIK aside, consider the variety of contact lens designs for usual and special needs. They are now available in bifocal prescriptions. And, sensitive eyes even have the option of extra thin lenses. There are soft, comfortable lenses that you can discard after a day or a month, and rigid gas permeable lenses that can last years and provide sharper, clearer vision than soft lenses.

Soft lenses absorb moisture and conform to the eye with more ease. They are cheaper initially than rigid lenses, but more expensive in the long run. Some patients count this cost when comparing with LASIK.

Rigid lenses are more durable, but take more getting used to. They are more resistant to buildup of deposits. LASIK deals with astigmatism. With rigid contacts, you can differentiate between the left and right eyes and select toric lenses for astigmatism. Seven-day continuous wear lenses and 30-day continuous wear lenses have recently been approved by the FDA.

LASIK uses surgery to change the shape of the cornea. Ortho-K uses rigid gas permeable contact lenses to train the shape of the cornea. In both, this improves the eye’s ability to refract light and focus. While not a permanent result, with continued use, a person’s vision may improve drastically, up to 20/40 or even 20/20 vision.

In the beginning of the Ortho-K therapy, the contact lenses are worn about eight hours each day. After LASIK, vision improvement occurs in days. With Ortho-K, as the cornea changes shape over the weeks, improving the vision, the lenses are worn less frequently. Wearing time shortens to a few hours at a stretch every few days. Stopping the use of the Ortho-K lenses causes the corneas to revert to their original state. Occasionaly, the effects of LASIK may fade, too.

Clarity of vision may fluctuate, and it may take several months to change the vision measurably. Accelerated Ortho-K therapy may be used to get the desired effect more rapidly. People with low levels of nearsightedness and/or slight astigmatism are the best candidates for Ortho-K.

If LASIK or contact lenses are not for you, there is another alternative. Sticking with your eyeglasses may be the choice you need make. Eyeglass frames are more durable and flexible than ever. Lenses are lighter, stronger, more scratch resistant. New options for glasses include tinting that changes more rapidly, progressive bifocal lenses, anti-reflective coatings, UV protection and greater impact resistance.

Some advantages to this option are less expense than contact lenses or LASIK surgery, greater ease in changing your mind, and fashion-forward styling. The greatest benefit may be the guarantee that the good eyesight they have provided to you for years can continue indefinitely.

If you cannot have LASIK surgery now, or even if you never choose to have that procedure, these are viable, safe, money-saving choices. Even if you decide to have LASIK surgery at some future date, choosing contact lenses, Ortho-K therapy, or eyeglasses can keep you going until you make that decision.

LASIK eye surgery is not for everyone. For those who don’t want the expense or risks of LASIK, or have other restrictions, there are options. You could have different surgeries using a laser or a scalpel, a combination of surgeries, the new and improved contact lenses, or just stick with eyeglasses. This article discusses surgical alternatives to LASIK.

It seems like alphabet soup, but these are other surgical options. Sometimes a combination of these therapies could be the best plan for your eyesight, instead of LASIK eye surgery.

Radial Keratotomy (RK)
RK is one of the earlier corneal surgeries. Slits are cut into the cornea with a diamond scalpel, changing its shape. It is not as predictable as LASIK eye surgery and is only used for nearsightedness.

Laser thermal keratoplasty (LTK)
In LTK, heat from holmium laser light reshapes the eye by shrinking tissue in 16 places on the cornea. It has about two years of effectiveness and is for farsightedness, with or without astigmatism in those over 40. It is less invasive than LASIK eye surgery.

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
PRK predates LASIK by a few years. The same type of laser is used, but there is no cutting of a flap. The corneal surface layer is removed, then the stroma is reshaped. The initial recovery is not as fast as with LASIK eye surgery, but results are generally the same within six months. Some PRK recipients continue to need glasses for distance vision.

Corneal Ring Segments
Another refractive surgery that does not use a laser like LASIK is the insertion of Corneal Ring Segments into the stroma. These tiny, clear polymer implants correct slight nearsightedness by flattening the cornea.

Clear Lens Extraction
Used to treat farsightedness and nearsightedness, the eye’s lens is removed and an artificial lens inserted. An advantage is that the cataract surgery it resembles is familiar to many surgeons. This procedure is for severe nearsightedness and does not use a laser.

Phakic Intraocular Lens (IOL)
IOL treats farsightedness and nearsightedness by inserting a lens in front of the pupil or between the iris and lens, leaving the eye’s natural lens intact. used For extremely high myopia, IOL is only available in the US through clinical trials.

Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK)
In ALK, a microkeratome, as used in LASIK, creates a flap in the cornea to allow removal of a thin disc of stroma. The size of this disc determines the change in vision. This procedure can correct severe myopia and hyperopia, but is not as predictable as some others.

Conductive Keratoplasty (CK)
A non-laser surgery FDA approved in 2002 for treating farsightedness, radio frequency energy shrinks corneal collagen. There may be visual fluctuations for the first couple of weeks. Effects last for at least two years. Unfortunately, astigmatism may develop.

Micro-thin Prescription Inserts (INTACS)
Two small bits of plastic placed into the stroma stretch and flatten the cornea. The small incision may be closed by a suture. INTACS can be removed or changed. This procedure is for nearsightedness with or without slight astigmatism.

These are the current surgical alternatives to LASIK eye surgery. In addition, in new protocols, a surgeon may use multiple procedures to treat people who have severe nearsightedness.