An eye is a delicate organ, requiring tremendous care before, during and after a surgical process. An expert ophthalmologist must identify the need for specific procedure and be in charge for conducting the method safely.

CK is a short form for conductive keratoplasty.CK is a type of refractive surgery that uses radio waves to adjust the contour of the cornea by shrinking the corneal collagen around it. It is used to treat mild to moderate hyperopia. It is a non-invasive alternative to other types of eye surgery. It is a “thermal” or heating procedure to correct farsightedness and presbyopia. The heat is delivered through a radiofrequency probe, a needle-like device which is used to apply a series of heat treatments deep in the cornea. The heat shrinks the corneal collagen and steepens the curvature of the cornea, reducing the amount of farsightedness, or presbyopia.

Conductive Keratoplasty,uses a high-frequency electric probe. The final type of refractive eye surgery involves the use of implants. Implantable contact lenses, or ICL, can be used to correct severe levels of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The implants are actually tiny contact lenses that are inserted through a small incision in the side of the cornea. Implants are seated so they sit immediately in front of the eye’s natural lens just behind the cornea. ICL works in conjunction with the eye’s natural lens to refocus light on the retina and produce a crystal clear image.

Each of these procedures has its advantages and disadvantages, and not all individuals are suitable candidates for refractive eye surgery. Individuals who are attracted in learning more about surgical options should contact their ophthalmologist for more information about these procedures, as well as inquire about other new cutting-edge procedures. As ophthalmologic surgery is constantly growing and changing with emergence of new technologies and methods, there are always new techniques in development.

As latest apparatus is developed and methods refined that be able to get better the accomplishment and reduce the side effects of refractive eye surgery, new procedures will emerge to replace outdated techniques.

A cataract is an opacification or cloudiness of the eye’s crystalline lens due to aging, disease, or trauma that typically prevents light from forming a clear image on the retina. If visual loss is significant, surgical removal of the lens may be warranted, with lost optical power usually replaced with a plastic intraocular lens (IOL). Due to the high prevalence of cataracts, cataract extraction is the most common eye surgery.

Cataract surgery in Chicago can be an effective way to correct your vision. When you have a cataract, it means that there is a buildup of protein over part of your eye, usually due to deposits from your contact lenses or aging. Cataracts will sometimes cause blurry vision, in which case you should prepare for surgery to correct your problems.

The lens of the eye, which lies behind the pupil and iris, works like a camera lens. It is responsible for focusing light onto the retina, producing sharp and clear images.

The lens also adjusts the focus of your eyes. It helps you to see clearly both up close or far away. The lens is contained in a sealed capsule or bag. It is made mostly of protein and water.

The protein is arranged accurately in order to let the light rays pass through it. It keeps the lens clear and focuses the rays onto the retina. But as we age, the old cells die and become trapped within the capsule.

Overtime, the cells accumulate and some protein may clump together. It causes a small area of the lens to start to cloud which blocks light from reaching the retina. . It makes images look fuzzy or blurred, and makes harder to see.

This clouding of the lens or its surrounding transparent membrane, which obstructs the passage of light upon the retina, is defined as cataract. It will affect your sight to a large extent. Types of Cataract surgery Phacoemulsification (Phaco) is the preferred method in most cases. It involves the use of a machine with an ultrasonic hand piece equipped with a titanium or steel tip.

Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), involves manual expression of the lens through a large (usually 10-12 mm) incision made in the cornea or sclera.

Intraocular lens implantation: After the removal of the cataract, an intraocular lens (IOL) is usually implanted into the eye, either through a small incision (1.8 mm to 2.8 mm) using a foldable IOL, or through an enlarged incision, using a PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) lens.

Intra-capsular extraction is an out-dated method of cataract surgery, rarely performed today.

Laser thermal keratoplasty (LTK) is a refractive surgery procedure that uses a Holmium laser to reshape the cornea for correction of low ranges of hyperopia (farsightedness). The Holmium laser is an infrared (thermal) laser that uses heat to shrink corneal tissue.

LTK is a non-contact laser procedure, as there is no cutting of the cornea, and nothing touches the eye before, during, or after the procedure except for the laser beam itself and an instrument to hold the eye open. The laser energy is applied in a predetermined pattern to shrink the collagen fibers in a way that steepens the cornea, changing the eye’s focal point. No eye tissue is removed in the procedure.

The LTK procedure is performed on an outpatient basis with topical anesthetic eye drops to numb the eye. Based on the patient’s prescription, the laser’s computer is calculated to deliver the number of pulses and the diameters of the circles needed to provide the proper amount of correction. After aligning the pupil with the use of a slit-lamp microscope, the surgeon activates the laser, and it transmits tiny beams of infrared light in two concentric rings around the periphery of the cornea. Because moisture in the cornea absorbs the energy in the laser pulses, the tissue shrinks slightly creating tiny craters, which tighten the cornea and result in a steeper surface. The laser never touches the eye, and the entire process takes just a few seconds per eye.

The LTK procedure is painless, although the patient may have blurry vision and a mild scratchy sensation for a couple of days. Antibiotic eye drops are normally used for about a week, and, if needed, Tylenol and ice packs can be used to relieve discomfort. Most eyes are fully healed in three days, and, although many patients report almost instant vision improvement, vision stabilization usually occurs within two weeks.

