Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

By Tim Harwood

Read if: You think laser eye surgery is a new treatment which has not been around long enough to fully understand the long term risks.

Save: Time and effort needed to research the development of laser eye surgery

A history of laser eye surgery:

People often wrongly assume that laser eye surgery is a relatively new type of surgery which has only been round a few years but this is not actually the case. The first person ever to be treated by laser eye surgery was in Germany back in 1988, which is over 20 years ago. This very first laser eye surgery procedure was called Lasik and this is pretty much the same technique that is being carried out today although there have been some significant improvements in the technology since then!

Although Lasik was first carried out in 1988, the first actual refractive surgery (correcting vision) was performed by a pioneering Russian surgeon called Dr Fyodorov. This procedure was called radial keratotomy (RK) and involved the surgeon making tiny incisions in to the cornea (the outer part of the eye which contributes to the focusing accuracy of the eye) to affect its shape and also power. By changing the shape of the cornea, the refractive error (far and near sightedness) gets corrected. It is the same principle that is used in today’s laser eye surgery. Although radial keratotomy was successful to some degree, there were significant risks of complications such as corneal scarring and also problems with visual regression.

From 1988 onwards, Lasik eye surgery was the laser eye surgery of choice but it still suffered from a lack of accuracy and safety. Lasik surgery effectively involves the cutting of a thin corneal flap to allow the laser to reshape the inner surfaces of the cornea. In the early days, the main problem was that the lasers themselves were not good enough to deliver consistent results. As the lasers improved so did the accuracy and safety of the procedure. Today’s lasers are extremely quick and the laser spot is small and precise. This means the procedure can be carried out extremely quickly which reduces the chances of scarring.

The laser technology today Over the past 5 years or so, the technology behind laser eye surgery has been taken to a whole new level with the introduction of Intralase (blade free) and Wavefront (custom laser) laser eye surgery. Intralase Lasik refers to the way in which the flap is created during the procedure. During a standard Lasik, the flap is created using a surgical blade called a microkeratome. With Intralase however, the flap is created using a laser, resulting in a cleaner, thinner and more accurate flap. The result of this is fewer complications, less night vision problems and quicker recovery times.

Wavefront technology refers to the way in which the vision is corrected during surgery. Standard laser eye surgery uses a best fit correction of the power of the eyes, whereasWavefront laser eye surgery measures and corrects tiny imperfections. For example, your peripheral cornea may require a slightly different correction to your central cornea. Wavefront will take into account every little peak and trough of your cornea and will offer a tailored correction. Wavefront technology gives people a much higher chance of achieving perfect 20:20 vision and significantly reduces night vision problems which have always been one of the biggest complications of laser eye surgery.

The results: The risks of laser eye surgery are currently extremely low with most surgeons reporting a complication rate of less than 1 in 1000 procedures. It is also important to mention that the vast majority of the complications that do arise can be treated by your surgeon.

Today’s laser eye surgery results are also equally impressive, with most clinics achieving a 20:20 visual correction in around 98% of patients. 99.9% of the time, people treated with Laser eye surgery will meet the driving standards without glasses. This type of surgery is now considered as extremely safe and accurate procedure. That’s why over 300,000 Americans undergo the procedure each year.

There is plenty of information on the web, including laser eye surgery forums where people share their experience. You can make a  research before deciding to undergo the procedure. Don’t forget that it gives  you the chance t0 say good bye to your glasses or contact lenses, hopefully for life!

About the author: Tim Harwood is a specialist in Optometry

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