Eye surgery

Eye surgery is becoming more and more common, especially as technology improves, for many it is a one day procedure that you recover from quickly, and that is affordable to have. There are several different kinds of eye surgery out there: LASIK, LASK, PRK, etc. and your eye care practitioner should evaluate whether or not you need eye surgery to help you correct or restore vision. The following is a closer look at eye surgery, what vision problems may require you to have eye surgery, and what you should know about the various procedures before you have surgery performed on your eyes.

First, eye surgery is also known as orogolomistician surgery or ocular surgery. The terms refer to any type of surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa. However, not all eye surgeries are the same, and not all of them deal with the same parts of the eye. In some cases you will have surgery on the cornea, the retina, the lens, or a surrounding area such as the tear ducts or something else, like the eyelid. Eye surgery is in general a very vague term.

Second, most eye surgeries are performed by an ophthalmologist, but if you get a complex procedure, or require extensive corrections, you may need a more specialized surgeon. An ophthalmologist is someone who deal specifically with diseases and surgeries of the visual pathways. Ophthalmologists are not just eye doctors, but medically trained surgical specialist. They deal with all of the areas surrounding the eyes.

Third, just because you have vision problems, does not mean surgery is the answer. In some cases eye surgery can correct or restore vision, but because the eye is a delicate organ, requiring extreme care if an ophthalmologist determines that a corrective lens or some other option will work, you may not be able to get surgery. 

Fourth, no matter what kind of eye surgery you get, you need proper anesthesia. The ophthalmologist will use a local anesthesia, but if it is a very delicate procedure you may be put under so that you do not move at all during the process. If you have an easy surgery, or something that will be quick, your ophthalmologist may use a topical anesthesia, but in this case you have to cooperate well, or the procedure could go badly. General anesthesia is recommended for children, traumatic eye injuries, major orbitotomies, and for people who are really worried about the surgery.

Fifth, because your eye is connected to your body, your cardiovascular system will be monitored during an eye surgery, so while it can be a fairly quick, same day procedure, this does not mean it is not something that should not be taken seriously.

The following are some of the most common types of eye surgeries:

Laser eye surgery

The first thing that should be understood about laser eye surgery is that it is most often used to correct or treat refractive eye surgeries, but is also used for non-refractive conditions like retinal tears, etc. Also, some refractive conditions are treated without lasers. So, while it is a common mistake, they are not interchangeable, and this is important to understand. Laser eye surgeries are used for a variety of eye problems, and there are different types of lasers and procedures that can happen.

Cataract surgery

A cataract is a visual block that occurs when the proteins that makeup the eye lens clump together. There are several different types of cataracts, but they cloud or obscure vision, if the visual loss is extensive enough, then a surgical removal of the lens is required to restore vision. When the lens is removed, you can't see at all, so to restore vision a plastic intraocular lens, called an IOL, is used. This is the most common type of eye surgery. Cataracts are not something that typically occur in youth, generally, the proteins become problematic as people age, and are more severe if you have diabetes, take steroids, and a few other things.

Glaucoma surgery

Glaucoma is a disease that affects the eye. In fact, it is actually a group of diseases affecting the optic nerve. If you have glaucoma it generally results in vision loss and is frequently characterized by raised intraocular pressure (IOP). This increased pressure must be relieved to allow sight to be regained, so surgeries are often performed to help get rid of the excess aqueous humor from the eye, or that help the eye produce less aqueous humor in order to reduce the pressure. There are many types of glaucoma surgery, and variations or combinations of those types. Your eye care practitioner will evaluate your situation and determine which the best option for you is.

Canaloplasty

Sometimes eyes have drainage problems that lead to increased pressure from the eye fluid, which leads to vision loss. The surgery used to enhance drainage, or aid the eye's natural drainage system is called canaloplasty. While this is an advanced procedure it is nonpenetrating and minimally invasive. The main goal of canaloplasty is sustained reduction of IOP. Basically this surgery involves the insertion of a microcatheter into the eye canal. An Ophthalmologist creates a tiny incision to gain access to a canal in the eye, then inserts a microcatheter to circumnavigate the canal around the iris, and injects a gel-like material called viscoelastic, in doing so, it enlarges the main drainage channel and its smaller collector channels around it. The catheter is removed and a suture is put in. This helps relieve the eye pressure, and helps restore vision.

Refractive surgery

This is not the same as laser surgery though many laser techniques including LASIK are used for refractive surgery. Basically if you have a refractive problem, such as a misshaped lens, etc. you may get this type of surgery to correct errors of refraction in the eye, reducing or eliminating the need for corrective lenses, contacts or eyeglasses.

Oculoplastic surgery

This is a more major surgery as it deals with the reconstruction of the eye and the structures around it. Oculoplastic surgery may be done to repair droopy eyelids, or tear duct obstructions, etc. This is the type of surgery you would get to remove a tumor around the eye, or to fix orbital fractures, etc.

Risks of eye surgery:

With today's technology, the chances of having problems after  an eye surgery are rare, and the percentage of people who have full restoration of 20/20 or 20/40 vision is almost 90%. However, that does not mean eye surgery is without risk. The following is a look at some of the most common risks of eye surgery:

Vision loss

Obviously this is the biggest risk there is when you get eye surgery. You get eye surgery to restore vision, and while the percentage of people who end up losing vision as a result of surgery is very small, it is still a possibility. In some cases after the procedure, a patient may experience a vision loss which cannot be corrected with glasses, contacts or a second surgery. As mentioned already, this is a very rare, but is still a risk you will want to consider before you opt for eye surgery.

Debilitating visual symptoms

In some cases you do not lose your vision per say, but instead you might experience some odd visual symptoms such as seeing halos, glare, or double vision, or have problems with night vision. In some cases your basic vision can be great, but if you are in a fog, or other low contrast situations your vision may be very poor. In some cases vision is worse at night after a surgery then it is before. Again, this only occurs in a few patients, but it is still a possibility.

Under treatment or over treatment

This is one of the most common problems with eye surgery. In some cases you may need additional treatments to enhance vision after you have had a surgery, such as a laser eye surgery. In some cases the surgery is not done to the extent that is needed, and in other cases, more changes are needed, thus you may still need a weak prescription glasses or contacts after surgery, or still need reading glasses, etc. after you have eye surgery.

Severe dry eye

After some types of surgery on the eyes, such as laser eye surgery, you run the risk of having seriously dry eyes, meaning your eyes are unable to produce enough tears to keep them moist, and this can be very uncomfortable, and can get in the way of your vision as well, causing blurring or other problems. This usually means you have to use intensive eye drops. In many cases it is a permanent problem, and in other cases the problem can be corrected with further treatment.

If you are considering eye surgery, talk to you ophthalmologist and be sure you understand the procedure, the benefits, and the risks of having surgery performed on your eyes. In many cases it goes well, has few side effects, and is worth it all the way, however, in other cases it does little good.