LTK is characterized by a very low incidence of side effects. Mild irritation, in the form of a foreign body sensation, was seen in under 2% of the cases and its incidence diminished over time. The greatest limitation of this procedure appears to be the possibility of reversion, or loss, of the vision correction over time. In general, about half of the corrective effect had been lost two years post-surgery.

Benefits of LTK
LTK treats mild farsightness and also provides a means of treating presbyopia (age-induced farsightedness). The procedure aims to allow patients to see near objects without glasses. For the FDA trial that led to approval of the procedure, at 12 months, 85.0% of the eyes were corrected to 20/40 or better and 37.4% were corrected to 20/20 or better visual acuity without spectacles or contact lenses. Due to the noninvasive and quick nature of the surgery, there was a lower incidence of complications for LTK than with LASIK, with less than 1% adverse events.

Other benefits unique to LTK are extremely fast procedure time (approximately 3 seconds of laser per eye), having the procedure done in the physiciaan’s office the ability to have both eyes done at once, and immediate positive results.

Eyes plays an important role in high lightening you personality. Statistically, laser eye surgery is very safe and effective for correcting poor vision. However, it is a surgical procedure, and like all surgeries, there are risks involved .You need to research and understand what can happen when you have laser eye surgery so that you can decide if the gain out of the surgery overweighs the risks.

Although the terms Laser Eye Surgery and Refractive surgery are commonly used as if they were interchangeable, this is not the case. Lasers may be used to treat no refractive conditions (e.g. to seal a retinal tear), while radial keratotomy is an example of refractive surgery without the use of a laser.

Laser eye surgery has helped many people virtually eliminate their dependence on contact lenses and glasses. Even though it’s relatively safe, there are several things you can do to prepare for your laser eye surgery so that you get the best possible results.

t is a relatively easy out-patient surgery. The number of people who get operated on laser eye surgery increases each year while the cost is becoming more affordable for the average person.

Types of laser eye surgery
There are many different types of laser eye surgery, divided between two large groups: Lasik and PRK.Lasik is the best-known type of laser eye surgery, which is why many people assume this is their only choice. However, not everybody is a good candidate for Lasik.When researching options for laser eye surgery , ask your provider about the options available and which is best for your specific case.

Lasik, though popular, may not work for you. Lasik is performed on patients who have a normal cornea that can resist a cut through both the outer and middle layer. Lasik is also the preferred method used to correct farsightedness.

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) may be recommended, especially if you have astigmatism. PRK doesn’t involve cutting of any type. Instead, the surgeon removes excess of tissue from the eye. PRK is the preferred method of laser eye surgery for patients who suffer from certain corneal abnormalities that don’t allow them to undergo regular surgery.

Another type of laser eye surgery is LASEK, Laser assisted sub-epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK),also know as Epi-LASIK.

LASEK is a refractive surgical procedure similar to PRK, where the surface cells (epithelium) of the cornea are removed prior to laser treatment. Then the laser reshapes the cornea to improve vision. Once the laser ablation is completed, the surface cells are replaced over the reshaped area.

There is a differences between Lasik (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) and Lasek (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis).Lasek is performed on patients whose cornea is too thin to support deep cuts. While the final results are the same, Lasek has a long recovery time (two weeks) compared to Lasik (one day).

Laser assisted sub-epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK), is also know as Epi-LASIK.

An acronym for Laser Assisted sub-Epithelial Keratectomy, a refractive surgical procedure similar to PRK, where the surface cells (epithelium) of the cornea are removed prior to laser treatment. Then the laser reshapes the cornea to improve vision. Once the laser ablation is completed, the surface cells are replaced over the reshaped area.

Laser trabeculoplasty is a procedure to stretch the drainage holes in the eye’s trabecular meshwork to improve the drainage of normal eye fluid. Laser trabeculoplasty, a treatment for glaucoma, is accomplished with a high-intensity laser and a special lens

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is a type of refractive surgery that changes the shape of the cornea to correct vision disorders such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The surgery involves making a thin circular-hinged cut in the cornea using a special cutting laser called a keratome. After lifting the circular flap, an excimer laser – a laser that doesn’t produce heat – is used to reshape the cornea based on the patient’s corrective lens prescription.

Comparison of LASIK and LASEK
LASIK and LASEK eye surgeries are equally safe and effective, U.S. researchers conclude.

In LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) surgery, a flap is made in the top layer of the eye’s cornea, allowing a surgeon to reshape the underlying cornea.

In LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis) surgery, the top layer of the cornea is treated with alcohol and then peeled back to permit reshaping of the underlying layer. LASEK avoids the flap-related complications associated with LASIK.

In this procedure the excimer laser is used to ablate the most anterior portion of the corneal stroma. These procedures do not require a partial thickness cut into the stroma. Surface ablation methods differ in the way the epithelial layer is handled. In PRK the epithelium is removed, a large epithelial defect ensues, and healing occurs by migration of surrounding epithelium (usually within a week). In LASEK and Epi-LASIK surgery, the patient’s epithelium is not removed .The epithelium is lifted as a sheet and then after laser ablation, the epithelial sheet is re-placed to cover the treated area. In LASEK dilute alcohol is used to loosen the epithelium.In Epi-LASIK, a purely mechanical means of epithelial dissection (using Epikeratome) allows the creation of the epithelial sheet.