Refractive Surgery

$Refractive surgery$

Departments. Refractive Surgery

MYOPIA: In the myopic eye, whose length is longer than usual, the light rays convey in front of retina instead of reflecting on it directly. So the patient sees near objects clearly but has difficulty on the far objects.

HYPEROPIA: This refractive defect unable the patient to see clearly near objects, generally because the eye is too short.

ASTIGMATISM: It is an aberration of vision because the curvature of cornea is different in its different areas. This irregularity avoids to focus clearly the near objects as well as the far ones.

These refractive defects are measured in units needed to correct the vision called diopters, There are three methods for correcting: glasses contact lenses and refractive surgery.

LASER ENERGY: The excimer laser uses its energy to break the intermolecular joints acting on the tissue. So a fine coat of molecules are modified with each strike of laser, making corneal ablation, and correcting its curvature and its defects.

Now the refractive surgery allows us to correct any type of refractive defect, even though the existing techniques for this purpose are very varied.

For low myopia to approximately 12 Dp, the most appropriate method is the use of LASIK, which combines the advantages of queratomileusis (corneal carving) and the excimer laser accuracy.

It is not directly applied on the surface of the cornea but in the corneal stroma, where it destroys a quantity of tissues in proportion to the quantity of diopters that are to be corrected.

From 13 or 14 diopters, techniques of implanting special intraocular lenses can be used that correct these defects from inside of the eye. The hyperopia has similar solution from low to 6 diopters with different types of laser, for higher diopters special intraocular lenses are used. See NEWS.

The astigmatism in its different types can also be cured with excimer laser, or with other techniques depending on each type of astigmatism.

Thanks to refractive surgery the patient can improve his personal and professional image by not using glasses or contact lenses, doing any type of work even sports.

In the Cantabrian Institute of Ophthalmology we have the most modern installations and techniques capable to offer you an integral ophthalmological assistance without hospitalization and of the highest quality.