Hello everyone, I am You Yuxia, an ophthalmologist who loves to write popular science.
Because my major is optometry, I often need to help outpatient patients choose the most suitable vision correction scheme. With the development of technology, more and more people choose to remove glasses through surgery.
Last time we introduced laser surgery, many friends still had doubts after watching it. For example, they would worry about the long-term effect of the surgery-after the surgery, their eyesight is good now, and if they get old, their eyes will not work. Some friends also mentioned another method of endoscopic removal-ICL implantation.
Then we will continue to talk today.
A person who performed laser surgery in his early years.
How’s it going now?
On the whole, it is quite good.
With the development of laser surgery up to now, it is still very safe on the whole. At present, there are more than 1 million laser surgeries in our country every year.
For people who have undergone laser surgery for 20 years,There has been research and investigation.More than 95% of the people were satisfied with the postoperative results. However, the remaining small group of people were not satisfied because of dry eye after operation, vision regression, poor vision near and unclear vision at night.
As for [after surgery, old eyes will not be able to perform cataract surgery], it can be regarded as a rumor.ActuallyAt present, in the outpatient department, many people who had undergone laser lens removal surgery in those days came to perform cataract surgery.
Of course, it is not to say that laser surgery is absolutely safe, after all, surgery will have risks. Whether to do it or not still needs to be considered according to the urgency of removing the mirror and other circumstances.
However, no matter which method is used in laser surgery, corneal ablation is required. Therefore, many people have paid attention to another method of lens removal surgery-ICL implantation.
What is the ICL implantation
ICL is [implantable contact lens]. ICL implantation surgery, in short, is to put a special contact lens into the eye through surgery.
The operation process is relatively simple:
- Make a small incision on the corneal limbus and install the folded ICL into the posterior chamber. Spread the ICL; Adjust the position of ICL.
Schematic Diagram of ICL Implantation Procedure
Photo Source: Provided by Author
The injury is small, the postoperative recovery is quick, the life is basically not affected, and if there is a problem, it can also be taken out.
Advantages of ICL Implantation
Since ICL is implanted into the eye, unlike the distance between frame glasses and the eye, the image will not be enlarged or reduced, and the visual quality is much better.
However, laser surgery requires corneal thickness because it requires corneal ablation. The higher the degree, the more corneas need to be ablated. Therefore, ICL is more suitable for these patients with high myopia but not very thick cornea.
Moreover, ICL implantation requires only a small incision at the edge of the cornea, which has little damage to the cornea. Compared with patients undergoing laser surgery, the risk of dry eye after surgery will be smaller.
Risk of ICL Implantation
ICL implantation is to implant lens into the eye, so it is an internal eye operation. Theoretically, there is a risk of endophthalmitis, but the occurrence rate should be very low, as ifAt present, there is no report in China.
In addition, since ICL is installed between iris and lens, iritis may occur and may interfere with the metabolism of its own lens, thus causing cataract to occur in advance.
Similarly, glare or halo may occur after ICL, and occasionally the initial size or degree is inaccurate, or when the ICL position rotates, secondary surgery is required.
Other complications include the possibility of elevated intraocular pressure.
In addition to the above complications, ICL implantation is more expensive than laser surgery, and postoperative reexamination and precautions are more complicated.
Although it is not suitable to take it out in theory and feels reversible, the process of loading and taking it may have some effects on the eyes, and the operation level of different surgeons will also vary.
In general, no matter what kind of operation method, there will be risks. Whether to do it or not should be fully considered according to one’s own situation.
Welcome to pay attention to my public number tour doctor pointing to the north. Here, you can not only understand common eye diseases such as myopia, astigmatism, amblyopia and cataract, but also see the introduction of laser surgery, contact lenses, frame glasses and other products, as well as find irregular evaluation of eye peripheral products.
I am a doctor you. I want to talk to you about my eyes, life and the world.
-References-
[1] Solomon KD, Fernandez de Castro LE, Sandoval HP, et al. LASIK World Literature Review: Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction. Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr; 116 (4): 691-701. Doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008. 12.037.