The annual college entrance examination is over, in order to apply for the ideal professional, fly the dream, many students choose to do “laser myopia correction surgery” to achieve a big turn in their lives. The rapid development of modern medical technology, especially the rapid development of laser myopia correction technology, for you to achieve your dreams on the wings to fly! In the face of the ideal impulse, how do we “rationally” choose the right way to correct myopia?
First, to determine whether they need and suitable for surgery? Do not be impulsive
Myopic eyes, poor vision, limiting your choice of college entrance examination volunteers and professional range, but also for the future of employment has laid a hidden danger; more bloodthirsty men to join the military, but with a myopic glasses and can not fulfill the dream! Laser myopia correction can let you get rid of the “trouble with glasses” and let your dreams fly!
However, as with any medical technology, laser myopia correction surgery also has strict requirements and indications.
First of all, the basic requirements for laser myopia correction surgery are that you are 18 years of age or older and have a stable myopia. If you are not old enough, your doctor will not operate on you; the stability of your myopia is also critical. If your myopia is still increasing by more than 50 degrees per year, it is best to wait for more than a year for the change to be within 50 degrees before you can be considered for surgery.
Secondly, even if you meet the above requirements, your doctor will also do a detailed examination of your eye condition, including precise medical optometry; whether the various anatomical structures of the eye, especially the shape and thickness of the cornea, are suitable for the surgery; exclude serious eye diseases other than myopia; and finally, combine your whole body for unsuitable diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, connective tissue diseases, etc. Only after passing a series of strict screening can we finally determine whether you are suitable to receive laser myopia correction surgery.
The second is to fully understand the principle of myopia laser correction surgery and the type of surgery, to be aware of
Laser myopia correction is the use of excimer laser to engrave a lens on your cornea, because the human eye’s corneal regeneration ability is very weak, the engraved lens will maintain its shape for life, so that you have clear vision for life.
We know that the cornea is divided into five layers. Depending on the level of laser sculpting in the cornea, laser myopia correction surgery is divided into two major categories: one is “superficial surgery”. This means that the cut is made on the subepithelial surface of the cornea, the anterior elastic layer. After the epithelium has healed and regained its optical properties, your vision will be as clear and comfortable as if you were wearing glasses. The second type of surgery is “lamellar surgery”. This involves cutting a tipped flap with a special corneal lamellar knife or more advanced femtosecond laser, then performing excimer laser stromal cutting on the exposed stromal surface, and then resetting the flap. While superficial surgery is primarily suitable for low to moderate myopia up to 600 degrees, lamellar surgery can be suitable for most myopic patients up to 1200 degrees (provided your corneal shape and thickness pass the evaluation).
If you have low to moderate myopia and are likely to be involved in strenuous sports, combat or other professions and jobs that can easily damage your eyes, then it is recommended that you prefer “superficial surgery” and “lamellar surgery” in other cases.
In addition, I am sure you know that there is a difference between “conventional” and “individualized” myopia surgery. So-called “conventional surgery” is like being given an “average size” of clothes to wear regardless of your body type. In this way, although everyone is wearing the clothes, there is a difference in the results due to different body shapes. This difference will bring some people to the visual quality of discomfort. For this reason, personalized surgery is now being promoted as a “made-to-measure” procedure. Personalized surgery includes “Q-guided”, “wavefront aberration-guided” and “topography-guided”, and the surgeon will provide the most suitable personalized plan based on the examination results. It is recommended that you try to choose a personalized procedure, which can bring you the most clear and comfortable visual effect.
Third, what is the safest and most effective procedure to choose? Femtosecond or Slab Knife (SBK)
Currently, the mainstream surgical procedure used worldwide to correct myopia with laser is LASIK, or lamellar cutting surgery, which accounts for about 70-90% of the cases. Prior to the invention of the femtosecond laser, all LASIK procedures were performed with a lamellar knife for the creation of the corneal flap. Early lamellar knife performance was not ideal, and from time to time, substandard flaps were cut out, causing visual impairment to the patient. With the advancement of technology, high quality laminates have been introduced. The representative is the OUP-SBK laminate knife from Moria, France, which produces stable quality flaps and greatly improves the safety of LASIK surgery. The outstanding disadvantage of the corneal laminate knife is that even the most experienced specialists can hardly avoid the complications of flap cutting. And once the quality of corneal flap cutting occurs, it is difficult to avoid the loss of vision to the patient and lacks room for maneuver.
After continuous exploration by scientists and ophthalmologists, the femtosecond laser, an amazing high-tech device, was used for myopia correction surgery in 2000 and introduced to China in 2005. Currently, most of the major ophthalmology centers in China have been equipped with the femtosecond laser, which has greatly improved the safety of myopia laser surgery.
The amazing thing about the femtosecond laser is that it can form a bubble of less than one micron in the corneal tissue with a “fixed depth blast”, and countless bubbles in the same plane form a surface that can be separated into a perfect flap with just one flick. Femtosecond laser flap making allows for personalization of thickness, size and shape, taking LASIK to a whole new level! In addition to the unparalleled quality of the flap, even if the procedure is interrupted due to poor coordination during the femtosecond laser scan, you can start over without compromising the safety and results of the procedure. It can be said that the use of femtosecond laser has truly fulfilled the need for safety in myopia surgery! Therefore, the femtosecond laser is your first choice for myopia surgery!
Fourth, it is important to understand the latest advances in myopia surgery.
The “superficial surgery” mentioned earlier has unstable long-term effects on high myopia and is prone to myopia rebound; while both laminar knife and femtosecond laser LASIK surgery require an 8-9mm diameter lamina incision in the cornea. Even years after the surgery, when the cornea is subjected to large blows, the incision still has the possibility of splitting or creating a flap fold. The full femtosecond SMILE procedure uses a secondary scan of the femtosecond laser to create a microlens within the corneal stroma, which is separated through a marginal incision of just under 3mm. The emergence of the all-femtosecond SIMLE procedure has revolutionized myopic laser surgery by bringing it into the “minimally invasive” era. After years of clinical application, it has proven to have good postoperative visual quality, fast recovery of corneal perception, less dry eye, especially without the corneal flap, “the cornea is no longer afraid of being hit”. Full femtosecond SMILE surgery has shown its great superiority and vitality, making laser myopia correction surgery reach a new height representing a major development direction of myopia laser correction surgery.
The four aspects mentioned above, the central idea is “safety” and “quality of vision”. Myopic laser surgery is a highly elective procedure, and its safety and quality are much higher than those of other eye surgeries. Safety and quality are achieved by the clinical experience of the surgeon, the surgical equipment, and your rational choice.
What if I am ultra high myopia and can’t have laser surgery? “Intraocular Lens” can help you solve your problems
Although the safety and effectiveness of laser myopia correction surgery is beyond doubt, there are some myopic patients who do not have the chance to enjoy it! Is there a solution for myopic patients who have high myopia or whose corneal thickness is not suitable for laser surgery?
The power of technology is truly unlimited. As early as 20 years ago, there was already such a technology to solve this problem, which is the intraocular lens implantation (ICL) for crystalline eyes. After more than 20 years of clinical application, the effectiveness and safety of this technology has been proven, and ICL can correct ultra-high myopia up to more than 2,000 degrees, and for high myopia, the post-operative visual quality of ICL is better than that of laser surgery. For some myopic patients who are unable to enjoy laser surgery, ICL has brought a blessing!