Refractive Surgery
Defective vision can be treated by various surgical procedures. All of these procedures are summarized by the term “refractive surgery”. All refractive surgeries share the fact that there is a certain risk involved in the operations. In any case, an exact analysis regarding the risks, the choice of surgical technique, and the benefit to be expected has to follow a thorough patient information. Not all eyes are suitable for the various refractive surgeries, therefore, accurate preliminary examinations are necessary in order to evaluate the indication for surgery, and to recommend the optimal surgical technique. In principle, we distinguish between techniques that treat the cornea, and implants of artificial lenses into the eye. The procedures concerning the cornea (by laser: PRK, LASEK, LASIK, etc.; surgically: Radial keratotomy (not customary anymore), relaxing limbal incision; “corneal implants”, etc.) are usually not reversible. Procedures involving lens implants are reversible to the greatest extent, meaning that in cases free of complications, the original state can be restored.
With these techniques, a lens is implanted either into the anterior chamber (iris-clip lens, angle supported lens), or into the posterior chamber. These lenses can be used to correct far-sightedness, near- sightedness, and astigmatism. If your own lens is slightly clouded, or your lens is not sufficiently capable of accommodation anymore, your lens can be removed and replaced with an artificial lens (refractive lens exchange).