To date, the problem of impairment of vision (the rapid development of various ophthalmic diseases) in people of different age categories is very acute. All is to blame for a negligent attitude to health and excessive load on the organ of vision. Computers, tablets, phones, televisions and e -books - all these things can not only simplify life, but vice versa, harm.
Fortunately, science does not stand still and those diseases that have previously succumbed to treatment, now you can eliminate almost without consequences and complications.
Laser vision correction
Laser vision correction is an opportunity not only to abandon glasses and contact lenses, but also the only effective and safe way to preserve vision in old age.
The advantages of this procedure:
- Safety. The relatively low probability of developing serious complications.
- Efficiency for any violations. The operation is carried out not only to improve vision and get rid of optics. In some cases, laser correction cannot be dispensed with (this applies to diseases that lead to blindness).
- Painlessness. Before starting the procedure, the patient is buried in the organ of view anesthetic drug, so the maximum that the patient can feel is easy discomfort at certain stages of surgical intervention.
- Continuity. The procedure itself lasts a minute, the main time is spent on preparing to spend it.
- Short recovery period. In this case, there is no need for design in a hospital. The procedure is carried out on an outpatient basis and after it the patient can go home.
- Stability and predictability. How effective the operation will be is almost always known to the doctor before it. The result persists for a long time (the exception may be the presence of progressive myopia in the patient).
The choice of a specialist and the venue of the operation always remains behind the patient. The price of the procedure and the services of a doctor in private clinics may differ. Their formation is affected by many factors. Therefore, it is worth devoting time to finding information and clarifying all the questions of interest in advance.
Varieties of surgery
There are several correction methods. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. List of types of laser correction:
- laser (subepithelial) keratomilesis;
- Photo refraction keratectomy;
- Femtosecond LKZ.
Photo refraction keratectomy (Federal Migration Service) was first spent several decades ago in Germany. Using this procedure, an exposure to the cornea with an with an with a leap laser. The testimony for conducting are astigmatism, myopia and farsightedness.
A significant drawback of the method of photo -response keratectomy is a long and unpleasant recovery period. Also, vision after the procedure does not return immediately, but gradually, complications are possible. Therefore, they resort to it only when other more modern and effective methods are contraindicated.
Laser subepithelial keratomilesis (Lasek). Unlike the previous method, during the operation, the surface corneal layer does not occur, it only shifts to the side. The recovery period lasts less than with the Federal Migration Service.
Laser keratomilesis (Lasik). At the moment, this is the safest and most effective method of correction of vision. The recovery period is short, vision improves already in the first hours after surgery.
Femtosecond LEC (femo lasik) is one of the modifications of the Lasik method, which helps to achieve perfect results. The risks are reduced, vision returns, and the rehabilitation period does not last long. Also, this method has fewer contraindications than ordinary laser correction. The procedure can be carried out to patients even with the "dry eye syndrome".
There are also other modifications of the main methods. The choice of the most relevant method in a specific situation is carried out by the doctor.
Indications and contraindications
Laser vision correction, like any other procedure, has its own indications and contraindications. Indications are divided into two types: medical and professional.
A medical indication for laser vision correction is the presence of such violations on one eye (the other well):
- farsightedness;
- astigmatism;
- myopia.
Professional indications (specialties where it is inappropriate to wear lenses or glasses):
- firefighters;
- police;
- military;
- People working in the industrial sphere (places where there are a lot of dust, smoke and other adverse factors).
Contraindications are relative and absolute. Absolute include:
- Autoimmune pathologies;
- immunodeficiency;
- diseases affecting the processes and healing rate after surgery;
- the presence of only one eye in the patient;
- myopia (progressive);
- herpesvirus infection;
- retinal detachment;
- The thinning of the cornea.
List of relative contraindications:
- diabetes mellitus;
- psychoses;
- Pregnancy of breastfeeding;
- heart problems in the patient (the presence of a pacemaker);
- ophthalmological diseases of an inflammatory nature;
- scars in the cornea (shell);
- changes in the retina and fundus.
The operation is strictly forbidden to conduct people who have not reached the age of 18. This is due to physiological characteristics (not completely formed by the eyeball).
Preparation for laser correction
When the operation to restore vision is already assigned, the ophthalmologist recommends taking a number of tests and follow certain rules. You may also need a consultation of other specialists: therapist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, etc.
Analyzes that must be taken before the procedure:
- general blood test;
- general urine analysis;
- HIV analysis;
- Analysis for syphilis;
- hepatitis analysis;
- Coagulogram.
The list of recommendations that are very important to be performed for admission to surgical intervention:
- stop wearing contact lenses (it is necessary to do this one to two weeks before surgery);
- refuse a few days before the procedure from alcoholic beverages and medicines that contain alcohol;
- put yourself in order before the procedure;
- Breakfast on the day of the assigned date should be easy;
- It is impossible to apply makeup on the face and perfumes to the body before the operation;
- It is necessary to purchase and take sunglasses with you (they will be needed after the procedure and during the recovery period);
- It is advisable to take a close person with him for a laser vision improvement of vision who will remember all the doctor’s recommendations regarding the postoperative period will help to get home, and the first time will take care of the patient.
The fulfillment of these conditions is very important, since the success of the procedure and the final result depends on this.
How the procedure is carried out
Almost all types of laser correction are carried out in 3 main stages. If we talk about the most effective, popular and demanded Lasik procedure, then it is as follows:
- The first stage. A laser or a microcarath creates a flap on the surface of the cornea and takes it to the side.
