LASIK Alternatives
LASIK isn’t the right permanent vision correction option for everyone. Evergreen Eye Center offers several other paths to help reduce your dependence on contacts or glasses.
How Do I Know If LASIK Is Right For Me?
LASIK, short for laser in situ keratomileusis, is a common elective procedure in which your surgeon uses a laser to reshape the tissue of your cornea. Reshaping the cornea corrects your eye’s natural refractive error. It’s typically performed on adults with generally healthy eyes.
Qualifying for the procedure means having sufficiently thick corneas, a stable eyeglass prescription, and being an appropriate age for the surgery to succeed. Certain eye conditions can affect candidacy, so the first step is always a consultation with your eye doctor.
Because of these factors, LASIK isn’t suitable for every patient. Fortunately, other options can accomplish the same permanent vision correction goals.
What Other Vision Correction Options Are Available?
Evergreen Eye Center’s eye doctors offer several alternatives to LASIK. The two most common are PRK and ICL.
What Is PRK?
PRK can permanently correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It’s often a good fit for patients who don’t qualify for LASIK, particularly those with thin corneas. PRK stands for photorefractive keratectomy. During the procedure, your surgeon removes the cornea’s outer layer, called the epithelium, then uses an excimer laser to reshape the cornea underneath. PRK is an outpatient procedure performed in office and generally takes around ten minutes. Afterward, your doctor places a temporary bandage contact lens over the eye while it heals.
You may need prescription eye drops during recovery. Most patients notice improved vision within the first week, though it can take about a month to reach your best possible vision.
Interested in learning more about LASIK alternatives at Evergreen Eye Center? Schedule an appointment today.
What Is an ICL?
ICL stands for implantable collamer lens, a soft, flexible lens implanted in the eye to correct moderate to severe nearsightedness and astigmatism. As with LASIK, patients who choose the EVO ICL can significantly reduce their dependence on glasses or contacts afterward. It’s a permanent solution meant to improve both vision and quality of life.
Evergreen Eye Center’s physicians offer several ICL options, including the EVO ICL.
ICL
ICL lens material filters ultraviolet light and is flexible enough to be inserted through a tiny opening that heals quickly. The lens bends incoming light so it focuses directly on the retina, correcting your refractive error.
When light lands correctly on the retina, the image you see is sharp and clear. Though the lens is meant as a permanent solution, it can be removed or replaced later if needed.
EVO ICL
Evergreen Eye Center’s doctors also offer the state of the art EVO ICL, an implantable lens that corrects nearsightedness, including nearsightedness with astigmatism.
EVO ICL also delivers strong day and night vision. One notable advantage over other ICLs is that it doesn’t require a laser procedure called a peripheral iridotomy beforehand, a step many other ICL types need to manage eye pressure after the procedure.