“Refractive surgery” includes a variety of surgical methods from ophthalmology to correct a defective vision so that the use of glasses or contact lenses is no longer necessary.
For many centuries, classical glasses were the only way to improve visuś (vision). It was not until 1869 that research began on modeling the human cornea (cornea) with the aim of correcting severe astigmatism (astigmatism – altered refractive properties of the cornea cause a reduction in visual performance) with the help of an incision in the cornea. In particular, the Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen (1834-1908) saw in this method the possibility of achieving a permanent correction of visuś.In 1885, the Norwegian ophthalmologist Hjalmar Schiötz (1850-1927) performed the first successful application of a refractive surgery procedure in Oslo. Since the 1930s, clinical studies and research on the application of surgical methods have been carried out, so that in 1963 Jose Ignacio Barraquer managed to successfully perform keratomileusis (special refractive surgical procedure based, among other things, on the incision into the corneal tissue). In the eighties of the last century, a laser was used for the first time to ablate the corneal tissue for the correction of visuś.
The goal of all surgical procedures is to correct the central portion of the cornea to optimize light refraction.
Indications (areas of application)
- Unsatisfactory or inadequate visual acuity despite spectacle correction.
- Poor tolerance of contact lenses bspw. due to a Sjögren’s syndrome (Sicca syndrome; lat. siccus: dry) – autoimmune disease from the group of collagenoses, in which the immune cells attack the salivary glands and lacrimal glands.
- Correction of surgery that has not resulted in satisfactory visual acuity.
- Need for optimal uncorrected vision (for example, police officers or pilots).
The following are the various subgroups of refractive surgery, with each procedure as a separate and detailed article still additional.
The surgical procedures
Surgical procedures of refractive surgery:
- PRK – As the oldest system, this procedure is considered the best tested for long-term success, both in clinical studies and in patient use. After epithelial removal, laser correction is performed. After completed surgery, the patient receives a contact lens to accelerate the healing of the cornea.
- Lasek – This form of refractive surgery is considered a further development of PRK. If the case occurs that the corneal tissue is not suitable for Lasik due to insufficient thickness, it is possible to resort to this gentler method. The difference from other refractive procedures is the use of an alcoholic solution to expose the tissue to be removed.
- Lasik – This surgical method is currently the most popular procedure for correcting a vision defect with the help of a laser. The procedure requires a small incision through a microplane in the cornea, so that the portion to be corrected with the laser is exposed and ablation (removal of corneal tissue), which leads to optimization of vision, can be performed.
- Femto-LASIK – This is a modified form of Lasik that is performed without the use of a microplane. Instead, this procedure uses a femtosecond laser as a so-called laser scalpel. Following the incision with the femtosecond laser, a correction of the corneal tissue is also performed.
