So You Have Not Been Approved For Lasik Surgery – What Are your Options?

To be able to undergo Lasik Surgery, you have to have some tests first to determine if you are qualified. Some corneal tissues will be extracted from your eye. If your corneas are found to quite thin, then you cannot have the surgery. If you have myopia or nearsightedness, this surgery is also not for you. Some types of vision defects cannot be corrected with Lasik surgery. Nevertheless, there are other treatment methods that are available to you.

For those who do not want to undergo any kind of surgery, then you will have to be content with wearing prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. Contact lenses now are better made to fit the eyes without irritating them. They are now made of materials that are resilient and resistant to dust and dirt buildup. Some people may find wearing contact lenses quite cumbersome, but this is a good alternative if you have decided that surgery is not for you.

On the other hand, if eyeglasses and contacts or surgery do not appeal to you, one option that you can consider is having lens implants. This is ideal if you suffer from myopia. The implant will be inserted in a small incision in the lens. A special tool secures the lens to the iris of the eye, and then you can forget about it. You can have it removed if it needs to be replaced or if you decide you do not want it anymore. Lens implants are not as irreversible as Lasik surgery, and yet less complicated to care for and maintain than regular contact lenses or eye glasses. This means that if some undue side affects happen during the procedure or if they are not that effective, then they can be just removed or replaced.

There is one more kind of procedure that you can consider; the photorefractive keratectomy, also known as PRK. This method changes the shape of the cornea by removing some tissues from its outer surface. This is done with the use of an ultraviolet light beam. The procedure will only take a few minutes and done using only the technology without any cutting such as the procedure for lens implants and Lasik surgery.

Then there is the laser thermal keratoplasty, called as LTK as well. In LTK, the cornea is taken and outer parts are removed. This action shrinks the tissue surrounding the cornea, resulting to better eyesight. This is a temporary treatment as the tissues can grow back. However, there are fewer drawbacks here as compared to other surgeries where infection can ensue or cause loss of eyesight.

Another innovation in eyesight correction is orthokeratology, or Ortho-K. This method gets the RGP contact lenses or soft contact lenses and reshapes them to complement the form of the cornea, thus making them less uncomfortable. The cornea will be temporarily reshaped resulting to better vision so that you do not have to wear the lens everyday. It will take several months to change the vision and results are temporary. Still, it is an option one can take if he or she does not want to undergo corrective surgery.

For those suffering from nearsightedness, there is also another surgical procedure known as the corneal ring segments. Plastic polymer pieces are placed on the cornea so that it can be reshaped; in this case, flatten it so it can focus light better. This procedure is comprable to the Ortho-K. The corneal ring placements are temporary and results are not yet tested for effectiveness.

There are other available types of surgery which can improve vision temporarily or permanently. Thus, if you do not not qualify for Lasik surgery, do not despair. There are some alternatives worth trying to improve your eyesight.