LASER VISION CORRECTION

The key to understanding refractive surgery, whether it is PRK, or the most advanced Laser Vision Correction procedure -LASIK is to understand how the eye works. The primary function of your eye is to focus light. It works very much like a camera. When light enters your eye, it passes through the cornea, pupil, and lens and focuses directly on the retina. If the cornea is not round, or it is too steep or too flat in relation to the length of the eye, light rays focus either in front of or behind the retina resulting in "refractive errors" such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Laser Vision Correction is a procedure in which the surface of the eye is re-shaped by using an excimer laser to remove a small portion of the corneal tissue. Precise control of tissue removal can result in eliminating or reducing dependency on corrective lenses for most patients. Laser Vision Correction is done on an outpatient basis with most patients returning to their normal activities the following day. Dr. Wall will help you decide which procedure or combination of procedures is best suited for you. Below you will find an example of a normal eye and then the four main types of refractive conditions.

NORMAL EYE
NEARSIGHTEDNESS, or myopia, occurs when the curvature of the cornea is too steep relative to the length of the eyeball. As light enters the eye, the visual image focuses in front of the retina, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
FARSIGHTEDNESS, or hyperopia occurs when the cornea is too flat relative to the length of the eyeball. As light enters the eye, the visual image focuses behind the retina, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
ASTIGMATISM occurs when an eye is shaped like a football, unlike the normal eye that has a round shape similar to a basketball. Astigmatism causes certain amounts of distortion because of the uneven bending of light rays entering the eye.
PRESBYOPIA is a condition that causes many people in their early forties on, to need bi-focal lenses or reading glasses. It occurs when the eyes' near focusing ability declines due to loss of elasticity of the focusing lens inside the eye.

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