Can You Have Laser Eye Surgery in Summer?

Whether you can have laser eye surgery in summer is a question people about to undergo laser eye surgery often ask. Factors such as the summer heat and holidays are perceived as making recovery harder after many operations. As long as certain points are observed, however, there is nothing to be concerned about. Laser eye surgery is chosen by people who want to reduce their prescription to zero, that is to remove the need for glasses and contact lenses entirely. Glasses and lenses may be unwelcome both for appearance and for other reasons, and laser eye surgery is frequently chosen as a result. Laser eye surgery can indeed be performed in summer. If you will be going out in the sun during recovery, sunglasses are recommended. Swimming pools and the sea should be avoided for about 20 days, and water should not get directly into the eye in the first week: although pool water is treated with chlorine it can still harbour germs, and chlorine can harm an eye that has not yet healed. If you have a holiday planned, it is therefore recommended that surgery takes place two or three weeks beforehand, or immediately afterwards. Beyond that, there is no objection to having laser eye surgery in summer.

Laser Eye Surgery in Summer

Laser eye surgery is a treatment applied to remove vision problems such as astigmatism, myopia and hyperopia. Laser eye surgery in summer takes place in a very short time and in most people removes the need for glasses and contact lenses; with higher prescriptions it reduces the prescription. It is among the most widely used methods for correcting the focus of vision. This operation raises the quality of vision that refractive errors have reduced. The cornea of the eye is reshaped and freed of its irregularities. Certain tests are carried out on the patient before laser eye surgery, and the conditions that led to the operation are addressed. If the patient's cornea is not suitable for laser surgery, other methods are recommended. Laser eye surgery is the best known method applied in order to be free of glasses. This procedure, which falls into the category of refractive surgery, removes refractive errors. In people with a moderate vision problem and no severe refractive error, the need for glasses disappears completely, while in people with an advanced vision problem it reduces the prescription.

When is Laser Eye Surgery Applied?

When laser eye surgery is applied is a question people who want surgery during the summer often ask. Applied in order to be free of refractive errors, the operation is carried out with a laser that corrects irregularities in the cornea. Laser eye surgery is used to correct refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The quality of a person's vision improves this way, and for most people the need for optical aids disappears; with higher prescriptions it is reduced.

Types of Laser Eye Surgery

Types of laser eye surgery generally consist of four kinds, which can be applied in different situations or for different degrees of refractive error. Laser treatment known as the excimer can be considered in four groups: PRK, Trans PRK (No Touch), LASIK and iLASIK.

Excimer Laser Eye Surgery

With excimer laser eye surgery, problems such as hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism are treated straightforwardly. The laser reshapes the cornea from its surface; in LASIK a thin flap is first lifted and the laser is applied beneath it. This method takes a very short time and patients can be discharged the same day. The excimer laser method is used in the treatment of refractive errors and is included in refractive surgery worldwide. The excimer is a method carried out with a laser that removes the refractive problem, and it has been in use for a long time. It is applied according to the structure of the eye, and people whose eye structure is unsuitable are recommended other methods. Excimer laser is applied after the age of eighteen; over the age of forty-five, lens options are also considered. People receiving the excimer must not have a chronic eye condition. The method is applied up to ten dioptres of myopia, five dioptres of hyperopia and five dioptres of astigmatism. The procedure takes 5-10 minutes including preparation for the operation. The excimer laser has other varieties as well.

iLASIK Laser

This is known as a more advanced form of the LASIK laser. A treatment plan is prepared to suit the structure and condition of the person's eye.

Trans PRK

This is also known as No Touch Laser. In this method no instrument touches the eye: the laser itself removes the surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) and then reshapes the cornea.

PRK

Also known as photorefractive keratectomy, this method is carried out with the excimer laser, with the upper layer of the cornea removed entirely.

Who Can Have Laser Eye Surgery in Summer?

It would not be wrong to answer the question of who can have laser eye surgery in summer by saying that anyone can. Patients do have to meet certain conditions, however. First of all, an examination by a doctor is needed for approval. If the person's eyes are suitable for surgery, they must also meet the following criteria:

• The operation is risky in people with glaucoma. The glaucoma must be treated first.
• The excimer is not applied where there are eye conditions such as keratoconus that thin the cornea or that can cause advanced vision problems.
• LASIK laser surgery is not recommended in people with severe dry eye, because it can cause further dryness.
• Where there is inflammation affecting the eye, it is treated first.
• Where there are eye injuries, the laser procedure may not be recommended.
• The excimer is not recommended for people with cataract. The cataract must be treated first.
• People must be over eighteen.
• In people over forty-five, lens options are also considered.

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