Can everyone undergo myopia surgery? What should we pay attention to?

In recent years, with the popularization of electronic devices, the age of people wearing glasses has shown a trend of getting younger. my country's first eye health white paper, "China Eye Health White Paper", points out that the overall incidence of myopia among children and adolescents in my country is 53.6%, and the overall incidence of myopia among college students is over 90%. However, many people think that myopia is not a big deal and can be cured by surgery. So, what is myopia surgery all about? Is it safe? Can everyone do it? What should you pay attention to before and after myopia surgery?

The principle of myopia surgery

According to the part where the myopia surgery is performed, myopia surgery can be divided into two categories: intraocular surgery and corneal surgery.

Intraocular surgery, also known as intraocular refractive surgery (ICL), is mainly for patients with high myopia. This method involves implanting a corrective lens in the eye. This surgical method is reversible, which means that the corrective lens in the eye can be removed or replaced. However, it should be noted that intraocular surgery is generally suitable for patients with a degree of more than 1000 degrees, or thin corneal thickness, and abnormal corneal curvature. Although intraocular surgery is reversible, the examinations before and after artificial lens implantation are very complicated, and long-term follow-up is required after surgery, usually every 3-6 months. Therefore, it is more appropriate for patients with myopia less than 1000 degrees and corneal conditions that allow it to choose corneal surgery.

Corneal surgery, also known as corneal refractive surgery, has a wide audience. This surgery is performed on the surface of the eyeball, that is, on the cornea, using laser energy to ablate or cut the cornea. According to the degree of myopia that needs to be corrected, a certain thickness of corneal tissue is cut off or removed. Corneal surgery is currently a common myopia surgery, including half-femtosecond and full-femtosecond. The so-called "half-femtosecond" laser surgery is to use a femtosecond laser device to make an open corneal flap, and then use an excimer laser to "ablate" the cornea. "Full-femtosecond" laser surgery does not require the creation of a corneal flap, but instead creates a microlens by starting the femtosecond laser scan twice, and cuts a 2-4 mm shallow small incision above the cornea, and removes the cut microlens, thereby achieving the purpose of changing the corneal refractive power to correct vision. It should be noted that although "full-femtosecond" has a faster and safer recovery, it is not suitable for patients with too thin corneas.

“Half-femtosecond” laser surgery

“All-femtosecond” laser surgery

The technology of myopia surgery is relatively mature, but no treatment method can be said to be absolutely safe, and myopia correction surgery also has risks. At present, patients have two main concerns about myopia surgery:

First, will there be any eye lesions after surgery? At present, the corrective surgery promoted clinically is ocular surface surgery, which does not affect the intraocular structure and therefore will not cause fundus lesions such as glaucoma and cataracts. However, to avoid accidents, patients with eye diseases are not recommended to undergo myopia surgery.

Second, will there be a rebound after surgery? This is related to personal eye habits . If the patient continues to use electronic products such as mobile phones and computers for a long time after surgery, there is still a possibility of myopia again . However, doctors say that even if the vision regresses, it will basically not return to the level of myopia before the operation.

In short, the safety of myopia surgery is closely related to preoperative examination and evaluation , intraoperative operation, and postoperative care . Patients must do their homework before surgery. If patients decide to undergo myopia lens removal surgery, they must choose a regular hospital and doctor, and never be greedy for cheapness.

Who can undergo myopia surgery?

In order to ensure the safety of myopia surgery, patients must meet three conditions:

First, the patient must be over 18 years old. Generally speaking, the eyeball and cornea of ​​adolescents under 18 are not fully developed, and the refractive power is not stable enough. However, the eyeball development and myopia degree of most people change little after adulthood. Therefore, it is safer to perform surgery after adulthood.

Second, the degree of myopia of the patient is stable. The myopia surgeries on the market now are mainly corneal laser surgeries. Since the surgery is performed on the corneal tissue, the thickness of the patient's cornea must be able to withstand the amount of myopia correction. If the patient's myopia is too high or the cornea is too thin, then his cornea cannot withstand the amount of myopia correction, and the risk of the surgery will increase.

Third, the patient has no eye disease. For patients with eye diseases, infection is easy to occur during surgery and discomfort symptoms are easy to occur after surgery, such as acute conjunctivitis, keratitis, dacryocystitis, corneal ulcers, etc.

Things to note before and after myopia surgery

The success of myopia surgery is closely related to the patient himself. The patient's preparation and care before and after myopia surgery have an important impact on the outcome of the surgery.

First of all, patients need to undergo strict examinations before surgery. Doctors need to conduct strict examinations on patients and make comprehensive analysis and judgments. For example, whether the corneal thickness is sufficient, whether there is keratitis, dry eyes, and whether there are potential eye diseases such as glaucoma and fundus disease.

There are some special things that require special attention during myopia surgery: patients should try not to wear eye makeup one week before the operation; patients who usually wear soft contact lenses need to take off their lenses for more than two weeks before the operation; patients who usually wear hard contact lenses need to take off their lenses for more than one month before the operation; patients who usually wear orthokeratology lenses (commonly known as "OK lenses") should stop wearing them for more than three months before the operation.

Secondly, patients need strict care after surgery. Three days after myopia surgery, patients should be careful to avoid unclean water entering the eyes when performing personal hygiene cleaning, and avoid chemical ingredients such as facial cleansers and shampoos that irritate the eyes to reduce the risk of postoperative infection. Secondly, patients should be careful not to squeeze or rub their eyes hard, because for procedures with corneal flaps, the corneal flap may be displaced. It is generally recommended that patients minimize contact with electronic screens about a week after surgery. After that, patients should also maintain good eye hygiene habits and pay attention to the combination of work and rest. If patients do not pay attention to eye protection after myopia surgery, play games and watch TV crazily, there is still a risk of recurrence. Excessive use of the eyes can cause eye fatigue, and severe cases may even cause symptoms such as fundus hemorrhage and increased intraocular pressure.