Do you use contact lenses and glasses to complete daily activities? If it feels like these visual aids aren’t good enough, or you want something better, it’s time to consider a vision correction procedure. These procedures can safely and effectively correct refractive errors, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
With a vision correction procedure like LASIK, you no longer have to deal with the burdens of visual aids. Keep reading to learn why you no longer have to hold yourself back and how vision correction will change your life!
What are Vision Correction Procedures?
Vision correction procedures like LASIK and PRK reshape your cornea to correct refractive errors and improve your vision. Doing this helps you achieve visual freedom from glasses and contact lenses.
These procedures use lasers to improve your vision permanently. Other procedures, like the EVO ICL, are different because they don’t use a laser to correct your vision.
Instead, they implant an additive lens in your eye to correct nearsightedness and mild astigmatism in qualified patients. These procedures are performed by surgeons and tailored to each patient’s specific needs and eye anatomy.
Depending on the procedure, recovery time ranges from several days to a few months. However, the result is achieving better eyesight. Most patients end up with 20/20 vision or better after choosing these procedures.
Choosing a vision correction procedure offers the gift of clear sight, whether gazing at a sunrise or glancing at your cell phone, without using glasses or contact lenses.
Crisp, Clear Vision with LASIK
LASIK is one of the most well-known and popular vision correction procedures. During LASIK, your LASIK surgeon at South Texas Eye Institute will use lasers to reshape your cornea.
Reshaping your cornea changes how light bends when it enters your eye. This sharpens distant vision obscured by nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
The LASIK procedure begins by creating a thin flap on the corneal surface. Your LASIK surgeon will reshape the second layer of the cornea under this protective flap. Then, they will lay the flap back where it acts as a natural bandage without stitches or sutures.
LASIK only takes a few minutes per eye, with most patients experiencing almost instant improvements to their vision. As your vision improves, you can start seeing in 20/20 or better within 24 hours.
There’s no extended recovery period after LASIK, meaning you can start enjoying your new vision almost instantly. Things will look crisper, sharper, and like they are in high definition after LASIK.
EVO ICL Corrects a Wide Range of Vision Problems
Another vision correction procedure gaining popularity is the EVO ICL. The EVO ICL is another newer vision correction procedure that is growing in popularity.
It stands out because it’s the only reversible and removable vision correction procedure. The EVO ICL can treat nearsightedness and astigmatism in qualified patients.
The EVO ICL is a custom flexible additive lens implanted in front of the eye’s natural lens. The EVO ICL is well-suited for patients deemed too nearsighted for LASIK or too young for presbyopia correction.
Because it does not touch the cornea or lens, it provides excellent visual outcomes with fewer risks than similar procedures. One way the EVO ICL stands out among other vision correction procedures is you can have it removed or replaced.
Having the choice to remove it gives patients peace of mind if they are unsure about a permanent method like LASIK. Knowing it’s reversible makes it attractive if you need an IOL implanted during cataract surgery when you’re older.
You can simply have the EVO ICL removed and replaced with the IOL of your choice during cataract surgery.
Correcting Presbyopia with Refractive Lens Exchange
Most people will develop an age-related eye condition called presbyopia as they age. Presbyopia affects your ability to focus on objects right in front of you.
If you have presbyopia, this eye condition develops because your natural lens can no longer focus up close and loses its flexibility. Typically, if you have presbyopia, the best way to treat this eye condition is with reading glasses.
However, if you want a better option, a procedure called refractive lens exchange is available at South Texas Eye Institute. Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is an advanced solution virtually identical to cataract surgery.
During refractive lens exchange, you’ll have your natural lens removed and replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL ensures you can see clearly.
But with refractive lens exchange, you never have to worry about cataracts. Another advantage of the procedure is that you can significantly improve your vision, depending on the IOL you choose.
Many kinds of IOLs are available, including premium options that can reduce your dependence on visual aids.
Surface Laser Treatment with PRK
Another procedure that’s similar to LASIK is PRK. PRK uses lasers to reshape the cornea and improve your vision.
However, unlike LASIK, no flap is created. Instead, to improve your vision, during PRK, you’ll have the thin outer layer of the cornea (called the epithelium) removed.
The epithelium will naturally regrow and protect the newly reshaped corneal shape underneath. Recovery from PRK takes longer than LASIK, but it produces virtually identical results.
It also works well for those with thin corneas or pre-existing dry eyes who may not be a good candidate for LASIK. PRK is an excellent way of correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Freedom to See Clearly and Live Fully
If you wear glasses and contact lenses, you know they can feel constraining. Whether you’re fighting to keep them clean or trying to play sports in glasses and have them sliding down your nose, it’s a constant struggle.
Choosing a vision correction procedure will change your life and help you see like never before. If you’ve ever dreamed of a life without feeling like your vision is holding you back, these procedures can help.
Imagine seeing your child on stage, cooking a meal, gazing at a mountain vista, reading texts and emails, or watching your favorite movie with crisp, clear vision. So many daily moments you don’t even think about will be better than you ever thought about after a procedure like LASIK or the EVO ICL.
You can finally get up and go when you’ve achieved visual freedom. Feel free to do what you want when you want. Stop worrying about packing enough contact lens solution when you take your much-needed vacation. Jump in the pool and do a cannonball because your vision has no constraints!
If you’re tired of lackluster vision holding you back from what you want to do, it’s time to do something about it. Vision correction procedures are safe and trusted for a reason.
Are you ready to take your life and living to the next level? Find your best self by requesting your consultation at South Texas Eye Institute in San Antonio, TX, today! Your vision is worth it, and so are you!
