If you have been dealing with poor vision then you might be looking for some permanent ways to correct this. One way that many people opt for is corrective eye surgery. However there is no one single type of corrective eye surgery so it's important that you understand the two main types of eye surgery before you go ahead with any procedure.



The two main types of eye surgery are Excimer and non Excimer. With the Excimer laser procedure you will find that this is not a simple process and should only be conducted by a trained ophthalmologist. Choosing an ophthalmologist who is also very experienced is something that you should do in order to reduce the chances of complications occurring.

First of all Excimer laser treatment was approved for what is known as Photorefractive Keratectomy (PKR) but now includes LASIK. When PKR is done any excess tissue which is on the cornea is removed with laser pulses calculated by a computer. The procedure takes hardly any time at all and you'll be able to return to your normal day to day life very quickly.

LASIK is very similar but the laser pulses are controlled by the eye doctor and not a computer. This means that it's more invasive and complex a procedure and is generally used for those patients whose eyesight is worse. The eye surgeon uses a special type of knife called a microkeratome which is used to open a flap of tissue on the cornea. When this flap is moved over to the side, the laser can then be used to shape the cornea. After the laser has been used, the flap of tissue is put back into place. Typically a patient who undergoes LASIK will be able to drive home that very same day. There are also variations to the LASIK procedure which are LASEK and epi-LASIK

With non Excimer laser procedures you will find that surgery, reshaping and artificial implants are used. If you have cataracts, farsightedness or nearsightedness then you will likely be given lens implants. The more modern artificial lenses allow the eye to move just like a real lens because they have hinges in them. For farsightedness and nearsightedness there are lenses used which are basically like contact lenses but they are permanent and don't need any maintenance that you normally associate with contact lenses.

Another procedure you might consider is known as Thermokeratoplasty and this uses heat to mold the collagen in the cornea. This is another very quick procedure and any errors in refraction can be solved in minutes.

Although corrective eye surgery can seem like the ideal way to achieve perfect vision, it's important that you also understand that there can be problems associated with it too. Before you have any surgery you should do as much research as you possibly can so that you fully understand what you are getting yourself in for.