Is laser vision correction surgery more risky for nearsighted or farsighted patients?
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Laser vision correction or Laser treatment for refractive purposes are generally effected by eximer LASERs which vaporize tissue (from the cornea) to change its curvature and hence correct the refractive error.
For near-sighted people (MYOPICS) the cornea corneal curvature is flattened and for far-sighted poeple (HYPEROPICS) the corneal curvature is increased. BOTH will involve ablating or vaporizing or removing corneal tissue. This is why corneal thickness is a big issue for qualifying patients for these procedures which involve corneal tissue ablation.
LASIK was FDA approved FIRST for correction of myopia, then it was approved for HYPEROPIA, lastly, LASIK for presbyopia has also been FDA approved. Correcting Hyperopia in general requires more tissue ablation than correcting myopia. And due to the longer experience with MYOPES, I would think that LASIK in general would be "safer" for myopes.
But as for actual clinical experience, the risk for either myopes or hyperopes is just about the same.
wait for few years till the procedure is perfected. right now if you get the surgery you will be able to see the far real good but you won't be able to see S#$%t for near. My eye doctor told me that within few years they will be able to have a procedure that fix both far site and near site.
Farsighted in most cases. So long as all factors have been looked at (thickness of the cornea, amount of astigmatism, medical concerns, skill/experience of your doctor) lasik for nearsighted patients is usually a breeze. Corneal tissue is removed to achieve the desired results. For farsighted patients the cornea has to be scarred and tissue built up (by scarring) - it is much more difficult to do and can take several months of healing to find out what the final results will be. If you are farsighted you may actually end up with more astigmatism, slightly nearsighted, or only less farsighted than you were before. Most doctors prefer not to deal with farsighted patients (except those that are only mildly so) because of this.
I have been comanaging refractive surgery for 10 years and have undergone the procedure myself. Near-sighted people have a higher success rate as their problem is less dynamic and therefore easier to measure for exact correction. Far-sighted people do very well also and none has had to heal any longer than their near-sighted counterparts in my experience. The success rates do depend on the quality of the surgeon. I don't see any appreciable difference in the healing time/visual acuity rate between either type in my practice. It is true that you will not be spared from presbyopia as you age (the inability to focus to see up close), but if you are far-sighted, you will be a victim of that regardless. Some near-sighted people can continue to read if they take their glasses off. Still, refractive surgery is a wonderful option for those who are good candidates. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face before I had it, and now I need glasses only to read and they're thin, cute glasses. Being glasses-free 50% of the time is much better than having to wear coke-bottle lenses 100% of the time by my reckoning (of course you can opt for mono-vision; one eye corrected for distance, the other for near and reduce your dependency on glasses futher). Just be sure to have your candidacy established by a reputable surgeon. This is no time to cut corners. Find the best in your area and go to him/her. Most offer financing.
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