Question 1

LASIK/PRK/SMILE

Accepted Answer

Refractive surgery is made mostly for near sighted people, and aims to permanently correct distance vision. PRK involves cutting off the skin portion of the cornea (epithelium) with a blade, and using a laser to reshape the cornea. LASIK is like PRK but instead of cutting off the epithelium, a flap is made and reapplied once the laser is done. SMILE lasers through the epithelium, and then a small cut is made to extract the lasered portion.

Question 2

Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL)

Accepted Answer

Corneal cross-linking is for keratoconus patients and aims to strengthen the cornea to prevent it from getting worse. It involves a special light and a special medication drop, which when combined strengthen the cornea to keep its shape.

Question 3

Cataract Surgery

Accepted Answer

The most commonly done surgery in the world, every soul on the planet gets cataracts if they live long enough. It can be either elective or necessary depending on if your cataract is bad enough to obstruct your vision by a certain amount. Regardless of why it's done, the patient ends up with much clearer vision, and usually much less prescription, sometimes eliminating the need for glasses altogether.

Question 4

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)

Accepted Answer

Blepharoplasty comes in many shapes and sizes, and can be either elective (cosmetic) or medically necessary. The procedure usually involves removing excess skin from the eyelid(s) and/or tightening them.

Question 5

Glaucoma Surgery

Accepted Answer

There are many types of glaucoma surgery, some minimally invasive and some invasive, but all are made to lower the eye's pressure (IOP). Most commonly, it involves opening up the eye's "drain" to allow fluid to drain.

Question 6

Retinal Detachment

Accepted Answer

A retinal detachment can mean permanent vision loss, so it's important to get surgery as soon as possible. A retinal detachment can be repaired in many ways, including cryotherapy, laser, or with a scleral buckle. Surgery's goal is to preserve the vision of the intact portions of the retina.

SURGICAL PROCEDURES