LASIK Up-to-date Newsletter

Alternatives to Laser Surgery

Treatment with LASIK or PRK alone is not suitable for patients with very severe to extreme refractive errors. Experienced and responsible ophthalmologic surgeons advise against surgery in cases of nearsightedness exceeding -10 diopter or farsightedness exceeding +3 diopter, because the amount of corneal tissue ablation would be too high and would usually result in a destabilization of the cornea.

The following alternatives may be offered to these patients:

 
 

   
  Phakic IOLs: Intraocular lens implants for the correction of severe myopia and hyperopia (ICL, Artisan)
Lens implants and bio-optics are options for young patients because the lenses of their eyes are still elastic and have not yet lost the ability to accommodate (they are able to see at close distances without the need for reading glasses). These patients are given the opportunity to reduce their dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses while conserving the ability of their body's own lenses to accommodate for close-up vision.		    
       
  Bioptics,
This is a combination of ICL implants and a subsequent treatment with LASIK surgery to eliminate the remaining refractive error, for example an existing astigmatism. Also see lens implants.		    
       
  RLE (refractive lens exchange; formerly known as clear lens extraction, CLE)
The RLE is restricted to patients who are more than 40 years old and need reading glasses. RLE is also used when an age related cataract already exists, which sooner or later would lead to an exchange of the body's own lens with a synthetic lens.		    


   Last update: 17. 3. 2005

   


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