Laser Eye Surgery Procedures
How do they work?
The cornea and the natural lens focus incoming light onto the back of the eye. Refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, occur when the light is not properly refracted.
Laser eye surgery is correcting the way light hits the back of your eye by reshaping your cornea.
Three Generations of Eye Laser Surgery
What are the differences?
Laser technology and medical procedures to correct refractive errors have been scientifically approved and clinically tested for several decades.
The three generations of laser eye surgery are PRK/LASEK, LASIK and SMILE. From these three, clinics and eye doctors can choose the most suitable procedure for each of their patients.
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All three generations of refractive laser procedures have a high success rates, see how they differ in the video
Three Generations - All Improving Vision
1st Generation PRK
Original, flapless laser eye surgery procedure
PRK/LASEK uses the least amount of equipment to perform laser eye surgery, which is often reflected in its more economical price. This surgery is popular in some countries, however in others PRK/LASEK is infrequently performed unless other methods are unsuitable to the eye’s conditions.
These procedures remove a thin cell layer from the top of the eye to prepare the eye for actual procedure: reshaping the cornea with the laser. This surgery may be an option for those who are not eligible for LASIK or want to avoid a flap.
2nd Generation LASIK
Most common laser eye surgery procedure
LASIK is the most common method to correct nearsightedness, astigmatism, a combination of the two or farsightedness. Over 35 million people in the world have had their vision corrected by it since the 1990’s.
It treats refractive errors by opening the top layer of the eye and re-shaping tissue.
3nd Generation SMILE
Minimally invasive, flapless laser eye surgery procedure
SMILE is a minimally invasive, flapless treatment quickly gaining importance and offered in more and more clinics. It is used so far to correct nearsightedness, astigmatism or a combination of the two.
SMILE corrects refractive errors without creating and opening a flap in the cornea – a small incision in the cornea is used to extract excess tissue. This high-precision procedure is the latest development in refractive laser technology.
