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Most people are aware of the different types of laser eye surgery out there for correcting vision, such as LASIK, but there are many different procedures for many different issues within the eye. Currently, the same researchers that helped advance some of the tools used in laser eye surgery are working to try and advance what specific types of lasers and tools can do with problems that were known to be poor candidates for this type of procedure in the past. There is quite a bit of promise with the research that is being done currently, showing that some eye issues are going to be able to respond positively to new forms of laser eye surgery.

The Issues Eye Surgeons Have Faced In the Past

When performing laser eye surgery, the depth that the laser is set to varies. If you are getting one type of procedure, the laser is supposed to shallowly go into the lens. However, other procedures require a deeper cut. To correct nearsightedness, such as with LASIK, you need shallow cuts and corrections. However, for issues such as presbyopia, the need for deeper cuts is apparent.

Without proper imaging, these cuts were dangerous to make. It could leave the surgeon making a cut that was too shallow to help, or too deep to actually correct the issue. At some points, the cuts were also so deep that it was causing worse issues after the surgery than the patient had going into it. However, now there are new options when it comes to the imaging required for laser eye surgery. This is allowing surgeons to perfect their depth so that they are able to make more precise cuts and corrections within the lens of the eye.

The Look of the Future for Laser Eye Surgery

New tools are able to be used to correct eye problems where the depth has been an issue in the past. People that suffer from presbyopia, where the eye struggles to focus as people get older, need an increase in flexibility of the lens when it comes to focusing. Surgeons have known for quite a while that if minute cuts were made in the lens, this could alleviate, or at least lessen, the symptoms of the ailment. However, with the tools previously available, this was not a realistic option. Now, surgeons are able to perform laser eye surgery at a deeper level due to the in-depth imaging they are now able to achieve.

Currently referred to as IKARUS, which generally stands for an innovative treatment for cataracts, retinal issues, and presbyopia, through the use of ultrashort pulses of a laser, surgeons are able to provide new health options for those who are trying to get clearer vision. This is still a process that is being refined and worked on among a bunch of research organizations to see what the total benefits of this type of treatment could be.

The lasers used in these types of treatment have been equipped with incredibly detailed imagery software, plus the ability to visualize where within the eye cuts need to be made, and the path that the laser will have to take during the laser eye surgery. This can give eye surgeons the ability to see how the eye will react and see if the cuts are being done properly to where the eye would regain its flexibility from the intended incisions.

Thanks to IKARUS, surgeons have successfully been able to perform laser eye surgery where they were able to cut at the proper depth without causing any damage to the lens capsule that was in front of and behind where the surgeon was making the cuts. This is where the promise from the research is stemming from.

Instead of having to live with degenerative eye issues, like many people have had to do in the past, there is now hope. New breakthroughs in laser eye surgery are on the horizon, and people are now able to think about what life will be like for them in the future, without having to automatically assume they will be struggling to see. More research is still needed to make sure these procedures are able to be consistently replicated, but for the first time in a long time, people are excited about the potential of being able to fight back against these issues that are robbing people of their ability to see.

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