Newark’s Top Refractive Surgery Options
What Is Refractive Surgery?
Refractive surgery refers to any surgical procedure used to reduce or eliminate the dependence on glasses and contact lenses. While laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) may be the most recognizable, refractive surgery refers to a variety of procedures used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Which procedure is best suited for you depends on a number of things, including the anatomy of your eye, your lifestyle, plus your visual goals.
Types of Refractive Surgery We Offer
Eye Care of Delaware offers several refractive and laser vision correction options, ensuring patients receive a personalized vision correction procedure.
- CustomVue LASIK
- CustomVue PRK
- EVO ICL (implantable contact lens)
- Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)
Effectiveness of Refractive Surgery
The decision to have refractive surgery is an important one that, ultimately, only you can make. Our team will answer all of your questions and explain your options, allowing you to make an informed decision.
It is important to understand that the goal of refractive surgery is to reduce your dependence on corrective lenses. Refractive surgery does not always result in 20/20 vision, nor does it correct reading vision (known as presbyopia).
People looking for perfect vision without glasses or contacts run the risk of being disappointed. Setting realistic expectations will help you achieve your visual goal of 20/happy!
Assessing If You Are a Candidate for Refractive Surgery
We offer a complimentary screening with our refractive team to explore your candidacy options. You will be asked to discontinue wearing soft contact lenses for 3 weeks before the consult (5 – 6 weeks for rigid/gas-permeable contacts). We know this can be an annoyance, but it’s very important as it can ultimately affect the results of your surgery. If you are a candidate, we will schedule you for a consultation with our providers.
During your consultation, several measurements will be taken of your eyes to develop a customized treatment plan. It is critical that these measurements are as precise as possible. Contact lenses temporarily change the shape of your cornea. Leaving them out will help ensure the accuracy of these measurements by giving your corneas time to return to their natural shape.
Refractive Surgery Can Correct These Vision Issues
When discussing vision, it helps to examine models or images. The following illustrations will help demonstrate the vision issues that refractive surgery works to correct. To see just where the incoming light will focus depending on the shape of your eye, look at the “focal point” on the right side of each image.
Anatomy and Terminology – Refractive Errors
Normal Vision
Clear vision is the result of light entering through the cornea (clear outer window of the eye), passing through the lens (behind the iris), and focusing directly on the retina, at the back of the eye.
Myopia or Nearsightedness
Occurs when the cornea is too steep, or the eye is too long. This causes light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. Nearsighted people usually see well up close, but have blurry distance vision.
Hyperopia or Farsightedness
Occurs when the cornea is too flat, or the eye is too short. This causes light to focus at a point behind the retina, resulting in blurry near vision, and sometimes blurry distance vision as well.
Astigmatism
Occurs when the cornea isn’t perfectly spherical in shape, but curved more in one direction than the other, like a football. This causes light to focus at multiple points, blurring vision at all distances. Astigmatism often occurs in conjunction with nearsightedness and farsightedness.
Presbyopia
Occurs when the natural lens inside the eye becomes more rigid with age, usually sometime around age 40. The rigid lens is no longer able to adjust from distance to near and people develop the need for reading glasses.
Refractive Error Correction Starts With a Professional Diagnosis
According to National Eye Institute data, more than 150 million Americans experience a refractive error that negatively impacts their vision. But with a professional eye exam diagnosis and personalized treatment plan, individuals can maintain good visual function through safe and dependable surgical procedures.
Common Questions About Refractive Surgery
What are the common symptoms of refractive errors?
Some of the common symptoms of refractive errors include eye strain, problems focusing, headaches, squinting, double vision and difficulties seeing objects close up or far away. If you are interested in refractive surgery, contact us for a free screening.
Are there any risks to refractive surgery?
While every type of surgery has a minor degree of risk, refractive surgeries are safe and have low complication rates. Your doctor will discuss the appropriate procedure after thoroughly evaluating your refractive errors.
Is refractive surgery the same as LASIK?
LASIK is a popular and well-known type of refractive surgery. However, LASIK is not the only surgical procedure available. Viable alternatives to LASIK include photorefractive keratectomy, implantable collamer lenses and refractive lens exchange (RLE).
Contact Us for Refractive Surgery Solutions in Newark, DE
Eye Care of Delaware is a long-established provider of refractive eye surgery in Newark. We deliver world-class vision correction to our patients in Delaware and the surrounding states. For a consultation, call (302) 454-8800 or request an appointment today.
