The Latest Advances in Laser Eye Surgery
To the uninitiated, the idea of lying under a machine that is about to use lasers to permanently remove tissue from your eye can easily be mistaken for a torture scene from a poorly received sci-fi movie.
But what if we told you that this is a procedure that is carried out every single day, all around the world? And those invisible lasers are helping to give people permanently clear vision – all with no pain?
It doesn’t sound like a horror anymore, right? (though it still retains some of its sci-fi qualities).
And yet, Laser Eye Surgery as we know it has actually been around for decades – or at least the leading principles of it. Over the last 20 years, however, technological advances have helped to make Laser Eye Surgery one of the most innovative medical industries in the world.
We want to shed some light on this exciting and ground-breaking industry by discussing three of the biggest innovations since the early days of Laser Eye Surgery. We’ll even touch a little on what the future could have in store!
Along the way, we hope to show you how something that was once considered science fiction is now nothing less than science fact.
Wavefront: Mapping the finer aspects of vision
In the video below, our founder Professor Dan Reinstein explains why Wavefront is better than conventional Laser Eye Surgery.
The quality of our vision has long been measured according to what can be corrected by glasses. For example, if you have a prescription of -4.25, that means you have 4 and 1/4 diopters of short-sightedness and will require the corresponding glasses or contact lenses to correct this.
However, we now know that this measurement does not address all our visual imperfections. As Professor Reinstein explains in the video above, a glasses prescription doesn’t account for all of a refractive error (only around 90-95%). This means that, while glasses will help with your vision, a small part is still left uncorrected.
The remaining refractive error can be identified using an advanced measurement system known as Wavefront. This allows us to map out these additional irregularities, allowing us to correct beyond standard glasses prescriptions, thus enhancing even the finest aspects of your vision – which may include the clarity of colours and the crispness of objects.
That’s a pretty good innovation, right?
ReLEx SMILE: A quicker and less invasive procedure
The video below shows a of ReLEx SMILE procedure being performed in real-time at London Vision Clinic.
Next up, we go to arguably one of the most significant advances in Laser Eye Surgery to date: ReLEx SMILE.
Before the introduction of ReLEx SMILE, Laser Eye Surgery could only be performed once a flap had been created in the cornea. This allows surgeons to directly access the corneal tissue below in order to remove it and reshape the cornea.
Nowadays, though, we can access the cornea through a keyhole incision in a much less invasive procedure. This is all thanks to the invention of the Carl Zeiss VisuMax Laser. Not only has this development made the procedure itself faster, but it has also reduced recovery times and even opened up Laser Eye Surgery to patients who were once ineligible.
Even patients with extremely high prescriptions, contact lens intolerance, drier eyes, and thinner corneas, may now be able to be successfully treated with Laser Eye Surgery.
Typically, a ReLEx SMILE procedure takes just 3 minutes per eye and involves no switching between instruments. The risk of side effects such as dry eye is also significantly reduced when compared to the more common LASIK procedure. This means that patients can now get back to their normal routine faster than ever before.
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision: The end of reading glasses
Expert laser eye surgeon Prof Reinstein on the revolutionary presbyopia treatment, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision.
Last up on our round-up of the latest advances in Laser Eye Surgery is PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision.
As we age, one of the most frustrating realities we have to deal with is the experience of deteriorating vision. This has long been a frustration for Laser Eye surgeons, too. Until fairly recently, the idea of overcoming presbyopia seemed, well, impossible.
But, since 2004, thousands of people have been able to turn back the years on their vision – thanks to the development of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision.
Our very own Professor Dan Reinstein helped to pioneer this technique which works by adjusting each eye to see better either up close or at distance. Following the procedure, our brains are able to adapt to this new way of seeing, combining the two perspectives into one crisp and clear image.
This allows for a much greater depth of vision and visual acuity when compared with traditional methods like monovision.
The best thing about PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision? It‘s tolerated by around 98% of candidates (compared with just 60% who tolerate monovision). It can also significantly reduce, and in many cases completely eliminate, the need for wearing reading glasses, bifocals, or varifocal lenses.
What could the Future Hold?
While many of the biggest obstacles in Laser Eye Surgery have already been overcome, the industry will undoubtedly continue to make incremental improvements. Knowledgeable and dedicated experts like Professor Dan Reinstein continue to strive to make Laser Eye Surgery the best it can be.
From expanding the range of suitable candidates, decreasing risk levels, and improving patient outcomes (even further), you can bet that further developments will come along.
For now, though, our biggest goal is to continue making Laser Eye Surgery accessible to more people. In 2022, it’s more than possible to achieve clear vision and wave goodbye to a life of many visual impairments – and we want to get the word out there.
If you would like to find out more about the state-of-the-art technology used in our clinic, you can /contact-us/ with one of our friendly clinic coordinators. If you’re ready to learn how you can benefit from Laser Eye Surgery, Book a Consultation today!
