Excimer Laser in Turkey

What is Excimer Laser? Who is Excimer Laser Applied to?

Excimer laser is one of the frequently preferred treatments for eye disorders since it offers effective treatment. It is among the safe eye treatments with low risks, a fast recovery process, high success rate. You can get more detailed information about excimer laser treatment from our article.

What is Excimer Laser?

Excimer laser shapes the outer surface of the eye, called the cornea, as a type of laser used in eye surgery. It is applied to correct the focusing ability of the eye in conditions such as myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism, which are eye disorders. Excimer laser vaporizes a thin tissue from the corneal layer of the eye, changes the shape of the cornea and ensures that the image is focused at the right point.

Who is Excimer Laser Applied to?

The excimer laser is generally applied to people with eye disorders such as myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism or who experience age-related macular degeneration. It is especially preferred by people who have eye disorders but do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses, who are uncomfortable with losing or dirtying their glasses, and who are engaged in sports and other physical activities. The necessary criteria for the application of Excimer laser treatment can be listed as follows:

• Being over the age of 18, using glasses or contact lenses due to vision problems,
• Having eye diseases such as keratoconus, eye pressure, etc. in the eye,
• The eye number has not changing for at least a year,
• Not having systemic diseases such as diabetes,
• Not being pregnant or in breastfeeding period.

Can People With Excimer Laser Treatment Have Cataract Surgery?

People who have excimer laser treatment can have cataract surgery. Excimer laser treatment is a procedure that treats the corneal layer of the eye. Cataract surgeries, on the other hand, are performed to eliminate the blurring in the natural lens of the eye. Therefore, they are treatments for different eye problems and one does not prevent the other. However, since Excimer laser treatment changes the structural features of the eye, special planning may be required for cataract surgery.

How is Excimer Laser Performed?

Excimer laser treatment has a series of stages, including what to pay attention to before and after. These stages can be explained as follows, respectively:

• Anesthetizing the eyes using eye drops: Local anesthetic drops are used in both eyes during the procedure, allowing the procedure to be performed without pain or discomfort.
• Flap creation or vaporization: Using an instrument, the ophthalmologist removes part of the top layer of the cornea and gains access to the tissues under the eye. This process is called flap creation. However, it is possible to vaporize the upper layer of the cornea without creating a flap in the excimer laser.
• Excimer laser procedure: The doctor focuses on a specific area of the upper layer of the cornea using an excimer laser and reshapes the corneal tissue with laser beams. The cornea is flattened or curved, suitable for hypermetropia, myopia or astigmatism.
• Flap placement: After the excimer laser process is completed, the flap is placed back in place and left to heal on its own.
• Use of eye drops: After the procedure, the ophthalmologist prescribes appropriate eye drops and recommends using them to support the healing process.

Eye Laser Treatment Methods

There are many eye laser treatment methods using excimer laser technology. The main ones are LASIK, Femtolasik, No Touch Prk and Ptk treatments. These treatments are explained in detail below.

What is Femtolasik?

Femtolasik treatment is similar to the LASIK method, but the laser technology used in flap creation is different. While a mechanical instrument called a microkeratome is used to create flaps in the LASIK method, a femtosecond laser is used to create the flap in the Femtolasik procedure.

What is No Touch Prk?

No-Touch PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is an eye surgery performed to enable the person to see clearly without using glasses and lenses. This procedure is performed by lifting the upper layer of the cornea as a flap using Excimer Laser technology and then reshaping the cornea. In normal PRK procedures, the top layer of the cornea is lifted using an alkali solution or a mechanical instrument, while in the No-Touch PRK procedure, the top layer of the cornea is lifted using an alcohol solution. This method is recommended for people with thin corneas, as it provides more opportunities to preserve the corneal thickness.

What is Ptk (Corneal Scar / Irregularity Treatment)?

In the PTK procedure, the cells in the upper layer of the cornea are removed by evaporation by Excimer Laser beams. This procedure is used to eliminate irregularities on the surface of the cornea and is also effective in the treatment of corneal scars. The PTK procedure is used especially in conditions such as Lattice dystrophy (an inherited disease of the cornea) and Salzmann nodule (Corneal surface irregularity) seen in the cornea.

Lasik

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is an eye surgery procedure used in the treatment of vision problems. LASIK, one of the treatments performed using excimer laser technology, starts by creating a flap on the corneal surface. Afterwards, vision is corrected by reshaping the lower layers of the cornea with a tool called a microkeratome blade with the help of an excimer laser. After the procedure is completed, the lifted flap is placed in its place and left to heal naturally.

What is the Difference Between Excimer Laser and Lasik Treatment?

Excimer Laser is a technology used in many different eye surgery procedures, including LASIK. LASIK is just one of the processes using excimer laser technology. LASIK is performed by creating flaps, but in excimer laser treatments, the upper layer of the cornea can be vaporized by laser without creating flaps.

Is Excimer Laser Treatment Safe?

Excimer Laser technology has been used around the world for years and has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment in many clinical studies and research. However, like any medical operation, excimer laser treatment has some risks and potential side effects. But these side effects usually disappear within a few days and a healthy vision is obtained.

In How Many Days Does the Excimer Laser Heal?

The recovery process after the Excimer Laser procedure varies depending on many factors such as the patient's general health status, age, post-procedure care, corneal thickness, and the severity of the refractive defect. The recovery process starts immediately after the operation and visual clarity improves after a few hours. However, it may take a few days or weeks for the flap area of the cornea to heal completely.

At What Age Can Excimer Laser Be Applied?

Excimer laser treatment is applied to people who are over the age of 18 and whose eye defect can be fixed. It is not a recommended treatment at younger ages as the eye defect changes more rapidly at younger ages.

Things to Pay Attention to After Excimer Laser Treatment

In order to avoid the risk of infection after laser treatment, the eyes should not be rubbed or even touched if possible. The healing process can be accelerated by using the eye drops given by the doctor without interruption. After the operation, it is recommended to avoid heavy physical activities for a while and to take sun-protective precautions such as wearing sunglasses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Excimer Laser

Although excimer laser treatment offers effective solutions for many eye defects, patients may have questions about the procedure in their minds. Some of the frequently asked questions about Excimer laser are as follows:

1. Does the Excimer laser leave scars?

Since Excimer Laser is a precision laser technology used to reshape the eye surface, it leaves no traces. Since there is little damage to the tissues during the procedure, it heals quickly and there is no scar.

2. How many times is Excimer laser performed?

In Excimer Laser treatment, a one-time treatment is sufficient for most people. But in some cases, it can be repeated when the treatment is not successful enough or when various complications occur. If vision problems persist after treatment, laser treatment can be performed again after a few months, with the advice of the doctor.

3. When does blurred vision go away after excimer laser?

After excimer laser treatment, patients may have blurred or dull vision for several days. This is a normal side effect and usually improves on its own within a few days. However, since each patient's recovery process is different, it may take several weeks for some people.

You can get information from doctors to find out which excimer laser treatment is suitable for your eye defect. Excimer laser treatments are one of the laser eye treatments at Liv Hospital.