Eye Laser Treatment History

Even in ancient times, the Greeks and Romans noticed that a glass ball filled with water had the ability to magnify objects.

The first glasses were round lenses in a frame. It took almost five hundred years to put the lenses in the frame on the nose with the help of temples.

The timeline of eye laser treatment:

• 1939 Dr. Sato (Japan) performed the first operations of the so-called. "radial keratotomy". The surgeon made deep radial incisions on the cornea with a special blade. After fusion, the resulting scars reduced the curvature of the cornea, and vision improved with myopia.
• 1976 The excimer laser was used by IBM to produce microchips for computers.
• 1985 The first excimer laser correction using the PRK method (photorefractive keratectomy) is performed in Berlin by Dr. Theo Seyler and Wollensack. Dr. Theo Seiler presented to the German Ophthalmological Society his patients who had their eyesight corrected with the excimer laser.
• 1988 The world's first procedure of excimer laser vision correction using the LASIK method was carried out in Novosibirsk by a group of doctors led by A. M. Razhev and V. P. Chebotarev. The advantages of this method are a quick recovery of vision (2-3 hours), high accuracy of correction, complete safety of the procedure and stability of the result.
• 1989 Dr. Ruiz began to correct myopia using the ALK method (automated lamellar keratoplasty), when two discs are cut from the cornea of ​​​​the eye: the inner disc is removed and the outer one is returned to its original place.
• 1991 Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris in Crete has made a number of improvements in the technique of excimer laser LASIK correction.
• year 2001. The femtosecond laser was first used in ophthalmology.
• 2003 The EPI-LASIK technique (superficial laser keratomileusis) was developed. This technique was developed by Professor Ioannis Pollikaris (Greece).
• 2003 The first clinical application of the IntraLASIK laser vision correction technique. The essence of IntraLASIK is that the corneal flap is formed using a femtosecond laser, and not a mechanical microkeratome, which uses a steel blade. Otherwise, this technique is called all-laser LASIK (All Laser Lasik).

When eye laser treatment become popular?

Since the late 80s, excimer laser vision correction has been rapidly spreading around the world, and is now successfully used in almost all leading ophthalmological centers. To date, millions of people suffering from myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism have already chosen the excimer laser correction method as the most effective and safe way to restore vision.

Modern ophthalmology does not stand still, every year the boundaries of the use of laser correction are expanding. New techniques are constantly emerging that allow you to select the most effective options for this procedure, optimally suited for each individual patient - and today laser correction is successfully performed for people even with very complex refractive errors.

Laser correction is a modern, popular, effective method aimed at improving and restoring vision functions. This is practically the only way to help minimize the wearing of glasses and lenses or completely stop using them. The essence of the procedure is the use of a laser. The laser beam is directed to the eye cornea, as a result of which it changes its shape (optical properties), and the retina has the opportunity to correctly focus the image, thus, the process of improving vision occurs.

Visual impairments for which laser eye surgery is recommended:

• Nearsightedness, or myopia, is when a person sees close objects clearly, but blurry or poor vision of distant objects. Appropriate laser correction will be with not too pronounced myopia.
   
• Farsightedness or hypermetropia is a defect in optics, in which objects at a distance are seen clearly, and nearby objects are blurred.
   
• Astigmatism is an uneven curvature of the cornea. In this case, laser surgery performed on the cornea is effective. It is used for low and medium degree of astigmatism.

Methods of laser vision correction:

• Laser keratomileusis (LASIK) - The procedure lasts only 10-15 minutes. At the first stage, using a special mechanical microkeratome, the surface layer of the cornea, a kind of corneal flap, is separated, after which the excimer laser acts on the inner layers of the cornea, changing its shape. With each pulse, it removes a layer approximately 1/500 of the thickness of a human hair - such precision allows you to achieve the perfect correction result. At the end of the procedure, the corneal flap is placed in place and reliably self-sealed, taking the desired curvature. Advantages of the method: before the invention of the LASIK technique, laser correction was performed without flap separation, tissue evaporation was carried out from the outer layer of the cornea. The healing process after such procedures was quite long and painful. Advantages of LASIK laser correction: the results of LASIK laser correction are perfectly predictable and stable, the rehabilitation period is short, the procedure is almost painless, discomfort during the recovery period is minimal. Laser correction according to the LASIK technique was first performed in 1989 and remains the most popular all over the world to this day.
   
• Femto-laser correction (Femto-LASIK) - The principle of intervention is the same as for LASIK correction, the effect is on the inner layers of the cornea. The difference is that the corneal flap using this technology is formed using a femtosecond laser beam, and not a mechanical microkeratome. Otherwise, this technique is called “All Laser LASIK” (“All Laser LASIK”). Advantages of the method: the use of a femtosecond laser during laser vision correction makes the procedure as gentle and practically contactless as possible, and reduces the recovery period. With the advent of this technology, it has become possible to perform laser vision correction for patients with such structural features of the cornea, which were previously a contraindication to the procedure. The unprecedented precision of the femtosecond laser makes it possible to obtain maximum performance not only in visual acuity, but also in parameters such as brightness, contrast, and twilight vision.
   
