Consultations with Pre and Post-Operative Care in Office

Refractive surgery corrects your eyesight to give you the freedom of seeing without glasses

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If you’ve been thinking about LASIK or Laser Vision Correction our optometrists at Comly Eye Care can help you make the right decision. Refractive surgery includes all elective procedures that correct for myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and/or astigmatism. 

There are several options available when considering refractive surgery, including LASIK, SMILE, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), RLE (refractive lens exchange).
We will offer an informed opinion regarding your candidacy for any of the options available and refer you to the appropriate ophthalmologist. Following the surgery we will manage the healing process in office.

All of our optometrists are trained management of refractive surgery and can answer any questions you have about laser vision correction.

Below is a list of what is available to you.

 

Refractive Surgery Options:

01. lasik – laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis

LASIK is the most common refractive procedure. During this procedure a flap is created on the cornea which is folded back to expose the underlying layers. Laser is then applied the cornea altering it so it allows light to focus on the retina without the need for glasses or contacts. Once this is done the flap is returned to it's original position and serves as a natural bandage that heals without stitches. The most common side effects can be dry eyes and glare.

02. PRK – Photorefractive keratectomy

Similar to LASIK in how they reshape the cornea, the main difference being instead of creating a flap, the thin outer layer of the cornea is removed which will regrow over a few days to weeks.  The final results are comparable to LASIK, but recovery times are longer as the cornea has to regrow.  The reason why this method is sometimes more desirable is because there is more cornea to work with therefore allowing laser correction on thinner corneas or higher powers.  There is also no risk of complications with the flap itself because there is no flap.  The recovery time for PRK is slower than LASIK and there is longer discomfort during the early recovery period.

03. SMILE or Re-lex– Refractive Lenticule Extraction aka Small Incision Lenticule Extraction or

A newer technique that uses a laser to create a "lenticule" or disc shape piece within the cornea that is removed. With the tiny lenticule removed, the shape of the cornea is altered, correcting vision. The corneal incision heals within a few days without stitches, and sharper vision occurs very quickly. This procedure has the same visual outcome as LASIK, but has been shown to have less dry eye symptoms and more corneal stability. It can also correct for higher amounts of nearsightedness.

04. ICL – implantable contact/Collamer Lens

ICL is a lens that is implanted inside the eye between the iris and your natural lens. It is used to correct for very high refractive errors including large amounts of astigmatisms that LASIK/PRK/SMILE are not able compensate for. ICL’s are removable and are recommended for those who have large refractive errors, unusually thin or irregularly shaped cornea, or dry eye syndrome.

05. RLE or CLE – Refractive Lens Exchange or Clear Lens Exchange

Similar to cataract surgery, this procedure replaces your eye’s natural lens with an artificial implant that matches your prescription. This procedure may be a better option than LASIK/PRK or phakic IOL (intraocular lens) for people with presbyopia, those over 50 years old, and high hyperopia (farsightedness).

As in cataract surgery there are different implantable lens options that will depend on your needs and the health of your eye:
Options of IOL implants:

  • Monofocal Single Vision: Provides clear vision in only one distance. You can choose distance only, near only, or monovision where one eye is corrected for distance and the other eye is corrected for near, but you cannot get all three ranges at once. Toric implants that correct for astigmatism are also available.

  • Multifocal IOLs: Provides clear vision at multiple distances. Generally distance is good, intermediate is good, and near vision is adequate whereby no reading glasses are needed most of the time.

  • Accommodating IOLs: An accommodating IOL is a type of monofocal lens that enables focus at multiple distances by shifting its position in the eye.