Laser eye surgery
What is laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery is most often used to correct vision.
People with poor vision often have a misshaped cornea.
The cornea is the clear layer at the front of your eye. It helps to focus light coming into your eye to help you see. A misshaped cornea can cause distorted or blurred vision, and conditions such as:
- short-sightedness (myopia)
- long-sightedness (hyperopia)
- astigmatism
As with all surgery, laser eye surgery has risks and possible complications, together with important benefits.
What are the benefits of laser eye surgery?
The benefits of laser eye surgery depend on the type of surgery and your health needs.
Laser eye surgery can reshape your cornea and restore your vision as an alternative to wearing glasses or prescription contact lenses.
Different types of laser eye surgery
There are many types of laser eye surgery offered for vision correction (also known as refractive or vision correction surgeries) including:
- LASIK
- LASEK
- PRK
- ASLA
- SMILE
Laser eye surgery treats several different conditions
Laser eye surgery is also used to treat a range of other conditions, including:
- diabetic eye disease
- some cases of glaucoma
- retinopathy in premature babies
Different sight conditions need different types of surgery.
