Lasik Alternatives

There may be several options which are alternatives to Lasik surgery. Some of these options include PPK, phakic intraocular lenses, a reflective lensectomy, or Lasek surgery. Although different surgeries are available for various vision problems, each procedure is specific to a certain group of people. Another alternative may be to continue wearing glasses or contact lenses.

A recent FDA-approved, revolutionary non-surgical lens treatment is called Orthokeratology or Ortho-k. This procedure is designed to improve your natural vision without drugs or surgery. Vision is improved through a unique method, by wearing specialty designed contact lenses. The lenses are custom designed to gently change the shape of your cornea. The cornea is the front curvature of your eye. This method is non-surgical and reversible. Nearsightness is a problem which occurs when the curvature of the cornea is too steep and the length of the eye is too long. This is also known as myopia.

Many people with myopia have a degree of astigmatism. This suggests that the cornea may be oval shaped, as opposed to being round, somewhat similar to a football. Some people may not be suitable for Lasik surgery because of inadequate corneal thickness in relation to the proper prescription needed to correct their vision. For some patients, a procedure such as Lasek or PPK may be more appropriate.

PPK or Photo Refractive Keratectomy was the predecessor of Lasik surgery. PPK remains a highly effective procedure for many patients. With either the Lasek or PPK alternatives, there may be extended recovery time and more post operative visits, however.