Refractive surgery uses different surgical techniques in an outpatient procedure to correct sight defects. At the SEKAL center, interventions of:
- PRK, LASEK,
- Epi-LASEK,
- FEMTOLASIK (iLASIK),
- SMILE
are carried out as necessary.
PRK
The PRK technique was the first refractive surgery technique using an excimer laser (Amaris – Schwind). After removing the corneal epithelium with a spatula, the laser shapes the underlying tissue.
There is also the “NO TOUCH” variant, also called “transepithelial PRK” in which the surgery is carried out completely by the laser and the surgeon does not carry out the removal of the epithelium.
LASEK
The LASEK technique, developed by Dr. Camellin in 1998, consists of the temporary lifting of the epithelium, the excimer laser then sculpts the cornea and the surgeon puts the epithelium on the cornea up to the end of the eye at the end of the surgery to protect the eye from pro-inflammatory molecules and to cover the nerve endings to reduce postoperative pain.
PRK and LASEK are called “surface techniques” because they are necessary on the surface and are particularly suitable for thin corneas. These are techniques that are particularly popular with Northern European surgeons due to the low incidence of postoperative complications.
FEMTOLASIK (iLASIK)
The FEMTOLASIK technique, loved by American ophthalmologists, uses two lasers: first the femtosecond laser creates a cut inside the cornea, the surgeon raises the most superficial tissue and the excimer laser ‘evaporates’ excess corneal tissue and then repositions the stromal tissue.
This technique is very useful in that it reduces post-operative recovery time and is particularly suitable for hypermetropic eyes.
SMILE
The latest novelty in refractive surgery is the SMILE technique.
It is a technique in which it is possible to remove a lenticule inside the cornea corresponding to the defect myopic that needs to be corrected thanks to a particular femtosecond laser (Visumax-Zeiss).
The advantage of this technique is that it is with a closed eye in which the the pain is almost non existent and the visual recovery takes place in a few days because the corneal surface remains almost completely intact.
This technique has the characteristic of “damaging” only a small part of the superficial corneal tissue and as a result the nerve endings, thereby consistently reducing the postoperative pain, the risk of weakening of the corneal structure and the risk of postoperative hypolacrymia.
At the SEKAL center the femtoseconds laser is kept in a suitable room that has a consistent temperature and level of humidity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure maximum standardization of results.
