IMPROVING YOUR EYE SIGHT

Imagine being able to work, drive, read the clock, play sports-do just about anything-without having to worry about glasses or contacts. What if you were told that certain eye treatments could make this a reality for you? Called refractive surgery, these exciting procedures- some new, some available for many years-actually change the shape of your eye to help you see better.

Is Refractive Surgery for You?

Refractive surgery may help reduce or eliminate your need for glasses or contacts. Sound good to you? You can consider refractive surgery if your prescription is stable and your eyes are healthy. Refractive surgery is an outpatient procedure that does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. The procedure may be done in a hospital, surgery center, or doctor's office. This booklet describes five refractive surgery procedures. Which one is right for you depends on your age, your eyesight, and your expectations. Each of these procedures has benefits and risks, so question your eye care professional carefully. Your eye doctor can help you decide which of these procedures, if any, is right for you.

HOW THE EYE WORKS

How clearly you see depends in part on the shape of your cornea, the clear covering of your eye. The cornea focuses light for your eye. In the normal eye, light is focused right onto the retina (the back of the eye). If the cornea is not shaped correctly, the image may focus in front or in back of the retina, so vision is blurry.

Myopia

With myopia (nearsightedness), the distance between the cornea and the retina is too long. Light rays from distant objects focus too far in front of the retina, making them look blurry.

Astigmatism

With astigmatism, the cornea is oval-shaped instead of round, making both distant and near objects look distorted.

Help from Refractive Surgery

Glasses and contacts work by bending light rays before they hit the cornea. The light rays then focus directly on the retina. Refractive surgery actually changes the shape of the cornea itself. These procedures can help reduce your dependence on your glasses or contacts and may help you get rid of them completely. However, they won't stop you from needing reading glasses Was many people do as they get older).

RK AND AK

RK (radial keratotomy) is a procedure that can help people with mild to moderate myopia. AK (astigmatic keratotomy) is used to help people with astigmatism. You may have heard these procedures mentioned-they've been done for many years. The RK and AK procedures have evolved and improved over time, and are very reliable. The actual surgery takes minutes, and you'll spend only an hour or two in the office or surgical facility.

Correcting Myopia (RK)

During RK, tiny spoke like incisions are made in the cornea. When these incisions heal, the center of the cornea flattens. A flatter cornea means distant objects are clearer.

Correcting Astigmatism (AK)

During AK, curved or straight incisions are made in the cornea. These incisions help round out an oval cornea. A rounder cornea means objects are no longer distorted.