The laser (refractive) eye surgery is a set of procedures to correct the common vision problems.
The operative vision correctness help to stop wearing glasses and contact lenses.
Ophthalmologists of the laser vision centers offer the corrective operations in cases of:
- Myopia (near sight, nearsightedness) is a vision abnormality when a person sees only the close objects, but the farther away ones are blurred. The near sight is 1 of 3 leading blindness causes. 30% of people worldwide are myopic.
- Hyperopia (farsightedness, hypermetropia) is the widespread vision condition when a person sees the distant objects more clearly in comparison with the close ones. 15% of people with refractive problems are hypermetropic.
- Presbyopia is a loss of possibility to focus on the objects in the aged people. 1.3 billion people over the world have presbyopia. Most often presbyopia occurs after age of 40.
- Astigmatism is the optic condition that makes the eye to focus incorrectly and causes the blurred vision. It is a common eye impairment in children and adults. Over 45% of people worldwide have astigmatism.
Eye doctors perform the laser vision surgery for people aged 18-55. The refractive procedures are the best treatment options for persons who have:
- astigmatism from -1,0 to 15,0 diopters
- farsightedness from +1,0 to 6,0 diopters
- nearsightedness from ± 0,5 to ± 5,0 diopters.
With any visual impairment, the image of the surrounding objects does not focus on the retina of the eye.
The main aim of the laser vision correction is to change the shape of the cornea. It makes the image of objects fall precisely on the retina of the eye.
Several million of the laser eye surgeries are performed over the world annually. The vision correction surgeries are considered the most effective and safest visual treatments for over 20 years.
What are the advantages of the laser eye procedures?
- Safety. 99% of the laser eye surgeries are successful. It means that there are no complications and side effects of the refractive therapy.
- Suitable for any visual impairment treatment. 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses after the surgery. If a patient has no contraindications, the laser eye correction can restore vision in the patients with myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia.
- Appropriate at any age. Patients aged 18 to 55 are the optimal candidates for this procedure.
- Surgery time. The operation itself takes a few seconds to a minute. The rest of the time is spent on preparatory procedures and takes 10 minutes per eye.
- No pain. Doctors of the laser vision centers apply the anesthetic drops. They block pain sensitivity entirely. A patient feels only touches and pressure at some phases of the operation.
- Outpatient basis. There is no need to stay in an eye laser clinic after the procedure. A patient comes back home in 1 hour after the correction.
- Quick recovery period. A patient may notice the 1st results in 2 hours after the laser eye surgery. During a few days to several weeks vision stabilizes completely.
- Predictable results. A patient may rely on the visual acuity that s/he has in glasses or lenses before the correction.
- Stability of the operation results. After the laser correction of vision, the shape of the cornea persists for life (if a patient does not have progressive myopia).
All the types of the laser correction procedures consist of 3 steps:
- Creation of the superficial corneal flap with the help of microkeratome or laser. The flap is taken away as a page of the book.
- The laser beam changes the shape of the cornea according to the patient’s characteristics.
- Returning of the corneal flap to its original position and its engraftment without stitches and scars.
- LASIK (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis) is the most common kind of the laser operations. Performing the procedure, ophthalmologists take into account the individual features of the patient's cornea structure. Specialists of the laser vision centers carry out the LASIK surgery with the microkeratome or the femtosecond laser. The patients have a good vision at all distances without glasses or lenses.
97% of the LASIK surgeries are successful. 7 out of 10 patients have 20/20 vision after the LASIK procedure. Over 95% of all patients are satisfied with the LASIK results.
- LASEK/PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy/Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis) is the refractive surgery method for vision correction in cases of contraindications to LASIK procedures. For example, when a patient has too thin cornea, the LASIK therapy is impossible. Ophthalmologists perform the LASEK surgery using the excimer laser. During the first 3 days after PRK surgery, a patient feels discomfort and pain. It is the primary disadvantage of the LASEK procedure.
The recovery period after the LASEK lasts 3-4 days. The visual improvement is noticed in 3 days after the procedure.
- ReLEx SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction) is the most innovative type of the laser vision correction. Eye doctors perform the SMILE operation with the femtosecond laser of high precision. The procedure takes 23 seconds. A specialist makes no incisions during the process. There are no risks and side effects of the ReLEx SMILE. The surgery is suitable for the treatment of visual impairment at all stages.
Over 700,000 people in 60 countries worldwide are treated with the ReLex SMILE procedure annually.
100% is a success rate of the ReLEx SMILE operations. 98% of patients are satisfied with the results of the procedure. 97% of people are willing to recommend the SMILE to their family and friends.
How much does it cost for laser eye surgery? There is no absolute answer to this question. The laser operation for eyes cost depends on the number of factors.
- Laser vision center location. The prices for the laser eye surgery vary from country to country dramatically. The main reason for this is the economic development of the state. In the highly developed countries (the USA, Germany, Spain, the UK) the procedure is over 50% higher than in the less developed nations (Thailand, India, Turkey).
- Eye laser clinic status. The state clinics provide the cheap laser eye surgery cost. But the healthcare services are of the poor standard. The private laser eye centers show the best results in the refractive therapy, but the prices for the procedures are much higher.
- Laser eye surgery type. The laser eye center costs depend on the procedure chosen by a patient. The ReLex SMILE surgery is approximately 15% higher than the LASIK procedure. And the LASEK one is performed with the cheap laser eye surgery cost in comparison with SMILE and LASIK.
- Additional services. The laser operation for eyes cost may include pre- and postoperative care, meals, accommodation (if needed), medicaments. Some laser vision centers provide the extra charges for these services. Be attentive and clarify the information about the price policy at a center!
India
The healthcare standards in the Indian laser eye centers comply with high world standards. Eye specialists in India offer the widest range of services in the world. The main advantage of the Indian medical system is the affordable prices for the high-qualitative services. India is considered the cheapest country for laser eye surgery. The costs for the laser vision surgery here are 40-100% less expensive than in the other Asian and European states.
Spain
Spain is one of the best countries for laser eye surgery in the world. Spanish laser vision centers present the top healthcare system in the globe. It has been awarded the 7th rank worldwide for the high quality of medical care by the World Health Organization (WHO). The laser operation for eyes cost in Spain is 70% lower than in the USA and the UK.
Thailand
Over 1 million medical tourists from over the world visit Thailand every year. Phuket and Bangkok are the leading medical destinations for Thai medical tourism. The cities offer the modern healthcare infrastructure, staying in the centers looking like the luxury resorts, and delicious Thai food. The cheap laser eye surgery costs accompany excellent quality of the ophthalmological services here. Medical tourists may save up to 75% of the money in Thailand compared to the USA, Australia, the UK.
Germany
Germany is among the best places for laser eye surgery over the globe. Over 200,000 medical tourists choose the German laser vision centers due to their excellent quality annually. German eye specialists offer the techniques and procedures that are not available in the less developed countries. Ophthalmologists are included in the eye surgeons top lists over the world according to Forbes magazine. The laser operation for eyes cost here is higher than in the Asian or Eastern European countries. But in comparison with the American and British laser eye centers, the prices in Germany are 15% lower.
Ukraine
Due to the high quality of the private medical facilities and the cost affordability, Ukraine has become very popular among the medical tourists. Ukrainian eye doctors offer the cheapest laser eye surgery in Europe. The prices here are up to 50% lower than in Germany, or Spain. Along with Thailand, India, Latvia, and Turkey, Ukraine is the cheapest place to get laser eye surgery in the world.