The eye is an incredibly vital part of the human body. Having perfect or near-perfect vision is an essential part of wellbeing as well as maintaining independence. Thanks to advances in science and medicine, laser eye surgery has made it possible to improve poor eyesight and intervene with possible visual loss in a safe and proven way.

Light is essential for the eyes to see properly. The process of seeing things starts with light that enters the eye through the cornea. The cornea is the clear dome-shaped window at the front portion of the eye. This thin covering of the eye is only half a millimetre thick but very powerful, providing around two-thirds of the focusing power of the eye.

The cornea bends the light rays that enter the eye and focuses them on the retina, located at the back of the eye. The retina is responsible for processing these light impulses that are then carried by the optic nerve to the brain where they are interpreted as images.

The cornea is a very important part in seeing clearly. Its smoothness, shape and transparency determine clarity of vision. The normal eye can focus an image accurately on the retina but when focusing is not perfect, short-sightedness and long-sightedness occur.

In people with near-sightedness or short-sightedness (myopia), the eyeball is too long or the lens has too much power to focus. As a result, light rays that enter the eye are directed in front of the retina instead of on the retina, making a person see near objects well but not objects that are far away.

Conversely, when a person is able to see distant objects but has difficulty seeing objects that are near, the condition is called long-sightedness or farsightedness (hyperopia). In this condition, the light rays are focused behind the retina. It occurs because either the eyeball is too short or the lens has too little focusing power.

Another visual problem is called astigmatism where images appear slightly distorted. In astigmatism, the cornea has uneven curvature, causing vision to be out of focus. There is difficulty seeing fine details of both near and far away objects. The condition is usually present at birth and often occurs with myopia or hyperopia.

Presbyopia is the inability to see things that are close up. This is often seen in older people whose lenses have become less elastic. This normally occurs because of the natural ageing process. The loss of elasticity prevents the lens from focusing on objects that are near the eyes resulting in blurred close-up vision.

Laser Eye Surgery Procedures Correct Vision

Several modern laser procedures are available to correct these visual problems. Photorefractive Keratectomy or PRK was the first widely used laser surgery. In this method, the tissue is directly removed from the surface of the eye in order to correct the curvature of the cornea.

LASIK is quite similar to PRK but in this procedure, a thin flap is made on the surface of the eye in order to apply laser energy and to reshape the cornea. It is a popular eye laser treatment because there is very minimal discomfort and vision is usually clear within hours after the procedure.

LASEK is a mix of PRK and LASIK and basically involves cutting or moving back the outer layer of the cornea and then directing a laser beam to it. However, LASEK requires a longer healing process and is done for patients who need only minor corrections.

Recently, a non-laser internal eye procedure very similar to cataract surgery has been used. This is most beneficial to older patients who are beginning to develop cataracts on top of their refractive errors. The method is called refractive lens exchange or RLE. The technique involves removing the natural lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens of a different shape or curvature.

Refractive lens exchange makes it possible to permanently reduce or eliminate high degrees of either or both long-sightedness and short-sightedness in one procedure. The replacement lens provides additional focusing power and will never develop cataracts.

Currently, there are many highly efficient ways of correcting poor eyesight. Lasik eyes surgery, being the most popular laser eye surgery procedure, has benefited countless men and women with errors in vision. With the help of eye doctors who employ these different treatment methods, all these problems can be corrected to minimise or eliminate the need for glasses and contact lenses.