Since the introduction of myopia surgery, it has been like a scandalous celebrity, with every word and action being watched by the public, with mixed reviews and criticisms. Recently, there has even been talk that myopic laser surgery when you are young will damage your eyes and you will get cataracts when you are old! First of all, it is important to clarify that myopic laser surgery is safe. Laser surgery was first prevalent in the United States, with data showing that nearly one million Americans undergo myopic laser surgery each year, and the technology is widely used by astronauts and the military.
Myopic laser surgery has no effect on inducing cataracts. Myopic laser surgery is done on the outer cornea of the eye and falls under the category of external eye surgery. The excimer laser wave is an ultraviolet wavelength of 193 nm that is invisible to the naked eye and does not penetrate the wall of the eye and affect the normal tissues of the eye, nor does it change the internal structure of the eye. Therefore, it does not appear that people who have had laser surgery are more likely to get cataracts.
You can have cataract surgery even if you have had myopia surgery and are old. The two surgeries are not performed at the same site: myopic laser surgery is performed in the central pupil area of the cornea, while cataract surgery is performed by making a 2-3 mm incision at the edge of the corneosclera of the eye to enter the eye, remove the cloudy lens inside the eye, and insert an artificial lens. The amount of IOL implantation depends on the state of the eye at the time. If the eye is myopic, the amount of IOL implantation is obtained by subtracting the amount of myopia from the amount of lens in the normal eye. If the eye is not nearsighted, the IOL will be implanted at the same level as the normal eye, so it will not affect the outcome of the surgery.