home Audience 4 Lenses after laser vision correction. When are post-operative contact lenses necessary?

Lenses after laser vision correction. When are post-operative contact lenses necessary?

Many of those who wear contact lenses Are you wondering if it is possible to wear contact lenses after laser vision correction?

It is worth noting that the operation, which is what it is, is done so that you no longer have to wear anything at all. But if you have such a question, then read our article.

In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to wear contact lenses after laser vision correction and is it necessary to do this? What lenses do I use and for what purpose? If your vision is not good enough after LASIK or other surgery, you may consider using gas permeable or hybrid contact lenses to improve your vision. Such contact lenses have a smooth and hard surface. These lenses will help correct optical imperfections that glasses and soft contact lenses cannot correct.

Why can't I see clearly after surgery?

Despite the high success rates of surgery and other laser vision correction procedures, they do not guarantee perfect vision for everyone. Your results depend largely on your unique anatomy, response to the laser, and how the tissue heals after surgery.

LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures alter the front surface of your eye by removing microscopic pieces of corneal tissue in targeted quantities. Sometimes this can cause the cornea to become uneven, which can make your vision less clear after operation than it was when you wore glasses or contact lenses before surgery.

When should you start using contact lenses?

Many people who do not have good vision after surgery may experience problems that are mild and quite tolerable; many do not even notice them. But for others, post-operative vision problems can reduce their overall quality of life. Such problems include increased eye fatigue, headaches and difficulty driving at night.

Glare, halos, flares, and starbursts may also occur around bright objects (headlights, street lamps). LASIK eye surgery and other procedures can also sometimes cause the development.

Sometimes these abnormalities can be corrected with repeat surgery. But your cornea may be too thin for further surgery. In this case, gas-permeable contact lenses or hybrid contact lenses.

Gas permeable contact lenses after surgery

Gas permeable contact lenses are hard contact lenses, which retain their shape on the eye due to the density of their material, unlike soft contact lenses, due to this they are less deformed during eye blinking, which allows the image to remain stable.

For comparison, soft contact lenses are more flexible, causing their shape to change when you blink, meaning soft contact lenses cannot achieve the same effect as gas permeable lenses.

Ordinary glasses also do not allow you to change the irregularities on the cornea. Glasses can only correct basic - and astigmatism.

Hybrid contact lenses and high definition glasses

An alternative to gas permeable contact lenses for post-vision correction are hybrid contact lenses and high-definition glasses.

In most cases, hybrid contact lenses are effective as gas permeable contact lenses in correcting aberrations after operation and make it easier to adapt to gas permeable lenses. When worn, hybrid lenses are comparable to soft contact lenses.

High-definition glasses are a good choice for correcting minor refractive errors that may remain after surgery.

Special design of contact lenses for post-operative eyes

LASIK and other laser surgeries can significantly change the shape of the cornea. Putting contact lenses on a post-op eye is a more difficult process than on an eye with a normal cornea shape. In this case, a special design of gas permeable lenses or hybrid lenses is required.

Modified gas permeable lens designs may have a larger diameter, aspherical design, where the center of the lens is significantly flatter than the periphery, similar to those used in orthokeratology to correct myopia and astigmatism without surgery. Many ophthalmologists recommend such lenses for those who do not want to undergo laser vision correction.

If you did not use gas-tight lenses before surgery, you will need time to adapt to them. You may have to wear your lenses part time at first before you begin to feel comfortable wearing them. Applying gas-tight contact lenses to eyes that have undergone surgery requires special skills.

Every person with a history of visual impairment wants to get rid of them as soon as possible. For these purposes, ophthalmologists often recommend their patients to undergo laser correction. Those who plan to resort to this operation often have a question: is it possible to wear contact lenses after laser correction?

