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Laser vision correction refers specifically to elective surgeries which utilise an excimer laser, as opposed to surgeries which use some other form of correction, such as intraocular lens implants.
Laser vision correction comes in two basic flavour, within which are several variations on the theme. The first flavour is LASIK, which cuts a thick flap of tissue, lasers under it and lays the flap back down. Variations include use of different types of lasers or microkeratomes, and use of conventional or wavefront-guided ablations. The second flavour is surface ablation, which includes all procedures which remove tissue from immediately under the epithelium. The three current surface ablation procedures are PRK, LASEK and Epi-LASIK. Surface ablations differ in the manner of removing the epithelium, in whether it is replaced, and again in what laser is used or whether conventional or wavefront-guided ablations are used.
The phrase "laser vision correction" has been increasingly used in the last several years as the various laser procedures become more and more popular. From a marketing standpoint, it is superior to "laser eye surgery" in that it de-emphasises the fact that it is indeed a surgical procedure. In this respect, some may criticise it as trivialising the procdures. |