- The second stage. There is a change in the shape of the cornea with a laser beam (it must correspond to the individual parameters of the patient).
- The third stage. The flap is returned to the starting position and taken up.
Many heard that the patients are sealing their eyes during the operation. There are times when the patient wakes up during the procedure, and trauma is possible. In this situation, the eyes are not sealed during laser correction, since the anesthetic drops are instilled before the procedure and the operation itself lasts only a few minutes, so such measures are overly.
Postoperative period
The postoperative period proceeds in each other. But after laser correction by Lasik, the patient feels an improvement in the early days and does not feel much discomfort.
After surgical intervention, it is necessary to once again clarify about all possible complications, ask for exciting questions, also listen to the main recommendations.
The approximate list of actions in the postoperative period (the duration of this period depends on many factors):
- You can only sleep on your back;
- It is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist in the set dates;
- After surgery, it is necessary to put on sunglasses on the street (they protect from dust, infection and small particles in the eyes);
- You can not touch your hands on the operated place;
- The prescribed drugs must be used strictly in time and in the indicated amount;
- It is better not to wash the head in the first days after the operation;
- You can wash only with purified or boiled water;
- For some time, you should abandon the use of care and decorative cosmetics;
- It is important to moderate physical exertion for some time (the doctor must report the end of the restrictions at the reception after examination);
- You can not visit saunas, pools and other public places where you can catch the infection;
- It is necessary to reduce the load on the eyes (refuse to read, watch TV, long -term use of phones and tablets);
- It is strictly forbidden to drive a car in the postoperative period;
- If it hurts or feels strong discomfort, it is necessary to contact a specialist.
There are some nutrition recommendations. Since laser correction is still surgery, and therefore a certain stress for the body, you need to eat right.
As in any other period, the food should be useful and contain the necessary vitamins. To improve vision, it is recommended to eat fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A and C.
For this they are suitable:
- fruits and berries: blueberries, apricots, peaches, kiwi, etc. ;
- Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkin;
- dairy products (cottage cheese);
- Fish: salmon, mackerel;
- Meat: chicken, rabbit, turkey;
- offal (kidneys and liver);
- Eggs (yolks).
In the postoperative period, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol and it is advisable to abandon smoking.If health worsens sharply in the first weeks after surgery and the prescription of additional drugs is required, the doctor should be mentioned about the recently conducted laser correction.
The risks and consequences of the operation
Despite the fact that laser correction in principle does not carry any serious danger, there are situations when complications still arise and they lead to not quite pleasant consequences. The ophthalmologist and the patient, agreeing to the operation, must be mentioned at the reception, must be ready for possible risks.
A list of possible complications that may occur during the operation:
- The horn shell may be clouded;
- visual acuity may decrease;
- The image may begin to double;
- Astigmatism develops.
Such problems can arise for various reasons: the lack of experience and professionalism in a doctor, incorrectly selected tools or a correction method, technical reasons, etc.
Complications that may occur after the operation:
- swelling, inflammatory process, itching, pain and burning;
- allergic reaction to drugs;
- lack of improvement or deterioration;
- blindness (caused by individual intolerance).
A number of problems that may not occur immediately, but some time after surgery:
- the return of ophthalmic diseases (shortness of the therapeutic effect);
- dry eye syndrome;
- Pathological processes affecting the cornea (keratoconus, erosion, etc. ).
The method of laser correction has both advantages and disadvantages. To decide on this procedure or not is the case of everyone. In some cases, it helps to improve the quality of life (makes it possible to walk without glasses and lenses), and sometimes saves from complete blindness.
Surgical operations
Despite the high popularity of laser correction, there are situations when you simply can not do without other microsurgical operations. They save from the blindness of patients with glaucoma, cataracts and various retinal pathologies. And also have a number of advantages and disadvantages.
To combat cataract, operations are carried out to remove the lens and its replacement with a lens. Microsurgery is also capable of dealing with retinal diseases. To do this, doctors achieve its complete fit to the fabrics (subject) or remove scars and fabric from the vitreous body with signs of pathological changes. Glaucoma is won by surgery to restore fluid balance in the organ.
Such procedures (surgical interventions) are widely used: :
- keratoplasty (through this procedure, the functions and shape of the cornea are restored);
- scleroplasty (an operation that helps to suspend progressive myopia);
- Implantation of lenses (fakid): farsightedness and myopia are adjusted;
- vitrectomy (during this procedure, pathological processes in the retina are eliminated)
- Lensectomy (during the operation the lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens).
Operational ophthalmic intervention can be crazy or superficial. Laser correction refers to the surface type, and the operation to remove cataracts to the strip.
Surgical intervention comes to the rescue when laser correction is prohibited or unable to cope with a serious ophthalmological disease (cataract, glaucoma, etc. ).Therefore, if the doctor insists precisely on the surgical way of combating the disease, then he needs to trust him.
Treatment of ophthalmic diseases is rarely cheap, and this is not due to the desire of doctors to earn as much money as possible. This is due to the high cost of material and equipment with which treatment is carried out. The eternal issue is also a decision on choosing a clinic: private or state. In this case, it is difficult to guess. The doctor from the state clinic may have more experience, and he makes all the procedures efficiently and confidently, and the doctor from a private clinic has more conditions for successful work (modern equipment). Some doctors work simultaneously both in the private and state clinic, so you do not need to focus on the price of services. The presence of positive reviews and recommendations is much more important.