Cornea surgery (or, sometimes, corneal surgery) can greatly improve your vision. The cornea is the clear outer covering of the eye. Cornea surgery is typically performed to correct corneal scarring and eliminate refractive error.
Corneal scarring can be the result of a number of factors, including eye injury or disease, but it leads to corneal clouding. If the cornea becomes clouded, less light enters the eye, impairing vision. Sometimes, this can be corrected using an excimer laser to remove the damaged or diseased tissue. If this clouding is due to deep scarring or a serious disease, the preferred treatment is a corneal transplant. The cloudy portion of the cornea is removed and replaced with a clear portion from a donor. There are about 40,000 corneal transplants a year performed in the United States.
Refractive error is another name for common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. LASIK is the most common cornea surgery used to correct refractive error.
Not all refractive surgery is cornea surgery. Presbyopia treatment may be performed by replacing the eye's lens, a second clear part of the eye found behind the iris with an artificial lens. Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) placement is another form of refractive surgery. It involves placing a supplementary lens behind the iris but in front of your natural lens.
To learn more about cornea surgery and other forms of advanced eye treatment that can help you see the world clearly, please contact Carter Eye Center today.
