Can astigmatism "deeper than myopia" be corrected with laser? Isn't it better to reduce the degree of astigmatism? Doctors reveal 2 key differences in surgery
Why does astigmatism occur? Does myopia actually worsen astigmatism?
In addition to myopia, many people suffer from astigmatism, which may cause blurred vision, causing many inconveniences in life. Dr. Yang Shuyun of Weishi Ophthalmology Taipei Tung Hsing Hospital pointed out in an interview that the problem of astigmatism is related to the abnormal congenital curvature of the cornea: compared with the arc in the ideal state, the curvature of the cornea in astigmatism is closer to an ellipse, causing the light to not be completely concentrated on the center of the retina, resulting in blurred vision.
As for the cause of myopia, it is related to the fact that long-term use of eyes causes the focus of distant scenery to fall in front of the retina, forming a blurred image. “Although myopia has little impact on astigmatism, severe astigmatism caused by congenital abnormal corneal curvature may cause young children to squint hard to see distant objects. Long-term over-regulation of the ciliary muscles may lead to deepening of myopia!”
In addition to congenital factors causing astigmatism, Dr. Yang Shuyun also emphasized that changes in the tightness of the eyelids caused by double eyelid surgery, aging and other reasons are also potential factors that cause the deepening of astigmatism. However, unlike the degree of myopia that may worsen as a child grows, in principle the degree of astigmatism will not change much throughout life. If the astigmatism problem has caused problems in life, you can consider receiving “myopia laser” treatment to help improve it.
Can myopia laser be used if the astigmatism is below 400 degrees? Medical Exposure: Myopia can be corrected even if it is deeper than myopia!
“Many people think that myopia laser can only solve the problem of myopia. In fact, even if the degree of myopia is very shallow, but the astigmatism is as high as 300 degrees, you can still get clear vision after the operation, and vice versa!” Dr. Yang Shuyun said that his family member Mr. Yang For example: “Not only does his astigmatism exceed 200 degrees, his myopia reaches over a thousand degrees, and his quality of life has been greatly affected.”
Fortunately, the “SMART TransPRK” procedure that Mr. Yang underwent was a “superficial surgery” that could preserve more stromal layer thickness than other surgeries. After being corrected by Dr. Yang Shuyun, Mr. Yang’s visual acuity in both eyes currently maintains a clear field of view of 1.0, which not only solves the problem of high myopia, but also solves the annoying astigmatism problem.
However, Dr. Yang Shuyun emphasized that there is no “limitless limit” to myopic laser treatment of astigmatism. Although excimer laser can treat astigmatism below 600 degrees, once the astigmatism exceeds 400 degrees, the recovery speed after surgery will be significantly slower, so It is ideal to correct astigmatism within 350 degrees through myopia laser. In addition, if people with high myopia undergo laser surgery, they should be aware that corneal turbidity may occur after the surgery. They must follow the doctor’s instructions and take medicine on time to help restore the health of the cornea.
How to choose myopia laser if you have astigmatism problem? Medical Exposure: You can observe whether there are these “3 major technologies”
Taking the current mainstream myopia laser procedures, including SMART TransPRK, LASIK and Smile Pro, what are the differences in the effects of improving astigmatism? Dr. Yang Shuyun explained that in general, three surgeries can help correct “low-order phase difference” myopia and astigmatism; SMART TransPRK and LASIK use “excimer laser” to correct the degree; Smile Pro uses “femtosecond laser” to treat the cornea A lens is made below the surface and removed through a minimally invasive incision.
However, the problem of astigmatism is not just as simple as “removing the degree”, the “axis” of astigmatism must also be considered before surgery. Therefore, whether the laser machine can accurately locate the iris and track it in real time will greatly affect whether the effect of myopia laser surgery is ideal.
“When the human body is in a standing, sitting or lying position, the rotation of the eyeball will cause the corneal axis to rotate; during the surgery, the patient’s eyeball may also rotate unconsciously due to tension.” Dr. Yang Shuyun pointed out that the “7D” now introduced by SMART TransPRK “Eye-tracking technology” can accurately locate the iris and track every movement of the eyeball; if the eyeball moves beyond the laser positioning range, the machine will automatically stop firing. For patients suffering from both astigmatism and myopia, its accuracy and safety are an ideal choice.
There’s no use wearing astigmatism glasses! “Higher-order aberrations” can only be solved with excimer laser?
Dr. Yang Shuyun said that high-order aberrations can be understood as “irregular astigmatism”, with symptoms such as severe “glare” in the field of vision at night. Although the visual experience of glare is similar to astigmatism, glare cannot be improved by wearing astigmatism glasses. of. “The more difficult thing is that the problem of high-order aberrations can only be solved through ’excimer laser’ at present!”
Dr. Yang Shuyun pointed out that the causes of high-order aberrations vary, such as pupil size, corneal curvature or eyeball length, etc., and it is often difficult for patients to realize them. Therefore, relying on the “leading wave” guidance system equipped with the SMART TransPRK excimer laser instrument, the patient’s high-order aberrations are diagnosed before surgery, and the cornea is precisely carved with laser to create a customized curvature based on the diagnosis results. This further improves the glare problem of high-order aberrations.
Finally, Dr. Yang Shuyun reminded the public that although their vision has improved after myopia laser surgery, they should still follow the doctor’s instructions and order artificial tears on time to help the cornea grow evenly and smoothly. In addition, patients must be careful to avoid exposure to strong ultraviolet rays after surgery. They can wear goggles for protection, and can also supplement foods rich in vitamin C to help repair the cornea and regain clear vision as soon as possible.
