Laser treatment

The method commonly used today for laser treatment of myopia is the so-called LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis). Here, the ablation of the cornea causes an altered corneal curvature. The procedure is only approved in Germany for myopia up to -10 diopters.

The more short-sighted the patient, the more cornea must be ablated. Correspondingly, the cornea must have a sufficient thickness and stability, otherwise the procedure cannot be performed. Contraindications: LASIK is not performed if the cornea is too thin or if myopia is more than -10 diopters.

Also, the patient should not be under 18 years old. The patient’s visual acuity is checked several times before the procedure. If the values differ greatly from each other, LASIK treatment is also not recommended.

Furthermore, various eye diseases prohibit LASIK, such as glaucoma and cataract. Wound healing disorders and autoimmune diseases also speak against such an intervention. Procedure: The procedure takes only a few minutes per eye.

Before the procedure, the eye is anaesthetized with special eye drops and kept open with an eyelid retractor. Then a laser is used to cut a thin lamella into the cornea (so-called flap), which, however, is not completely detached but only folded over. The underlying corneal layer can then be ablated with another laser.

The surgical site is then rinsed and the flap is moved back into its old position. This procedure usually takes less than 30 seconds. The flap heals within 2-3 days.

Chances of success: The chances of success with LASIK are very good. In most cases, vision improves drastically directly after the treatment. Well over 90% of patients achieve the desired visual acuity, many can even do without glasses or contact lenses altogether.

The risks: As with any surgical procedure, LASIK also involves some risks.The ablation of the cornea can lead to over- or under-correction of myopia, i.e. the patient does not achieve optimal visual acuity even after the procedure. In addition, vision in darkness may be reduced because the contrast sharpness may decrease. Especially if a lot of cornea has been ablated, its stability is severely limited.

This can lead to the cornea bulging forward due to the intraocular pressure (keratectasia). Furthermore, dry eyes often occur, especially in the first weeks after the procedure, because the production of tears is reduced. This may increase the risk of inflammation.