Corrective Eye Surgery : What Is It?
You may have lost your glasses, or had problems with your contacts, for the last time. Perhaps you would simply like to get rid of your glasses, but hate the idea of putting something on your eyeball every day. You may play a sport or have a job that makes wearing glasses or contacts a problem. Whatever your reason, laser eye surgery may give you your desired relief.
Whatever your reasons you have no doubt heard about the popularity of cosmetic corrective eye surgery. But you may still have questions. Is it a safe procedure? What are the risks? How much will it help your vision?
If these questions are keeping you on the fence when it comes to scheduling the surgery, getting these answers will help you finally decide if cosmetic laser eye surgery is for you.
What is laser eye surgery?
There are two common “brands” of laser eye surgery, LASIK and PRK. Both of these laser eye surgeries reshape the cornea with the laser, though they differ in the application. This helps clear up the vision, severely reducing or eliminating the need for glasses or contacts.
The PRK procedure removes the top layer of the cornea by scraping it away while LASIK cuts a flap to remove the top layer of the cornea during surgery. Post-operative symptoms also differ slightly with the type of laser eye surgery.