What do you need to know?
- Laserową korekcję wzroku można wykonać po ukończeniu co najmniej 18 lat, gdy wada jest stabilna przez minimum rok, jednak zaleca się poczekać do około 21 lat.
- Zabieg usuwa krótkowzroczność, nadwzroczność, astygmatyzm i starczowzroczność, pod warunkiem spełnienia określonych kryteriów medycznych.
- Niektóre przeciwwskazania to zaćma, stożek rogówki, cienka rogówka, aktywne stany zapalne, ciąża, karmienie piersią oraz inne choroby jak cukrzyca czy jaskra.
- Qualification includes a precise ophthalmic examination and medical history that determines the patient's eye condition and age.
- Laser vision correction is usually possible until around 55-60 years of age, but the decision depends on the individual patient's condition and the course of presbyopia.
- Koszt zabiegu jest zróżnicowany i najczęściej wynosi kilka tysięcy złotych za jedno oko, a cena zależy od wybranej metody i potrzeb pacjenta.
Na kwalifikację do zabiegu korekcji wzroku, przy użyciu nowoczesnego laseru, ma wpływ wiele czynników, w tym ważny jest oczywiście wiek pacjenta. Przyjmuje się, że pacjent powinien mieć ukończone co najmniej 18 lat, a wada powinna być stabilna minimum rok. Lecz tak naprawdę lepiej poczekać kilka lat dłużej. Dlaczego?
Who is eligible for laser vision correction?
The primary reason for this is to stabilise refractive errors, myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism. In many cases of myopia (when we have impaired distance vision), this worsens with age due to the increase in the length of the eyeball. As we can see, this is a complex issue. We therefore encourage you to read the rest of this article, in which we discuss in more detail the relationship of a patient's age to qualification for laser vision correction surgery.
Procedure laser vision correction wykonuje się zarówno w oparciu o wskazania medyczne, zawodowe, jak i kosmetyczne. Niektórzy chcą zrezygnować z dotychczas noszonych soczewek lub okularów korekcyjnych - to względy natury estetycznej. Wiele osób wykonuje profesje, które wymagają doskonałego wzroku, jak np. pracę strażaka, który na co dzień pracuje w zapyleniu, na wysokości. Także wielu sportowców zawodowych lub kierowców decyduje się na laserową korekcję wzroku, dbając o komfort podczas pracy.
There are a number of eye defects that can be corrected with laser treatment. These include:
- Diverse,
- myopia,
- hyperopia,
- astigmatism,
- presbyopia - i.e. a problem with near vision.
Other indications for vision correction surgery include:
- nickel allergy,
- poor contact lens tolerance.
It is important to note that whether we should undergo such a procedure should be consulted with an ophthalmologist, who will rule out any contraindications to the procedure. In order to remove the visual defect in this way, the relevant criteria must be met.
To which defect can laser vision correction be done?
It is important to know that with laser vision correction, vision defects can be corrected to a specific condition. The most common defects are qualified:
- Myopia up to 10-12 D,
- nadwzroczność nie mniejsza niż +1,0 D, nie większa niż do + 4 D (według niektórych metod i źródeł można wykonać zabieg przy hyperopia pacjenta do +6 dioptrii),
- Astigmatism up to 2-6 Dcyl.
Of course, the condition of our organ of vision can be properly assessed by an ophthalmologist who, during the qualification process, will determine how advanced our defect is and decide whether we can undergo laser vision correction. He will also match it with the appropriate method.
When can laser vision correction not be performed?
Imagine that a specialist doctor indicates for medical reasons that a laser vision correction procedure cannot be performed. This does not mean that in some time we will not be able to undergo surgery to remove the defect. Indeed, some of the contraindications to the procedure are temporary.
Temporal contraindications:
- usunięcie cataracts - należy odczekać około 6-12 miesięcy,
- Wearing contact lenses - laser vision correction can be performed approximately 2-3 weeks after stopping the use of soft lenses, while a wait of several months is required after removing hard lenses,
- inflammatory eye diseases - wait, among other things, for 12 months while observing the eyes,
- pregnancy,
- Breastfeeding - approximately 6 months after cessation of breastfeeding, qualification and treatment can take place.
It is also worth pointing out other important contraindications that prevent laser vision correction from being performed. These are:
- cataract,
- corneal cone,
- cornea too thin,
- active inflammation,
- Glaucoma (relatively),
- permanent damage to the cornea as a result of trauma,
- reduced endothelial cell density,
- diabetes,
- pacemaker,
- other.
Of course, there are many reasons why a patient is not eligible for surgery. That is why it is extremely important to have a consultation appointment at a specialist ophthalmologist's office, where the doctor will perform the appropriate tests and ask us about our eye treatment history to determine whether we can undergo the procedure. The condition of each patient's eyes should be individually consulted because, as we know, an eye is not equal to an eye.
