When it comes to vision correction procedures, none have perhaps had as much press as Lasik eye surgery. The fact of the matter is that Lasik eye surgery is one of the most common ways to correct your vision, and has also been one of the most effective. However, there are a number of other procedures that are used to correct vision, and many people are turning to those procedures. In light of recent news about the possible side effects of Lasik, it’s worth at least taking a look at some of the alternative procedures and seeing what’s out there.
Here are some of the ways you can get your vision corrected without having to have Lasik eye surgery:
- Surface ablation (wavefront PRK). Also known as “wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy,” this is actually a procedure that was around well before Lasik eye surgery. PRK is increasing in popularity, largely because doctors are able to use new technologies to be more precise with the surgery. The advantage to doing this method as opposed to Lasik is that it doesn’t cut a flap in your cornea the way that Lasik eye surgery does. That cut is usually thought to be the most risky step of the Lasik procedure.
- CK. Conductive keratoplasty is a way to correct either farsightedness or astigmatism via a process which beams RF waves around the edge of the cornea.
- Phakic intraocular lenses. This is the process whereby a hard plastic lens is actually implanted into the eye via a small incision. It’s useful for cases where the nearsightedness is too severe to be treated either by Lasik eye surgery or via PRK. The lenses refocus the light that enters the eye, and this procedure also allows patients to see up close as well because the natural lens remains.
- Refractive lenses. These lenses actually replace the natural lens of the eye with an artificial one. It’s similar to cataract surgery. This is ideal for people who aren’t good candidates because of extreme vision problems, and these lenses can come in multifocal versions that help both with distance vision and reading.
