LASIK Alternatives

LASIK eye surgery has become the most popular form of vision correction with the exception of glasses and contact lenses. The market is a booming business with over a million new patients a year who decide to have the procedure. This number is rising each year and with continuing advancement in the procedure it is likely to continue growing at an unprecedented rate. However, there are some people who are not good candidates for LASIK eye surgery. For those, and for those who are not comfortable with the procedure, there is a need for alternative to LASIK eye surgery. Additionally, there are variations to conventional LASIK, including custom wavefront LASIK, Epi LASIK, blade-free LASIK, and iLASIK^TM. For many years, the idea of someone using a scalpel on their eyes has kept many from having LASIK surgery. Just the thought of it makes some people cringe. With today's advancements in eye surgery, it is no longer necessary for surgeons to use blades. The detachment of the cornea can now be done with bladeless technology. Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) uses radio waves to reshape the eye without any invasive technique at all. This is becoming a very popular alternative to LASIK eye surgery. PRK, or photo refractive keratectomy, is another LASIK alternative. For those suffering from mild to moderate myopia there is the alternative of implantable lenses, like the Verisyse^TM Phakic IOL and the Visian ICL^TM. These lenses are permanently attached to the eye. One way of looking at it is to think of implantable contact lenses. While this method of eye correction is slightly more invasive than LASIK, it is a reasonable alternative for those who are not good candidates for LASIK eye surgery. The contact lens industry is also developing technology to keep their market from suffering too much from the LASIK surgery boom. Many contact lens manufacturers are making contacts that are able to stay in the users eyes for longer periods of time. The 30 day contact lens, or extended wear lenses are becoming a reasonable alternative to LASIK surgery for those who don‘t qualify for the procedure.