More than 4.2 million human beings aged 40 years and older either legally suffer from eye disorders.
Major eye disorders like Refractive Errors, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma, etc., require treatments like eye surgery, Blepharoplasty, Cataract surgery, Robotic Surgery, Glaucoma Surgery, Lasik surgery, and Ptosis surgery and various other treatments which are available in the best hospitals in India.
Below we have listed the top doctors for eye surgery in Chennai.
LASIK eye surgery in Chennai:
The procedure that helps correct problems related to vision and reduces or eliminates the need for corrective lenses or eyeglasses is called Laser- assisted in- situ keratomileusis (LASIK) eye surgery.
It is a refractive surgery which changes the shape of the cornea which is the dome shaped transparent tissue in the front of the eye. The aim of LASIK eye surgery is to give sharper and clearer vision by bending the rays of light so that it focuses exactly on the retina. There are best eye hospitals in India for lasik eye care treatment. which provide the best treatments like cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, Ptosis surgery among many others.
Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu is the biggest educational, economic and cultural center in Southern India. It attracts a lot of domestic and international health tourist and is rightly called “India’s health capital?. LASIK eye surgery is one of the eye procedures which is in great demand.
Who can opt for LASIK?
LASIK surgery in India can be performed on people with the following vision problems:
It is a refractive surgery which changes the shape of the cornea which is the dome shaped transparent tissue in the front of the eye. The aim of LASIK eye surgery is to give sharper and clearer vision by bending the rays of light so that it focuses exactly on the retina.
- Myopia (nearsightedness) -The rays of light focuses in front of the retina and it blurs the distant vision due to the sharp curve of the cornea or the eyeball being slightly longer than normal. The objects which are far away are not as clear as the objects which are closer.
- Hyperopia (farsightedness) –When the light does not focus on the retina but behind it due to a cornea which is flat or the eyeball which is shorter than average than the near vision becomes blurry and sometimes even the distant vision gets blurred.
- Astigmatism -Astigmatism occurs when the cornea flattens or curves unevenly and due to which the focus of distant and near vision gets disrupted.
To correct your vision the eye doctor will recommend different options such as contact lenses or glasses before he recommends Lasik eye surgery.
Risks involved in LASIK eye surgery:
Given below are the risks which are involved in LASIK eye surgery:
- Under corrections -If too little tissue is removed from the eye by the laser then the vision will not be as clear as you were wishing for. This problem is more common with nearsighted people and another refractive surgery may be needed within a year to rectify the problem and remove more tissues.
- Over corrections -There is always a possibility that the laser will remove extra tissue from the eye. It is more difficult to rectify over corrections than under corrections.
- Astigmatism -This condition can be caused due to uneven removal of tissue and additional surgery may be required.
- Loss of vision -It is rare but you may lose vision due to complications in the surgery. Sometimes it may happen that the patient will not be able to see as clearly and sharply as before.
- Returning to pre-surgery vision -Over a period of time, the eyes may revert to the previous level of vision due to hormonal imbalance, abnormal wound healing or pregnancy.
- Double vision, halos and glare -You may experience difficulty in seeing objects in the night as you may notice double vision, glare or halos around bright lights.
- Dry eyes -There is temporary decrease in the production of tears after Lasik due to which the eyes feel dry and it can reduce the quality of your vision.
- Flap problems -Complications such as excess tears, infections and inflammations are caused because of removing or folding back the flap during the surgery from the front of the eye.
Conditions due to which the risk increases:
Lasik surgery is not recommended by the eye specialist when you have certain health conditions (mentioned below) which increase the risk or the outcome is not predictable.
Lasik may not be advised if you have the following conditions:
- Autoimmune disorder.
- Dry eyes.
- Unstable vision.
- Eye conditions like glaucoma, cataract, etc.
- Thin corneas or very large pupils.
- Immuno-deficiency conditions.
Preparation for LASIK surgery:
- Few weeks prior to the surgery you should stop wearing contact lenses and switch to wearing glasses. The shape of the cornea is distorted by the use of contact lenses and this can lead to inaccuracy in measurements and unsatisfactory surgical outcome.
- Stop using eye makeup, lotions and creams from a day prior to the surgery. The eye specialist may advice you to clean the eyelashes more often so as to remove the debris and minimize infection.
- You will need somebody to bring you home after the surgery as the vision may be blurred and you may still be affected by the effects of the medications.
Procedure for LASIK eye surgery:
Laser is used during Lasik eye surgery to remove definite amount of tissue from the cornea.
Before the surgery the eye doctor conducts the detailed surgical and medical history and does a comprehensive examination of the eye. He will measure the cornea and take note of its shape, thickness, contour and irregularities if any.
- You will need somebody to bring you home after the surgery as the vision may be blurred and you may still be affected by the effects of the medications.
During LASIK surgery:
- It takes about 30 minutes or less to complete the Lasik eye surgery. The doctor places numbing drops in the eye and then the eyelids are held open by an instrument.
Before cutting the corneal flap the doctor places the suction ring on the eye due to which you may feel the pressure and the vision dims a little. - The eye surgeon uses a cutting laser or a small blade to cut a hinged flap from the front of the eye so that he can get access to the cornea to reshape it.
The eye surgeon uses laser to reshape the parts of the cornea and then folds the flap back after the reshaping is complete and it mostly does not need stitches to heal.
Post-operative care:
- Post the surgery there may be burning and itching in the eye and it might also water. You might also experience some pain and the vision is blurred.
Medications and eye drops are prescribed by the doctor and you are asked to protect your eye by wearing a shield at night till the time it heals. - It takes about 2 to 3 months for the eye to heal and the vision to stabilize.
- You need to follow-up with the eye surgeon after a day or two after the surgery so that he can see if the eye is healing and check for any complications.
- You need to follow-up with the doctor for six months after the surgery.
- Swimming and strenuous sports are not allowed for several weeks after the surgery.
Results of LASIK eye surgery:
- Improved vision is obtained with Lasik surgery and it removes the hassle of wearing contact lenses and glasses. Mostly 20/25 vision or better is achieved after the surgery.
- 8 out of 10 people do not need to use their contact lenses or glasses after the surgery.
- There is high level of positive results and satisfaction after Lasik eye surgery.
The above chart shows the percentage of people who are satisfied with the surgery. It improves their life style and gives them freedom from glasses and contact lenses as a whole new life.
