A Brief Guide To The Different Types of Vision Corrective Procedures

There are 5 individual Laser eye surgical procedures practiced by New York City Lasik surgeons today that include Clear Lens Extraction, ICL’S, LASEK, LASIK, and PRK.  Each procedure is broken down according to its definition, the vision disorder that the procedure corrects, and their similarities to one another.

• Clear lens extraction (or refractive lens exchange) – this procedure is very similar to cataract surgery in which the patient receives a lens implant. The key difference is that the cataract has not clouded the natural lens.  The procedure is performed with a vibrating instrument or with a laser.  Farsightedness and nearsightedness are both treated with clear lens extraction surgery.

• ICL (acronym for implantable contact lens) – as the name implies, a contact lens is surgically implanted within the eye, usually between the iris and the eye’s natural lens. Although this is not a New York City Lasik procedure, it corrects astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness just like other vision corrective surgeries do.

• Lasek – unlike Lasik and PRK, the surgeon creates a flap in epithelium in this surgery. The flap is then lifted for laser re-profiling of the cornea.  The flap is then place back into position and a bandage-like, soft contact lens is placed on the patient’s cornea.  The Lasek procedure treats astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness.

• Lasik(acronym for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) – the creation of a corneal flat and a re-profiling of the corneal bed that lies underneath it to correct the visual disorder. The flap is created in one of two ways, either with an oscillating blade (the “bladed” method) or with a New York City Lasik procedure (the blade-free method).  The Lasik procedure corrects astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness.

• PRK (acronym for photo-refractive keratomilieusis) – the procedure is also known as “surface laser vision correction.” In this procedure, an oscillating brush gently removes the epithelium or tissue lining the eye cavity.  The balance of the procedure is identical to Lasik surgery.  PRK, like Lasik surgery corrects astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness.

All of these New York City Lasik procedures with the exception of Lasek surgery can be used in treating presbyopia or farsightedness attributed to the aging process by using the Monovision procedure.  It is also a laser correction procedure that optimizes one eye for distance and the other for tasks requiring you to see objects near you.  The primary purpose of the Monovision procedure is to reduce a person’s dependency on reading glasses. However, as each case is different, it is important to get a proper evaluation done and then let the eye specialist discuss further treatment. For more information visit Our Website