Who is not suitable for myopia correction surgery?

China is a country with a high rate of myopia, and you can often see many young people wearing glasses in the crowd. If you have myopia and don’t want to wear glasses, you can also undergo corrective surgery, which is usually a laser surgery. It has the advantages of fast efficacy and low side effects. Of course, when undergoing corrective surgery, you must fully consult a doctor to see if your own conditions are suitable for such surgery.

1. Unstable degree for those under 18 years old

Because adolescents under the age of 18 are in the process of physical growth, their eye refractive state is unstable and may still increase in degree. Therefore, if they blindly undergo surgery, their vision is likely to deteriorate after one or two years, and the patient may need to wear glasses again or face a second surgery [1].

2. People over 55 years old suffer from presbyopia

As we age, experts say the lens becomes increasingly solid and hardened, losing its plastic properties, and the ability to accommodate gradually decreases. In later years, the ciliary muscle weakens, causing difficulty in seeing close objects and eventually leading to presbyopia. This is a natural physiological aging phenomenon. Starting from around the age of 40, presbyopia will occur regardless of whether you are nearsighted or not. If necessary, convex lenses can be used to help correct it.

In old age, people's eye functions naturally age and they suffer from presbyopia. If excimer laser surgery is performed to treat myopia at this time, the effect of postoperative vision recovery is often not obvious.

3. Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism are too high

Patients with extremely high myopia of more than 1500 degrees, hyperopia and astigmatism exceeding 600 degrees are not suitable for myopia surgery. Experts say that these people often have unstable refraction due to physiological or pathological reasons. If they blindly undergo surgery, their vision is likely to regress after one or two years, seriously affecting the expected therapeutic effect.

4. The cornea is too thin

The normal corneal thickness is 500 to 600 microns. If the cornea is too thin, it will be difficult to maintain the normal eye structure after surgery. Unpredictable lesions such as keratoconus may occur, affecting the surgical effect.

Precautions

Preoperative

1. Stop wearing contact lenses before the examination, at least 1-2 weeks for soft lenses and at least 2-3 weeks for hard lenses. The longer the better.

2. Practice staring at one point without moving, each time for more than 2 minutes.

3. Do not use any cosmetics or perfume within three days before the operation.

4. Arrange for surgical companionship for postoperative escort.

Possible problems after surgery

1. Glare and night vision disorders: If the degree of myopia is 700-1000 degrees or above, 80% of people will experience slight glare at night, and 25% of people will have problems with night vision. This is mostly caused by the fact that the surgical area is closer to the visual center during surgery.

2. Dissatisfied with the corrected vision: After the operation, you may feel that the correction is insufficient and not as effective as expected, or that it is overcorrected, and hyperopia, or presbyopia, may occur early.

3. Dry eyes: The tear film nerves may be damaged during surgery, resulting in reduced tear secretion.

4. Pseudokeratoconus: an extreme problem after surgery. This is caused by cutting too deep, which will further reduce vision. Fortunately, the chance of this happening is very low.

After surgery

Within 24 hours: It is best to sleep in a supine position to avoid injuring the cornea.

There may be a foreign body sensation or tears, so avoid wiping it with your hands and pay attention to hygiene.

Do not wash your hair or take a shower. Do not use eye makeup.