WHAT IS REFRACTIVE SURGERY?
Refractive lens surgery, also known as laser or surgical vision correction (depending on the procedure), is a category of treatments that are specifically designed to improve your eyesight and reduce your dependence on glasses and contacts. For most patients, refractive surgery is not needed, but an increasing number of individuals are opting to achieve their best possible vision with one of these treatments. There are several different types of refractive surgeries, all of which are known to be effective with very high rates of success. Our team at AEC – Aligarh are pleased to provide these advanced services to improve your visual acuity.
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR REFRACTIVE SURGERY?
More and more people are taking advantage of the dramatic improvements in vision that refractive surgery offers. Able to improve the vision of a wide variety of patients, the ideal candidates for refractive surgery are people who:
- Have myopia (near-sightedness) or hyperopia (far-sightedness)
- Are experiencing age-related vision loss (presbyopia)
- Are in generally good health
- Are over the age of 18
- Have a stable vision prescription
- Don’t have dry eye
- Have no eye injuries or infections in the past year
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF REFRACTIVE SURGERY?
Refractive surgery at AEC can help you achieve clearer vision with a host of great benefits, like:
- Offers multiple treatment options
- Can dramatically improve vision
- Corrects myopia, hyperopia, and presbyopia
- Reduces reliance on glasses and contact lenses
- Most are easy outpatient procedures
- Safe and highly effective
- Recovery times are short
TYPES OF REFRACTIVE SURGERY PROCEDURES
At AEC we perform the following types of refractive eye procedures:
- LASIK, the most well-known solution for common eye conditions (most notably myopia and hyperopia) to reduce a patient’s dependence on glasses
- PRK, an alternative to LASIK that is similar in nature but requires the cornea to be reshaped
- Refractive lens exchange, a great solution for patients with age-related vision loss (presbyopia)
- Implantable contact lens (ICL), a treatment that completely removes the lens of the eye and replaces it with a new and effective lens to decrease your reliance on glasses
REFRACTIVE SURGERY FAQ
Is refractive surgery the same thing as LASIK?
Refractive surgery is the actual name of the class of surgery. LASIK, PRK, refractive lens exchange, and implantable contact lens (ICL) are types of refractive surgery to address astigmatism, near-sightedness, and farsightedness. LASIK and PRK use a laser to precisely reshape your cornea, whereas the latter two procedures use implants to correct your vision. A member of our team of experienced doctors can tell you more about refractive surgery and determine which procedure is right for you during your consultation.
Is refractive surgery painful?
Having your cornea reshaped with a laser or implanting a lens into your eye may sound painful, but, it isn’t. At AEC, the doctor conducting your surgery will put anaesthetic numbing drops in your eyes to reduce any discomfort you may feel. Most patients only feel slight pressure during their procedure.
Is refractive surgery safe?
When people ask about the safety of refractive surgery, they most commonly want to know about the safety of a LASIK procedure. While any type of procedure has inherent risks, LASIK is generally considered extremely safe with a minimal complication rate. LASIK is one of the safest elective surgical procedures available today with complications in less than 1% of successful procedures.
YOUR BEST VISION IS IN SIGHT
Even though it isn’t always needed, refractive surgery can dramatically improve the lives of people who want it by reducing their dependence on glasses and allowing them to live full lives without worrying about losing contact. To determine if you’re a candidate, Dr. Anand Mohan Agarwal at AEC, will assess your eyes and learn about your overall health. If you want to learn more about refractive surgery and the procedures we perform, get in touch, and schedule your appointment.
WHAT IS REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE?
Our skilled team is proud to perform refractive lens exchange for patients. This procedure is very much like cataract surgery except that instead of having a cloudy lens, the patient is having their natural lens replaced with an IOL (intraocular lens) to improve their vision. RLE can be a great solution for individuals with a severe refractive error (myopia or hyperopia) and who aren’t eligible for LASIK or PRK. To find out if RLE could be your preferred method for improved vision, contact, and schedule a consultation.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE?
Refractive lens exchange at AEC can help you achieve the improved vision you want with wide-ranging benefits, including:
- Offers multiple replacement lens options
- Creates dramatically clearer, sharper vision
- Reduces reliance on glasses and contact lenses
- Provides an effective alternative for patients not eligible for LASIK
- Removes cataracts (if present)
- Vision improvements are almost immediate
- New lenses are not susceptible to cataracts
- A more permanent vision improvement solution
- Procedure is quick and easy
- Recovery time is short