There is no need to live with poor vision. Various laser eye treatment techniques provide highly successful and safe ways to help people see more naturally. It is becoming a very common elective procedure, already undergone by more than 20 million people worldwide to free themselves from wearing glasses and contact lenses.

In the eye, the cornea is the part that helps focus light to create an image in the retina. The bending and focusing of light that enters the eye is called refraction. Refractive errors in the eye occur when there are imperfections in the focusing power of the eye caused by irregular shape of the cornea resulting in blurred vision.

The most common way to correct these refractive errors is by wearing glasses or spectacles. These are inexpensive and readily available. However, they can be difficult to handle especially for active people. They can easily be misplaced, broken, and may cause contact dermatitis in others. At times, they can be considered unattractive.

Contact lenses have been developed to address these common problems. Contacts provide more mobility, can be worn safely during sports activities, increase peripheral vision, and eliminate the need for less attractive framed lenses. However, they require more maintenance and chances of eye infection are greater. These can also be uncomfortable to wear in dusty or polluted environments. Moreover, contact lenses cannot be worn for extended periods because of the risk of eye irritation.

Over the years, advancements in refractive surgery have made it easier and more affordable to treat these different refractive errors. The goal of refractive surgery is to reduce dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Modern developments in eye treatment made it possible to perform safe and painless procedures with the use of lasers. This involves reshaping the cornea or the clear part of the eye to focus light better and to normalise vision. Surgical procedures can involve using radical keratotomy using diamond scalpel, implant procedures, thermal procedures, or the more modern special lasers. More common laser vision correction procedures include LASIK, PRK, LASEK, and epi-LASIK.

LASIK or laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis is the most popular type and is the main method used to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. The procedure is painless and there is rapid recovery. Another good thing about LASIK is that improved vision is often enjoyed the day after surgery.

PRK or photorefractive keratectomy is an alternative to LASIK surgery. Like LASIK, it also uses lasers to reshape the cornea but without making a corneal flap. This is usually done if the cornea is too thin for LASIK procedure to be done. Since no flap is created, there is no risk of flap complications. PRK is highly accurate in correcting myopia cases but recovery time is longer compared to the more popular LASIK surgery.

LASEK or laser epithelial keratomileusis combines LASIK and PRK to treat astigmatism, nearsightedness, or farsightedness. This eye surgery causes dry eye less frequently than LASIK procedure. However, it may cause more pain and discomfort than LASIK surgery. Recovery time is usually longer and patients should use topical steroid drops for a longer period compared to LASIK. LASEK eye surgery may be more suitable for patients with very thin corneas, making it difficult for the eye surgeon to make a LASIK flap.

Epi-LASIK is somewhat a cross between LASIK and LASEK and again, it is an option for patients whose corneas are too thin for LASIK surgery. It might also be suitable for those whose eyes are at risk of trauma such as athletes. However, this procedure can have more risks such as eye infection, mild halos around images, and dry eyes.

These laser treatment procedures have changed the way people deal with refractive errors and have provided better options especially for patients with severe myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism.

To make an informed decision on which type of refractive surgery is best, patients are advised to consult experienced eye doctors for proper evaluation. Today, after research and advances in methods of refractive error correction, laser eye treatment offers optimum precision and safety, with minimal discomfort and rapid visual recovery.