Laser treatment of farsightedness

The possibility to laser the eyes to correct farsightedness is limited to a certain dioptre value. Up to +4 diopters, very good results can be achieved with LASIK treatment. In addition, laser vision correction is possible, but in most cases it is not possible to completely do without a visual aid after the operation.

Depending on the individual case and individual visual impairment, there are also other applications that can be performed with laser, which are discussed in a preliminary examination for applicability in the individual case. In general it can be said that long-sightedness can be treated well and lastingly by laser surgery. In many cases, glasses or contact lenses can be dispensed with completely afterwards.

The LASIK procedure is most often used to correct farsightedness. After careful preliminary examination and preparation for the operation with local anaesthetic eye drops and in some cases also sedatives, the eye surgeon removes only a small amount of tissue in the middle of the eye and a little more in the periphery (at the edge of the cornea), so that a physical convergent lens is modelled into the cornea. In this way, the too shallow curvature of the cornea is compensated for by lasers and a sharp image is again displayed on the retina.

This laser treatment can also be used to treat corneas with a low corneal thickness, since only a small amount of tissue needs to be removed in the middle. The procedure is almost completely painless and takes about ten minutes per eye. The costs per eye are about 2000 Euros, but according to a decision of the Federal Social Court, the costs are not covered by the statutory health insurance and therefore have to be paid by the patient himself.

There is a risk of under- or over-correction, but this can be remedied by a rectification. Dry eyes may occur, but this will disappear of its own accord after a few weeks. To prevent infections, patients are regularly given antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops immediately after the operation until the eye is completely healed.

A new laser procedure is also available for presbyopia, making reading glasses unnecessary. Prerequisites for treatment are a sufficiently thick cornea and healthy eyes without cataracts or glaucoma. The optimal effect is achieved in patients with low farsightedness from +0.5 to +1.0 diopters.

Often, only the non-dominant eye is treated (similar to right-handed people, where the left hand is not dominant and is therefore less used in everyday life). This is because the operated eye becomes minimally nearsighted (up to about -0.5 diopters), so that reading ability improves, but vision at a distance deteriorates. This effect can be simulated in advance with contact lenses to show the patient how the brain can compensate for the effect and thus ensure optimal vision after the operation.

The eye is only anaesthetized with eye drops. To keep the eye immobilized and not move during the laser treatment, a ring is placed on the eye and the eye is stabilized with a slight negative pressure. The laser intervention then lasts less than one minute.

Within the cornea, the laser creates several concentric rings, which are centered over the pupil. Through these fine rings, the laser creates a tiny protrusion of the cornea in the middle of the cornea and thus in front of the pupil. There is no external injury caused by the laser, since the laser’s bundled power unfolds in the depth of the cornea and the treatment therefore only takes place within it.

Infection is thus practically impossible, so the complications of the operation are minimal. A typical, but slight side effect of laser treatment for farsightedness is the vision of weak concentric light rings around light sources at night or at dusk. These rings correspond to the laser rings in the cornea and in most cases grow together over the course of a few weeks to months, so that the perception of the rings also disappears.

Serious side effects such as deterioration of visual acuity are not known, but there are no long-term results of lasers for farsightedness yet, as the procedure has only been used for 2 years. It is therefore not clear whether the effect is actually permanent or whether repeated treatment may be necessary. The costs of about 2500 Euro are not covered by the public health insurance. Further topics that might interest you: All topics on ophthalmology under: Ophthalmology A-Z

  • Long-sightedness
  • Long-sightedness: symptoms
  • Long-sightedness in children
  • Long-sightedness
  • Lasik
  • Presbyopia
  • Dry eyes
  • Contact lenses
  • Myopia
  • Astigmatism
  • Myopia
  • Laser treatment of presbyopia