Over the past fifty years, the pace and quality of our lives have changed dramatically – we can no longer imagine life without intense sports, travel, and various activities where good vision is especially significant. The number of nearsighted people wearing glasses or contact lenses has also increased, who are more frequently considering effective and safe laser vision correction.
According to Lolita Pošiūnienė, a microsurgeon at Lirema Eye Clinic, myopia usually begins to develop in childhood and must be corrected. Fortunately, preschoolers and school children regularly visit eye doctors and wear glasses.
“When myopia and astigmatism are corrected in time, the eyes develop properly, and children grow up seeing well. Otherwise, the eye becomes lazy, and even laser eye surgery will not help in the future. Mild nearsightedness and astigmatism often do not interfere until around 25–30 years of age, but then young people start noticing they can not see clearly,” the specialist clarifies.
People of that age start to experience difficulties with poor vision when driving at night, attending conferences, or going to the cinema or theatre. Working long hours on a computer causes fatigue, eye strain, and headaches.
“In such cases, it’s important to consult an eye doctor and create a plan for improving vision. It’s important to emphasize that neither myopia nor astigmatism is a disease, so there’s no need to be afraid to seek help,” encourages Dr. Pošiūnienė.
A Vision Impairment That May Go Unnoticed
Astigmatism is a vision disorder in which light rays passing through the eye’s optical system cross not at one point but at two points. The result is a blurred image on the retina at near and far distances.
“Many of us have a mild astigmatism without even noticing it, and it doesn’t affect our quality of life. However, higher-degree astigmatism can significantly impair vision. It occurs due to irregular cornea or lens shape, positioning, or damage,” the ophthalmologist explains.
Frequently, after a detailed vision examination, it turns out that the patient has multiple vision disorders, for example, astigmatism and myopia. However, there’s no need to worry, as laser eye surgery solves two vision problems at the same time.
“In just ten minutes, modern technologies allow us to correct both causes of poor vision – myopia and astigmatism. After the procedure, patients often laugh, saying the surgery was so quick and easy that if they had known, they would’ve come much earlier,” L. Pošiūnienė shares from experience.
Laser Correction of Myopia Within Safe Limits
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a condition where light rays focus in front of the retina, making distant objects appear blurry.
“If vision can be successfully corrected with glasses or contact lenses, it can also be corrected quickly and effectively with laser vision correction. Typically, this procedure is performed from the age of 18, for up to -12 diopters, when the patient does not have comorbid eye or autoimmune diseases and when their vision has remained stable for at least a year,” the microsurgeon explains.
With the rapid development of modern technologies, it’s now possible to offer several different laser eye surgery methods – surface techniques like SURFACE, with a longer postoperative recovery period, and those performed in the deep layers of the cornea – FEMTO or SMILE, when the healing period is extremely short. This range of choices improves the chances of finding the most suitable method for each individual.
“During the consultation, we perform a detailed eye examination and discuss which laser eye surgery methods are most appropriate based on the patient’s health condition and the probable visual outcome. In all cases, the final result of the procedure is the same; only the postoperative period, vision recovery time, and the technique used to perform the operation, differ,” says the doctor.
Laser Eye Surgery – Not Just Comfort, But Prevention Too
Glasses are the simplest way to correct myopia and astigmatism to see well, but they are not the most convenient. They must be comfortable enough to wear willingly – otherwise, they will lie unused.
“Glasses limit physical activity – playing sports, hiking, climbing mountains, skiing, running, or doing water sports is inconvenient while wearing them. You must remember to take your glasses with you and not sit on them accidentally. They fog up, get scratched, and need frequent replacement. A real problem arises when you lose them on a trip and have no others,” the ophthalmic surgeon notes.
Another alternative for vision correction is contact lenses. You must learn how to insert and remove them, follow hygiene requirements, replace them on time, and not wear them during colds or, due to a higher risk of infection, swim in bodies of water.
“We often see patients with corneal inflammation caused by improper use of contact lenses. Sometimes these inflammations are severe and the cornea remains cloudy, which later interferes with vision,” warns the eye doctor.
According to her, laser eye surgery is the best way to correct vision, which effectively solves myopia and astigmatism disorders and guarantees complete freedom in daily life without additional care measures.
“Laser vision correction ensures a completely different quality of life. You wake up seeing well – you do not have to look for glasses. It’s convenient for cycling, traveling, relaxing, swimming, and you can choose any sunglasses you like. Even if it seems that your vision has only slightly deteriorated, it’s worth not delaying, but coming for a visit with a specialist who will assess your eye condition and recommend the most suitable correction method,” Lolita Pošiūnienė concludes.
Find out whether laser eye surgery is available for you online.