Can Glaucoma be Fixed with a LASIK Surgery?
Glaucoma is one of the rare complication post LASIK surgery. Glaucoma is a disease wherein the optic nerve (the nerve that connects the eye to the mind and allows us to see) is damaged because of excessive pressure inside the eye (referred to as intraocular stress, or IOP). That said, the relationship between Glaucoma and LASIK is complex. Although there is no direct reason and impact relationship between the two, specific subgroups of patients undergoing LASIK can be at risk of Glaucoma.
How can LASIK increase the risk of Glaucoma?
Patients with high myopia are regarded to be susceptible to Glaucoma. This subgroup of patients typically needs laser vision correction for higher sight without glasses. They are more vulnerable to the disease. This group ought to have any way developed Glaucoma shortly, and LASIK is incidental to the ailment process.
The different risk factors for Glaucoma are:
- Diabetes
- Advanced age
- Corticosteroid use
- History of previous ocular trauma
- African origin
- Smoking
LASIK can irritate the situation in patients who are vulnerable to Glaucoma because they have optic nerves that are more in danger of disease. It is because LASIK requires the creation of a corneal flap, observed by re-molding the residual cornea to correct the refractive energy of the eye.
To stabilize the look at some point during the creation of the flap, the medical doctor uses a suction mechanism, which will increase the eye pressure significantly. This pressure elevation is transient and, however, can also additionally cause harm to an already prone optic nerve, resulting in Glaucoma.
Post Lasik surgery, all patients have been prescribed some steroid eye drops. These eye drops can reason an elevation of eye stress which may be transient and innocuous, or can reason lasting harm to the optic nerve. This can also happen to any patient, whether or not their nerves had been diagnosed as being at risk of Glaucoma earlier.
Can LASIK deal with Glaucoma?
LASIK (laser-associated in situ keratomileuses) is a famous refractive eye procedure for dealing with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The procedure reshapes the eye’s outer layer (cornea) to enhance vision. Because LASIK improves the cornea at the outer layer of the eye and Glaucoma impacts the optic nerve in the eye, LASIK can not enhance the condition.
Since LASIK is not a surgery inside the eye, so it does not affect the optic nerve and does not increase or decrease your border chance of developing Glaucoma. The intraocular strain does increase substantially for about 30 seconds at some stage in the method. However, this does not boom your chance of developing Glaucoma. However, the cornea is thinner after LASIK, and the intraocular pressure is more than a few. This is assessed in the context of your corneal thickness.
Can you get LASIK when you have Glaucoma?
Suppose you are undergoing LASIK to deal with other refractive eye issues. In that case, it is critical to allow your eye doctor to recognize if you or your family have records of Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a set of eye conditions that affect your optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Damage is commonly due to a buildup of strain over time to your eye. Usually, drugs can lessen your eye’s intraocular pressure (IOP). However, if they are not enough, you can want to have surgery both laser or incisional to reduce stress similarly.
Can you get LASIK when you have Glaucoma?
If you are present process LASIK, it is critical to allow your optometrist or ophthalmologist to recognize in case you or your family have a record of Glaucoma so that special precautions may be taken before, at some stage in, and after surgery. While it is rare to increase Glaucoma because of LASIK, the steroid eye drops you are given following an operation to lessen inflammation can also increase eye strain and, consequently, your chances of growing a reversible increase in pressure as you’re on the medication. Glaucoma] generally is related to high intraocular pressure. People being handled for Glaucoma commonly are not good candidates for LASIK because a suction tool is used on the eye at some stage in the creation of the corneal flap at a location in LASIK surgery in brief reasons for a significant increase in IOP. Patients with slight Glaucoma are regularly good candidates for LASIK.
But someone with LASIK is probably a candidate for any other sort of vision correction surgical operation, such as PRK, which does now no longer require the usage of a suction device, Schlussel. Moreover, after LASIK or PRK, the cornea is made thinner, which may increase inaccurate strain measurements. So, LASIK is not a treatment for Glaucoma and won’t be the best option if you need refractive correction.
Is there no choice but to get rid of glasses in patients with Glaucoma, now no longer eligible for LASIK?
Many refractive surgical procedures no longer require the creation of a corneal flap. PRK, LASEK, CK, ICL, and RLE are all options that your medical doctor will discuss earlier than choosing the best surgery for your eyes and needs.
How can my medical doctor make sure I will now no longer get Glaucoma?
Glaucoma tends to run in families, so you should tell your eye surgeon about any family records of Glaucoma. Your surgeon may also conduct a thorough eye evaluation to rule out susceptibility to Glaucoma. In case of any suspicion of a disease or adequate family records, a comprehensive baseline glaucoma evaluation can be performed to choose the best refractive procedure for you. In case the chance of Glaucoma is high. Your doctor will suggest every other refractive surgery to offer you a more elevated vision without spectacles.
LASIK for myopia makes the cornea thinner, and the current gold standards for measuring eye strain aren’t very correct in post-LASIK eyes. Therefore, your doctor will display the optic nerve and peripheral vision to ensure you do not increase Glaucoma. Your doctor may also display your eye strain during observing up to ensure that there may be no increase in the eye pressure due to steroid use.