Weekly Science | Can refractive surgery cure myopia?

At present, the technology of myopia surgery in China is quite mature. Many parents, considering their children's academic performance, prefer to have myopia surgery after their children become adults. So can myopia surgery cure myopia? The answer is: No.

Pay attention! Pay attention! Pay attention!

Myopia surgery is to "correct" myopia rather than "cure" it.

Correction is like wearing glasses, it cannot change the nature of myopia and will not reduce the risk of myopia. Refractive surgery for myopia is a form of correction, just like wearing glasses.

For example, corneal refractive surgery involves cutting the cornea into the shape of a contact lens, which is like wearing a contact lens made from your own cornea at all times. After refractive surgery, the refractive power of the eyeball changes, but the changes in the fundus always exist. Although myopic patients who have undergone refractive surgery, especially those with high myopia, do not need to wear glasses, they still need to have regular checkups, avoid strenuous activities and external collisions, and detect, diagnose, and treat related complications early.

At the same time, ophthalmologists should pay close attention to patients with high myopia who have undergone refractive correction surgery, strengthen eye health management education, and require regular follow-up visits.

The prevalence of high myopia is very high, and many serious complications may occur, becoming one of the common causes of blindness in adults, ranking sixth among blinding diseases in my country. What are the main complications of high myopia:

1. Posterior scleral staphyloma: The incidence rate is 77.1%. The main manifestations are posterior expansion of the posterior pole of the eyeball, degeneration and atrophy of the optic nerve and retina around the macula, and decreased corrected visual acuity. The higher the degree of myopia, the higher the incidence rate of posterior scleral staphyloma.

2. Retinal atrophy, degeneration, hemorrhage and holes: Due to factors such as the elongation of the eye axis and posterior scleral staphyloma, patients with high myopia are prone to retinal degeneration and holes, which cause hemorrhage and retinal detachment, leading to blindness.

3. Retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma: Due to scleral expansion and retinal degeneration, the chance of retinal detachment in patients with high myopia is 7-8 times higher than that of non-high myopia patients. The chance of cataracts and glaucoma in patients with high myopia is also higher than that of normal people.

Use your eyes healthily, protect your eyes scientifically, prevent myopia, and especially prevent high myopia!

Suzhou Children's Vision Health Science Museum

Children's Vision Health Science Popularization Base in China

Focus on children's vision health and protect your eyesight