Can laser eye surgery fix long and short sight?

Do you find yourself reaching for your glasses or squinting to read the fine print on a menu? If so, you’re not alone. Vision problems, such as nearsightedness (myopia) are common issues that affect people of all ages. Fortunately, modern medicine has provided us with a remarkable solution: laser eye surgery. In this blog post, we will explore how laser eye surgery can fix short sight, but not long sight, providing clarity and freedom from the hassles of glasses and contact lenses.

Understanding long and shortsightedness

Before delving into the details of laser eye surgery, it’s essential to understand the two primary vision problems:

• Myopia (Shortsightedness): Myopia is where distant objects appear blurry, while if you view close-up objects, you can see these clearly. This occurs when your eyeball is too long, or your cornea is too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it.
• Hyperopia (Longsightedness): Hyperopia is the opposite of myopia. It makes close-up objects blurry while distant objects remain clear. Hyperopia occurs when your eyeball is too short, or your cornea is too flat, causing light to focus behind the retina.

How laser eye surgery works

Laser eye surgery, or refractive surgery, is a medical procedure where we reshape the cornea to correct your vision problems. It is a highly effective and popular option¹https://europepmc.org/article/NBK/nbk488018 if you are seeking to reduce your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Below are 3 of our most common types of laser eye surgery that can fix your shortsightedness:

• LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis): LASIK is one of the most widely performed vision correction procedures.²https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161642008013377 During the LASIK procedure, we create a thin flap on the cornea using a femtosecond laser. We then reshape the underlying corneal tissue with an excimer laser to correct the refractive error. We reposition the flap and the eye heals naturally.
• Smartsight (SMILE laser eye surgery): SmartSight and SMILE procedures are two new methods for lenticular extraction, a process used in advanced laser eye surgery. Among eye specialists, lenticule extraction is highly regarded as the leading choice for minimally invasive procedures to correct myopia, whether it includes astigmatism or not. Smartsight does not treat longsightedness as of yet. What makes this choice special is that it allows us to perform femtosecond laser surgeries without the need to create a corneal flap. This means a less invasive and more comfortable experience for you.
• PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy): PRK is another laser eye surgery option for vision correction. Unlike LASIK, we do not create a flap for PRK. Instead, we gently remove the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) and we use the excimer laser to reshape the cornea’s surface. Over time, the epithelium regrows, and the eye heals.³https://bjo.bmj.com/content/80/7/663.short

Does LASIK fix Myopia?

LASIK, SmartSight, and PRK can reshape the cornea for people with myopia to reduce its curvature. This allows light to focus precisely on the retina, improving distance vision. Many myopic patients experience fast results with greatly improved vision.⁴https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0886335012011364

It is uncommon to fix hyperopia (longsightedness) with laser eye surgery

We do not treat hyperopia with laser eye surgery. For this, we would offer alternative treatments to address this vision problem such as lens replacement surgery.

If you’re tired of constantly searching for your glasses or dealing with the inconvenience of contacts? Find out if you are a good candidate by booking an assessment with us to explore the possibility of laser eye surgery. Say goodbye to the limitations of shortsightedness and hello to a world of visual clarity.