One more important criterion is the age of each patient who wishes to undergo laser vision correction.
At what age can laser vision correction be done?
Many people wonder whether laser correction surgery, which removes visual impairment, includes age restrictions. As always with medicine, our metrics matter here.
The patient should be at least 18 years old and the defect should be stable for a minimum of one year. It is worth mentioning that the eyeball grows extremely fast in the child's 1st year of life, then the growth slows down around the second year of life, and the eyeball itself grows about 1mm/year. This slow process continues until around 17-18 years of age.
An important question linked to the age of the patient is to determine until when the visual defect grows. At a young age, when the eye is still developing, the visual defect can get worse. Therefore, it is extremely important to the ophthalmologist that the eye has reached its target size. This is not always at the age of 18. In fact, it is better to wait a few years longer. Why? It is assumed that it is not until around the age of 21 that it is worth performing such a procedure. The growth of the eyeball has usually already stopped and the defect is usually fully stabilised by this year of age.
Dobrze jest w takim przypadku systematycznie wykonywać badania wzroku, aby podczas wizyty kwalifikacyjnej wiedzieć, od jakiego mniej więcej czasu wada wzroku jest stabilna – to znaczy – oko przestało rosnąć. Czasami możliwe jest wykonanie tak zwanej rekorekcji w przypadku, gdy wada refrakcji pojawi się po zabiegu, ale upewnienie się o stabilności wady przed zabiegiem jest o wiele lepszym rozwiązaniem. Nie każda bowiem rogówka nadaje się wymiarowo do wykonania kolejnego zabiegu.
Laser vision correction - age does matter
Many people wonder - when can laser vision correction surgery be undertaken and when is it not possible? The matter is not so simple, there is no concrete answer to this question.
Theoretically, laser vision correction can be performed at the age of 21, it is considered that, as a standard, this is when the human body stops growing. The eye is no longer growing, we can usually see a stable visual defect that is not progressing, so that the vision correction surgery can be performed. Of course, there are cases where the surgery can be performed slightly earlier, but these are sporadic. What about mature patients?
Up to what age does laser vision correction work?
Patients over the age of about 40 are wondering whether vision correction is advisable at their age, and whether it will be effective. This is a good question, as it is not only the restrictions that extend to people of a young age who have not yet reached about 21 years of age. Mature patients also need to go for a consultation, during which the doctor will determine whether they are eligible for the procedure.
It may also be the case that a 40-year-old's eye is not ready for the procedure, or that there is an opportunity to operate on a vision defect in a much older person. Laser vision correction after the age of 50, after appropriate consultation, is also possible.
It is recognised that laser vision correction can be carried out up to about 55 years of age, but there are situations where surgery can be carried out despite reaching this age. Laser vision correction after the age of 60 is therefore not out of the question.
Why such age restrictions? It is because presbyopia, or so-called presbyopia, is most common during this period of life. Unfortunately, even vision correction cannot prevent this process, although with a special presbyopia correction method we can largely reverse this process.
It is worth bearing in mind that age restrictions are set very conventionally; qualification for surgery largely depends on the patient's overall condition, and their individual characteristics and needs. Presbyopia is therefore not the only factor that influences the final qualification. Such a procedure, even for a patient in his or her 50s, can make the patient's daily life significantly more comfortable.
What does the qualification look like?
The procedure itself is painless, non-invasive and takes a few moments. However, it should always be preceded by an extremely thorough qualifying examination.
During such a visit, the doctor uses a number of diagnostic devices to examine, among other things, the cornea, including the thickness of its epithelium, fundus, endothelial cells, intraocular pressure, near and far acuity, etc.
An interview with the patient is also an extremely important step in the qualification process. Do not hide anything during the qualification, preferably if you have previously treated eye diseases - it is advisable to bring relevant medical documentation to the examination.
Determining the patient's treatment history and qualifying examinations gives the doctor a complete overview of the state of the eye. It is also during this visit that the patient learns whether his or her age, combined with the condition of the eyes, qualifies him or her for surgery to correct his or her visual impairment.
How much does laser vision correction surgery cost?
Living with a visual impairment is a daily inconvenience for many. It is not only young people who are considering laser vision correction. Mature patients, too, want to ensure good vision, which will of course make their lives more comfortable.
Let us remember that laser vision correction is currently not reimbursed by the National Health Fund. What is more, the price of such a procedure cannot be determined unequivocally. This is because there are different methods of laser vision correction, different patient preferences and indications for the procedure. In most cases, the cost is around several thousand per eye, which, let us admit, is not an exorbitant price if we are talking about the elimination of a hitherto troublesome vision defect, which prevented us, for example, from seeing with good sharpness of focus at any distance.
It is also important to note that at a professional clinic like Blikpol, we offer many packages of vision correction services, including highly personalised ones. The price is therefore often the result of the patient's individual needs.
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