Once you have decided to have vision correction surgery, it is only natural to want to choose the best surgeon, and the best surgery, for your eyes. In case what is stopping you from perfect vision and freedom from glasses is the fear of having a blade near your eye, Femto LASIK just may be the answer.
This is the complete guide to Femto LASIK Surgery, and has all you need to know about this refractive surgery procedure.
What is FemtoLaser Lasik Surgery?
1. Femto LASIK is blade-free
Femto LASIK is also called blade-free LASIK, all-laser LASIK, or bladeless LASIK. In this, the surgeon uses two types of lasers for the vision correction procedure. The first is the very sophisticated femtosecond laser which is used to create high precision, thin corneal, and then the excimer laser is used to reshape the underlying corneal tissue or stroma. The flap is then replaced, to ensure crystal clear vision, with no knives used. Conventional LASIK, on the other hand, uses a mechanized surgical blade called a microkeratome.
2. Best candidate for Femto LASIK
Patients with mild/moderate myopia, hyperopia, and/or astigmatism, and adequate corneal thickness are considered good candidates for Femto LASIK. This can usually only be determined by a comprehensive eye examination by your eye surgeon, but if you are a candidate for LASIK, the rule of the thumb is that you are a candidate for Femto LASIK too.
3. Procedure and Recovery Time
Typically the surgery lasts about 10 minutes per eye, and the surgical downtime ranges from a day or two. Most doctors believe that you can go back to your normal lifestyle, after resting your eyes on the day of surgery. Most patients attain 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses, in some cases, this time can range from a few days to several weeks for vision to stabilize.
Cost of Femto Lasik Surgery in India
Femto LASIK is more expensive than conventional LASIK because the Femto LASIK corneal flap tool brings an additional cost to the procedure. Its cost, however, is less than Contoura Vision and SMILE, which are the other two premium refractive surgeries for spectacle removal. However, Lasik surgery cost in India is cheaper than other equivalent centers abroad.
Advantages of Femtosecond Laser Lasik Surgery
Femtosecond laser LASIK is considered a premium surgery because of several inherent advantages including:
It is bladeless, which means it induces less anxiety in patients.
The corneal flap thickness is more predictable, with fewer flap-related complications in the long term.
There is a significantly reduced risk of corneal abrasions, flap loss, and other complications during surgery.
A thinner corneal flap can be made with the Femto LASIK, which is more predictable, which means that it is safer for correcting higher refractive errors, for any given corneal thickness.
The precise flap means a reduced healing time, with better quality of vision following surgery.
Disadvantages of Femto Lasik Eye Surgery
Even though complications of Femto LASIK are few and infrequent, you must be aware of them before going for surgery. These include:
Flap complications include incomplete flaps, flaps with striae, and flap dislocation
Epithelial ingrowth, and DLK-like inflammation, like conventional LASIK
Transient Light Sensitivity Syndrome (TLSS). TLSS usually presents two to six weeks after Femto LASIK, and the patient complains of increased light sensitivity or photophobia, with no change in vision. This complication usually resolves with a short course of eye drops.
Final Verdict on Femto LASIK Surgery
As is evident from this complete guide to Femto LASIK surgery, it is a completely safe procedure that offers excellent visual results to the patients seeking freedom from glasses. It is a premium refractive surgery, which means there is an additional cost to it, but its vastly superior quality of life profile is making it the preferred surgery, all over the world.