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Very few clinics are able to offer such a variety of treatments. After a thorough eye examination, we will discuss the various techniques with you and together select the one which is appropriate for you. The essential requirements for any surgical procedure are safety, effectiveness and predictability.
The aim of most refractive surgery is to change the
shape of the eye, usually by changing the shape of the cornea which carries about 80% of the focusing power. In other methods, such as lens implants, additional correction is used, like an internal contact lens.
This can be done in a number of ways. We have outlined the basic options here, but it is very important that the right technique that suits you and your lifestyle is chosen together with the surgeon.
In all the procedures we offer we have two guiding principles:
» We don’t operate over the centre of the visual zone: The visual zone
is where light enters the eye and we use this for seeing through.
» We don’t remove any tissue (though some small amount of scarring
is inevitable with any surgery)
This also means that where possible, we aim to offer reversible procedures.
» There are many different kinds of lens depending on where in the eye they are implanted, how they are fixed and what their main purpose is. At the LCRS we use only anterior chamber phakic lenses for people under 45 (reversible) and lens replacements in RLE or cataract surgery sit behind the iris just like the natural lens.
» These methods involve some form of implant in another part of the eye, the sclera (the white of the eye) or edge of the cornea (INTACS), leaving the visual zone and line of sight alone.
» These types of procedure are reversible.
» Incisional diamond microsurgery involves making microscopic incisions less than 0.5mm deep and 3mm long. No tissue is removed, and this heals in a new position to correct short sight or astigmatism. No stitches are required and the results are almost imediate. INTACS to flatten a steep cornea in a reversible way. C3R/ UV-X to stiffen the cornea with ultra-violet light.
» CK (conductive keratoplasty by radio waves) and DTK ( heats spots by low power laser) for thinner corneas with no cuts or tissue removal to correct long sight, astigmatism and the need for reading glasses in the over 40’s.
» Keratectomy (LASIK, LASEK or PRK) removes part of the cornea by excimer laser usually after cutting a flap 9mm across. It operates over the centre of the visual zone and it is possible to lift the flap even years later.
Laser eye surgery (LASIK, LASEK, PRK, Wavefront, etc.) is largely thought to be the only form of refractive surgery due to the massive advertising coverage. In fact it is only one of the many options.
The LCRS was involved with early trials of laser eye surgery and later abandoned it because it falls down on both of our principles: it operates over the centre of the visual zone and relies on burning off parts of the cornea.
Some of our procedures are suitable for correcting problems caused by laser surgery.
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