I. What are the correction methods for myopia? What is the most advanced myopia treatment method to date?
China is a myopic country, with more than 400 million myopia sufferers nationwide, and this number is rising at a rate of 6% per year. Correction methods range from traditional frame glasses to contact lenses, but beauty lovers believe that “then pay attention to maintenance, and then carefully dress makeup, as long as the nose bridge on the heavy glasses, is a waste. In addition to its many inconveniences in life, people are not satisfied with these methods of improving vision with the help of foreign objects, dreaming of not wearing glasses can also make the blurred world back to clear. Acupuncture, eye drops, ear patches, magnetic therapy and other methods with unclear efficacy came into being until the 1990s, when the excimer laser myopia correction technology, which combines the achievements of physics, optics, medicine and other disciplines, was born. This technology has now become an internationally recognized and effective myopia treatment in the field of ophthalmology.
What is Femtosecond Laser?
Femtosecond laser is a laser that operates in pulses with a wavelength of 1053 nm and a very short duration of a few femtoseconds. One femtosecond is 1/1000 trillionth of a second, which is the shortest pulse available to mankind today. It is the cutting-edge technology in laser ophthalmology today and is currently used mainly in corneal and cataract surgery. Femtosecond laser flap making and full femtosecond laser surgery for myopia is by far the top technology for treating myopia, and has enabled many myopic patients to remove their glasses and recreate perfect vision.
Femtosecond laser myopia surgery?
1.Semi-femtosecond laser surgery: the femtosecond laser is used to create the corneal flap, and then excimer laser cutting is performed, the principle of the surgery is the same as the ordinary surgery. First, a thin corneal flap is created in the corneal stroma with precise thickness and smooth cutting, and then the excimer laser is used to slightly change the corneal curvature to achieve the effect of vision correction, and finally the flap is reset.
The other is the most advanced full femtosecond myopia treatment.
2, full femtosecond laser myopia correction surgery: full femtosecond actually reduces the risk of surgery, which is a unique technology of Zeiss femtosecond, and is now maturely used in many foreign countries.
2, femtosecond laser stromal lens excision: that is, the application of femtosecond laser in the layers of the corneal stroma, respectively, two different depths of laser scanning, complete a complete correction of myopia optical lens cutting, lifting the corneal flap to remove the lens to correct myopia.
Femtosecond laser micro-incision stromal lenticule excision: also called small incision surgery, that is, a smile-like 4 mm curved incision is made at the edge of the cornea, and along this micro-incision, the lenticule-like corneal tissue made by the femtosecond laser is separated and removed to correct myopia without lifting the corneal flap.
What is the difference between femtosecond laser myopia correction and traditional surgery? What are the advantages of femtosecond laser for myopia treatment?
1, the action time is short, the whole treatment without knife, in the production of corneal flap, the laser directly pushed open the corneal tissue, without knife, no thermal effect and shock wave, no tissue damage, and to avoid the possibility of medical source infection. Femtosecond laser technology is virtually free of common problems associated with excimer laser surgery such as corneal hydration, the effects of environmental temperature, humidity, dust on the surgery, peripheral energy loss, low surgical predictability, and corneal thermal damage caused by the high frequency emission of the excimer laser. More importantly, the procedure can be repeated with full femtosecond. Previously, during the implementation of traditional excimer laser in situ keratomileusis elimination, the most feared accidents such as negative pressure ring loosening during blade rotation would mean that the creation of the corneal flap would completely fail, the surgery could not continue and the patient would have to wait for three months to undergo the surgery again. If the negative pressure ring loosens during femtosecond laser surgery, the surgeon can simply put the negative pressure ring back on and perform the supplemental laser immediately, without interrupting the surgery. It is much safer for patients who need urgent medical checkups.
2. The advanced femtosecond machine has no abnormal pressure on the eye during the whole procedure, does not raise the intraocular pressure, and has almost no effect on the vitreous, retina and optic nerve.
3, the technology can be on the computer design of various parameters of the corneal flap, and can be in accordance with the results of the patient’s eye examination and the patient’s occupation, age, vision needs to design the best treatment plan, truly “tailor-made” personalized treatment.
4, femtosecond laser focusing power, precise positioning, can be controlled to an accuracy of about 1 micron, the production of corneal flap more accurate, more uniform, smooth, more perfect. The ideal thin corneal flap is safer and more reliable for patients with thin cornea; the flap is uniformly thick and thin, avoiding irregular astigmatism due to uneven flaps after surgery; the femtosecond laser has less aberration than excimer laser surgery and better corrected visual acuity; it has better biomechanical stability and less regression; it better maintains the corneal surface It also maintains the tension of the corneal surface better and reduces the instability of the tear film, which reduces the incidence of dry eye; the repositioning is more accurate, which significantly reduces the risk of surgery such as flap displacement; and it allows patients to obtain perfect visual quality.
V. Is this surgery available to everyone?
Not all people are suitable for this surgery, and there are certain contraindications and restrictions for laser treatment of myopia. Generally speaking, patients younger than 18 years old, with corneal thickness less than 450um, other serious eye diseases and systemic diseases such as scarring, diabetes and collagen disease are not eligible for myopia surgery. Therefore, a thorough preoperative examination is very important and necessary. It can exclude people with contraindications to surgery and ensure the safety of the surgery. Before myopic patients receive surgery, they must undergo a comprehensive examination of more than 10 items such as visual acuity, refraction, corneal thickness, corneal topography and analysis of the anterior segment of the eye, intraocular pressure, and fundus to determine whether they are eligible for surgery.
What are the results of this surgery and what are the risks?
Intraoperative complications of femtosecond laser corneal flap are very rare in clinical practice, and the procedure is free of such complications, not to mention that serious vision-threatening complications associated with femtosecond laser have not been reported in the literature. Its dry eye and glare are less severe than conventional excimer laser in situ keratomileusis, with reduced postoperative higher-order aberrations and less chance of infection. The Zeiss full femtosecond procedure allows for less potential intraoperative risk to the eye, especially the retina and optic nerve. Patients cannot smell a little burnt odor (which excimer laser surgery has) during the surgery, reducing their panic.
What are the reasons and confidence to choose femtosecond laser treatment?
Femtosecond laser myopia correction surgery is a once-in-a-lifetime procedure that not only improves the patient’s overall appearance and eliminates the inconvenience of wearing frames and contact lenses, but also has the advantages of less damage, higher accuracy, predictability, fewer complications, and a wider range of indications. Especially for high school graduates and young people who are about to choose a career, by correcting myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism, they have more opportunities to choose a major and a career, which will give them more chances to succeed in life.
VIII. Precautions before and after surgery?
Stop wearing hard contact lenses for 3 to 4 weeks before surgery and soft contact lenses for 1 to 2 weeks before surgery. If you have eye trauma, infection, cold and other systemic diseases, you should suspend the surgery. Come to the hospital at least 1 day in advance for examination before surgery. Patients who are suitable for surgery should follow the doctor’s prescription for daily antibacterial eye drops. Wear transparent eye shields to protect your eyes within 24 hours after surgery. Be sure to follow up on the first day after surgery and use eye drops as prescribed by your doctor. Do not eat irritating food within 1 week after surgery. Do not splash water into the eyes and do not rub your eyes when washing your hair and face within 2 weeks after surgery. Do not wear makeup for 1 month after surgery, do not swim for 3 months after surgery, avoid collision with the operated eye by external force, and review on time as prescribed by the doctor.
9. How long can I see after surgery?
After the surgery, the vision will be improved, and most people can basically restore normal vision the next day.