Everyone has probably heard of laser eye surgery, but what you may not know is that there are multiple types of laser eye surgery. If you want to know more, this article outlines all the types of laser eye surgery so you can see which one might be best for you.
LASIK eye surgery
LASIK eye surgery is probably one of the most common types of eye surgery. It stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and is a relatively quick and simple surgical procedure for you to have. It doesn’t involve too many risks and improves your vision without the need for you to ever use glasses or contact lenses again. However, the main downside with LASIK eye surgery is the fact that flaps are created during the procedure, and these can be easily damaged, even years after surgery; so if you’re quite active in any way, this may not be the best surgery for you. You can look at LASIK Melbourne eye surgery centers for more information.
SMILE eye surgery
SMILE eye surgery is one of the newer laser eye surgery options and is one that many are starting to prefer over LASIK eye surgery. It also only involves one laser and can be over with relatively quicker than LASIK. This type of eye surgery also doesn’t involve creating a flap, so is a much safer option if you lead a busy and active lifestyle. It can also heal faster than LASIK eye surgery, resulting in less time off work or not being able to do what you love.
PRK eye surgery
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a type of laser eye surgery and involves taking off the top layer of the cornea, and then using a laser to reshape other layers and to fix the curvature of your eyes. PRK takes a little longer than LASIK, as it takes just over thirty minutes; whereas LASIK takes around twenty minutes to complete. PRK also involves a longer recovery time—usually around a month, whereas the initial recovery time from both LASIK and SMILE is only a matter of days. Due to this, it may be best to take your lifestyle into consideration with special regards to recovery time, as if you cannot afford to take a month off work or daily life, another type of eye surgery may be best suited to you.
LASEK eye surgery
This is known as laser epithelial keratomileusis, and combines the benefits of both LASIK and PRK eye surgery. However, unlike LASIK eye surgery, this laser eye surgery doesn’t involve creating a flap. Therefore, if you’re a very active person who prefers the benefits of LASIK eye surgery but can’t have it due to your lifestyle, this may be the eye surgery for you. However, unlike LASIK eye surgery, LASEK eye surgery takes around two weeks to recover from, so it’s longer than LASIK surgery but shorter than PRK surgery, which could be a deciding factor when deciding on the best option for you.
TransPRK eye surgery
TransPRK eye surgery is different to LASEK, LASIK, and PRK eye surgeries in that the eye isn’t touched by any instrument. Instead of this, a laser is used to remove the epithelium and it is completely non-invasive and gentle on your eye. Like all the procedures (other than LASIK eye surgery) no flap is involved, and unlike PRK and LASEK eye surgeries, it has a fast recovery time, which is also an important point to bear in mind.