Excimer lasers have revolutionised the field of laser eye surgery, and allowed successful treatment of millions of patients worldwide. Various forms of refractive surgery, to reshape the cornea, are performed at Optilase Laser Eye Clinics to reshape corneas.
LASIK, PRK and LASEK surgery are all designed to correct refractive errors in patients who suffer from near-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism.
Excimer lasers have the ability to remove, or "ablate," microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea's underlying stromal layer, with an extremely high degree of accuracy, leaving the surrounding corneal tissue untouched. They are extremely precise and very safe.
For Your Eyes Only
The settings on the Excimer laser are completely customised for your procedure, and tailored to your corneas. Your degree of refractive error, the size of your pupils and the thickness of your cornea are all factors that your ophthalmic surgeon will take into account.
Correct evaluation at the outset of your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery, together with the skill and expertise of the Optilase team are the other critical factor in assuring a successful outcome.
How Do Excimer Lasers Work?
A laser emits light at a certain wavelength; and an excimer laser used in eye surgery emits a cool beam of ultraviolet light, with a very specific wavelength (typically 193 nanometres) to precisely remove corneal tissue.
The ablation or removal of corneal tissue allows it to be reshaped in the right way, to allow light rays to focus properly onto the retina for clear vision.
The high-energy pulses of ultraviolet light penetrate only a tiny amount of the cornea and have the ability to remove as little as 0.25 microns of tissue at a time. (One micron is a thousandth of a millimetre.)
Reshaping the Cornea to Accommodate your Vision
An excimer laser corrects near-sightedness by flattening the cornea; it corrects long-sightedness by making the cornea steeper. Astigmatism can be corrected by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal, rounded shape.
Excimer lasers are controlled by computer, which is set and programmed to correct your specific refractive error. It’s your surgeon who will program the laser with the desired measurements, to perform the necessary reshaping and treat your prescription. This means that the amount of tissue removed, and the pattern of removal, varies with every patient.
Eye-Tracking Systems
Some patients are nervous about what might happen if they can’t help moving their eye during the procedure; there is nothing to be apprehensive about.
Modern excimer lasers have an automated eye-tracking system built into the computer to monitor all eye movement and keep the laser on target throughout the surgery to ensure a positive outcome.
For a free eye consultation call Optilase Laser Eye Clinics on +353 1 223 8821.