The eyes are a very complex mechanism. Most people do not even realize what process occurs in the human visual organs every fraction of a second, thanks to which a clear and bright picture is formed. Light rays pass through the refractive parts of the eyeball, namely: the cornea, lens, vitreous body... Then they reach the retina, after which the visual signal enters the brain along the optic nerve, where it undergoes special processing in the corresponding zone. With refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, light rays cannot concentrate at one point, causing the image we see to be blurred. That is why ophthalmologists prescribe various means of correction to their patients, the most popular of which are glasses or. These optical products allow us to adjust the refractive power of our visual organs in such a way as to “collect” light rays and deliver them to the retina, and do this in the shortest possible time. However, it is impossible to ensure ideal quality of vision forever either with glasses or lenses. In such cases, ophthalmologists recommend laser vision correction to their patients. The consequences of this procedure are such that the patient can enjoy bright and contrasting vision without the use of additional means. However, it would be incorrect to unequivocally call laser correction an ideal panacea suitable for all visually impaired people. So, for example, many of those who have managed to appreciate all the delights of this operation are wondering whether it is possible to wear lenses after laser correction or not?

Why is it prescribed to wear lenses after laser correction?

Regardless of the fact that operations such as LASIK, PRK, Epi-LASEK and other types of laser vision correction are very popular today and are in high demand among clients of ophthalmology clinics, they do not always provide the desired effect. In most cases, the results of correction depend on the individual characteristics of the body, namely: the structure of the cornea, the reaction of the eye to the laser, as well as the adaptation of the eye tissues after surgery. As you know, these procedures allow you to change the outer surface of the eye and remove microscopic particles of corneal tissue. This kind of work is truly a piece of jewelry, because it must be done with the utmost care. Otherwise, this may cause the cornea to become uneven, which in turn may impair the clarity of vision and require continued use of lenses.

Who is recommended to wear contact lenses after laser correction?

Some people who have had surgery complain that their vision does not improve after surgery. As a rule, they note increased eye fatigue during prolonged visual work during the day, more frequent headaches, and discomfort when driving at night. In addition, floaters, flares, and image halos can often occur. For several years now, ophthalmological surgeons have been offering to correct such violations by repeating the operation. However, firstly, not every lens user agrees to have it performed, and secondly, it happens that the shape of the cornea does not allow this procedure to be repeated. Most users are interested in whether it is possible to continue using contact lenses after surgery?

Hard lenses after vision correction

Laser correction, as a rule, significantly changes the original shape of the cornea, so it is not possible to wear lenses that were previously used by the patient. Putting them on the eye is no longer so easy. What to do in such situations? Ophthalmologists recommend the use of special night lenses, which are often called rigid, gas-permeable, or orthokeratological. These models feature a large diameter, practical aspherical design, due to which the center of the lens has a flatter shape than the peripheral area. Compared to conventional soft models, these optical products are characterized by increased strength, and therefore are not prone to various types of deformation during blinking, due to which the visible image does not lose its stability when wearing these lenses. Some users write on the forums “I wear hard lenses and do not experience discomfort.” However, in this matter everything is individual. Most users who have not previously used gas permeable optical products require a certain adaptation period. For many of them, doctors recommend that at first they wear lenses not for a full day, but only for a few hours.

Contact hybrid lenses

Another contact lens after surgery is called hybrid. This is an excellent alternative that night lenses have today. According to experts, they are effective in use, and adaptation of the visual organs to them requires only a few days. According to users who were recommended by ophthalmologists to wear hybrid lenses, they are comparable in wearing to those lenses made on the basis of soft polymers.

What to do if laser correction or other refractive surgery does not give the desired result, but you don’t want to go back to glasses? In this case, you should consider using gas-tight (GP) or hybrid contact lenses. This is especially desirable if subsequent surgery is undesirable or impossible.

These lenses can correct optical imperfections that glasses or soft contact lenses cannot.

Why didn't my vision improve after refractive surgery?

Despite all the achievements of modern medicine, it happens that LASIK and other laser correction procedures are not able to restore visual acuity. This largely depends on the unique response of the cornea to the laser, as well as how it heals after surgery. Among the problems that may arise after vision correction are glare and halos that occur around light sources (this is especially dangerous for motorists), in addition, irregular astigmatism may develop, accompanied by distortion of vision clarity. Post-operative problems can affect quality of life, causing frequent headaches and eye fatigue.

When are post-operative contact lenses necessary?

LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures work on the front surface of the eye, removing microscopic amounts of corneal tissue. Sometimes this can cause irregularities in the shape of the cornea, making vision less clear after surgery than it was with glasses or soft contact lenses. If the cornea is too thin for a second surgery, or other problems preclude repeat surgery, gas-tight or hybrid contact lenses are the best solution.

Gas permeable lenses are rigid and retain their shape - unlike soft contact lenses that mold to the shape of the cornea. This is important because the space between the cornea and the back of the lens becomes filled with tears. This “lake of tears” covers irregularities on the surface of the cornea, which are the cause of poor vision. The smooth front surface of the GP lens optically neutralizes uneven corneal surfaces, eliminating blur and visual distortion.

Glasses can correct only the main anomalies - myopia, farsightedness, regular astigmatism; for postoperative disorders they are useless.

Hybrid lenses have been designed to combine the best of both worlds: the optical benefits of gas-tight contact lenses with the comfort of soft contact lenses. Hybrid lenses can either serve as a replacement for GP lenses or act as the first step in getting used to harder lenses.

You should take the advice of your eye care professional to determine which lenses are best for your needs.

If your vision is not good enough after LASIK or other refractive surgery, you may want to consider using gas permeable or hybrid contact lenses to improve your vision. Such contact lenses have a smooth and hard surface. These lenses will help correct optical imperfections that glasses and soft contact lenses cannot correct.

Why can't I see clearly after refractive surgery?

Despite their high success rates, LASIK, PRK and other laser vision correction procedures do not guarantee perfect vision for everyone. Your results depend largely on the unique structure of your cornea, how it responds to the laser, and how the tissue heals after surgery.

LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures alter the front surface of your eye by removing microscopic pieces of corneal tissue in targeted quantities. Sometimes this can cause the cornea to become uneven, which can make your vision less clear after surgery than it was when you wore glasses or contact lenses before surgery.

When should you start using contact lenses?

Many people who do not have good vision after refractive surgery may experience problems that are mild and quite tolerable; many do not even notice them. But for others, post-surgery vision problems can reduce overall quality of life, including eye fatigue, headaches and difficulty driving at night.

Glare, halos, flares, and starbursts may also occur around bright objects (headlights, street lamps). LASIK eye surgery and other procedures can also sometimes cause astigmatism.

Sometimes these abnormalities can be corrected with repeat surgery. But your cornea may be too thin for further surgery. In this case, gas-permeable contact lenses or hybrid contact lenses.

Gas permeable contact lenses after surgery

Gas permeable contact lenses are rigid contact lenses that retain their shape on the eye due to the density of their material, unlike soft contact lenses, due to this they deform less when the eyes blink, allowing the image to remain stable.

In comparison, soft contact lenses are more flexible, causing their shape to change when you blink, meaning soft contact lenses cannot achieve the same effect as gas permeable lenses.

Ordinary glasses also do not allow you to change the irregularities on the cornea. Glasses can correct only the main refractions - myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Special design of contact lenses for post-operative eyes

LASIK and other laser refractive surgeries can significantly change the shape of the cornea; putting contact lenses on a post-op eye is a more difficult process than on an eye with a normally shaped cornea. In this case, specially designed gas permeable or hybrid lenses are required.

Modified gas permeable lens designs may have a larger diameter, aspherical design, where in the center, the lens is significantly flatter than at the periphery, similar to those used in orthokeratology to correct myopia and astigmatism without surgery. Many ophthalmologists recommend such lenses for those who do not want to undergo laser vision correction.

If you did not use gas-tight lenses before surgery, you will need time to adapt to them. You may have to wear your lenses part time at first before you begin to feel comfortable wearing them. Fitting gas-tight contact lenses to eyes that have undergone refractive surgery requires special skills.

Hybrid contact lenses and high definition glasses

An alternative to gas permeable contact lenses for vision correction after eye surgery are hybrid contact lenses and high-definition glasses.

In most cases, hybrid contact lenses are effective as gas permeable contact lenses in correcting aberrations after refractive surgery and allow for easier adaptation to gas permeable lenses. When worn, hybrid lenses are comparable to soft contact lenses.