• Personalized support for laser eye correction (Custom Vue, Super-LASIK) - A feature of this method is the most accurate correction of the shape of the cornea based on data obtained using preliminary aberrometric analysis, which takes into account absolutely all the distortions in the human optical system. The degree of their influence on the quality of vision is automatically determined, and such a shape of the cornea is modeled that maximally compensates for all existing “errors”. Based on these data, laser correction is then carried out. Advantages of the method: laser correction with personalized support Custom Vue is one of the most accurate modern methods of restoring visual functions, allowing you to correct aberrations (distortions in the visual system) of a high order and achieve exceptional visual acuity. Custom Vue vision correction technique with personalized support meets the highest standards of ophthalmic surgery today.
   
• Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) - Vision correction is performed without separation of the corneal flap, on the outer layers of the cornea. The healing process of the corneal tissue after the PRK procedure is quite painful. The patient is forced to use eye drops for a long time, wear special protective contact lenses. Advantages of the method - at present, such interventions are carried out only for medical reasons. Laser correction performed according to the PRK method makes it possible to restore visual functions in patients with thin corneas - those who are contraindicated for the LASIK procedure.
   
• Laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) - During the LASEK procedure, the epithelium is separated and lifted using a special solution, acting as a corneal flap. Damage to the nerve endings of the epithelial layer is not excluded, which can lead to pain in the postoperative period. During the recovery period (4-5 days after the intervention), the patient wears a special protective contact lens. Advantages of the method: at present, vision correction by this method is carried out only for medical reasons. With the help of LASEKA, patients who have contraindications for correction by the LASIK method - too small thickness of the cornea or certain features of the shape of this natural lens of the optical system of the eye, get the opportunity to gain good vision.
   
• Small incision lenticule extraction (ReLEx SMILE) - In the SMILE procedure, the surgeon uses a femtosecond laser to create a small, lens-shaped bit of tissue (lenticule) within the cornea. Then, with the same laser, a small arc-shaped incision is made in the surface of the cornea. The surgeon extracts the lenticule through this incision and discards it. Advantages of the method: this operation is indicated even for those who cannot do LASIK, patients with dry eye syndrome. The size of a single incision is 2-4 mm. The operating time of the laser is 25 seconds, and the recovery after the operation is 24 hours.

Eye Laser Treatment for:

• People who are short-sighted.
• People who are far-sighted.
• People with astigmatism.
• People who'd rather not wear glasses or contact lenses.

Eye Laser Treatment is not for:

Contraindications for laser eye surgery are:

• Vascular, autoimmune and immunodeficiency conditions and diseases that reduce the body's ability to recover (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, AIDS, etc.).
• Keratoconus or other pathologies accompanied by thinning of the cornea. Laser correction in such diseases can be complicated by uncontrolled visual impairment, which will have to be restored by performing additional surgical procedures, for example, corneal transplantation.
• The need for constant use of certain medications, among the side effects of which there is a negative effect on the eyes.
• Thin cornea (less than 450 microns).
• Single eye.
• Progressive cataract with a significant decrease in the quality of vision.
• Unoperated retinal detachment.

Eye Laser Treatment Duration:

• PRK surgery takes around 15 minutes per eye.
• LASIK eye surgery usually takes around 10-30 minutes in total.
• LASEK surgery usually takes between two and three hours.

Eye Laser Treatment Recovery Timeline:

• Patients can go home as little as 10-15 minutes after their LASIK surgery although they will need to be transported home by a friend or taxi.
• It’s possible to return to work after as little as 24 hours or within a few days depending on healing.

Possible Riscs for Eye Laser:

• Temporary sensitivity to light.
• Blurred vision (usually temporary).
• Dry eyes
• Under or over correction
• Eye infections

Of course, we will also take care of you after your treatment!

Our medical consultants will take care of you during 1 year after the surgery.
If you need any assistance, if you have questions, you can contact our staff.

Eye Laser Healing Process

Healing Process after eye laser is very fast.

Laser treatment of the eye is minimally invasive. The healing process is kept to a minimum and the risk of infection is very low, as there is no scar with sutures to heal. 

Within 24 hours, most patients regain clear vision after laser eye surgery, while others need two to five days to recover. Blurred vision and fluctuations in vision may occur after surgery.

During the first week, wear the goggles you got from your doctor while sleeping and do not let tap water get into your eyes. You should also avoid eye make-up during the first week. You should refrain from competitive sports for the first 2 weeks. Diving and swimming as well as visits to the sauna and solarium are possible again after 4 weeks.

• What to know about laser eye surgery

• Corneal Bıomechanıcal Changes Post-Flapless Femto Refractıve Procedure Vs Femto-Lasık In Myopıc Eyes

• History and Results; Indications and Contraindications of SMILE Compared With LASIK

• Corneal biomechanical properties after SMILE versus FLEX, LASIK, LASEK, or PRK: a systematic review and meta-analysis