Tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses? Refractive surgery could deliver the clear vision you need, along with the freedom from corrective lenses you’ve desired for so long. The expert eye surgeons at The Laser Center of Coral Gables have accomplished just this for scores of people in Miami-Dade County and the surrounding areas.
Here’s more about the most common types of refractive surgeries people choose to treat myopia (nearsightedness).
Just What Is Myopia?
Myopia is another word for nearsightedness. It’s when you can see objects clearly when they are up close – but things at a distance are often blurry and difficult to see clearly. Myopia is the most common refractive error.
Myopia occurs when the shape of your eye becomes abnormally elongated, or when your cornea – which covers the front of the eye – is too curved. It can affect one or both eyes.
The problem is believed to occur for a variety of reasons, including a genetic predisposition to nearsightedness. If you have a family history of myopia, chances are you may inherit the issue yourself. Significant time spent viewing things close-up can also contribute to the development of myopia. This includes reading and close viewing of TV, computer, or phone screens.
Before the advent of refractive surgeries for myopia correction, the sole option for people with the condition was wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses to bring life into focus. Today, however, your treatment options abound. Eye surgeons offer many different refractive surgeries and other procedures that can help restore clear vision and eliminate or reduce the need to wear corrective lenses of any kind.
Types of Refractive Surgery for Myopia Correction
There are three common refractive surgeries for myopia correction that we will discuss here. Each boasts exceptional success rates, with limited downtime, little to no discomfort, and vision improvement afterward that meets or exceeds most patients’ desires.
Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
At The Laser Center of Coral Gables, we use a state-of-the-art excimer laser during a LASIK procedure to create a flap in the clear cornea of the eye to access the tissue underneath. Your eye surgeon then gradually and carefully reshapes the tissue to smooth or flatten the corneal curve to correct your myopia.
Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)
Photorefractive keratectomy is also a type of laser eye surgery – but it does not create a corneal flap as LASIK procedures do. Instead, your eye surgeon uses a specially designed laser to smooth the surface of your cornea, rather than the tissue underneath. This surgical option benefits people with thin corneal tissue or very dry eyes.
Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
With a refractive lens exchange, your eye surgeon will remove the natural lens within your eye and replace it with a synthetic lens (an intraocular lens implant, or IOL) with built-in correction for your myopia. The RLE procedure is basically the same as cataract surgery – but is performed before cataracts appear. As an added bonus, with the RLE method, you will not need cataract surgery in the future, because the artificial lens won’t deteriorate as a natural lens does.
Is Refractive Surgery Right for Me?
People best qualified for these in-office refractive surgeries for myopia correction are those who:
- Are 18 years and older
- Have stable corrective lens prescriptions
- Have no active eye disease
- Are in good overall health
Your eye surgeon will determine if one of the above surgeries, or another procedure, is right for you, based on your eye health (after a thorough eye exam) and your treatment goals.
Refractive Surgery for Myopiain Miami, FL
At The Laser Center of Coral Gables, our board-certified eye surgeons strive for the healthiest eyes and clearest vision possible. They also realize that patients want better vision without constant dependence on corrective lenses.
Accordingly, they deliver a long menu of operative and nonoperative solutions for vision correction, including refractive surgery to correct common refractive errors, such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and more. They would love to assess your needs and help you explore all of your myopia treatment options.
Find out more by calling The Laser Center of Coral Gables at (305) 461-0003 to schedule your consultation with one of our highly skilled eye surgeons.
