Both cataract surgery and Lasik surgery share some similarities. They are both used to correct vision problems. Most people tend to confuse between these two types of surgery but they differ. Each of these surgeries is conducted differently from the other and it provides different results.
While looking for solutions to various eye problems, people will look for different types of surgery available that will best suit their specific situation. This is an important practice because it helps you get the right kind of eye surgery that will restore your vision and give you a better life.
How LASIK and Cataract Surgery Differs?
These two types of procedures are used to restore your vision. They however differ from one another.
Laser eye surgery focuses on reshaping the cornea, the outer layer of your eyes to tweak how light is refracted to the retina. On the other hand, cataract Surgery is a form of eye treatment conducted on eye lenses. When someone gets cataracts, their vision begins to become cloudy. Cataract surgery aims at getting rid of cloudy lenses and replacing them with new lenses for improved and clear vision.
LASIK surgery is a fast procedure compared to cataract surgery. Laser eye surgery is conducted on both eyes on a single visit while cataract surgery is done on one eye during the first visit and on the other during the second visit.
Laser eye surgery is a modern surgery procedure, it’s important to note that it is not covered by insurance but when have proper savings, you can use that to cater for the surgery expenses. Cataract eye surgery is covered by most insurance and therefore you don’t have to worry about the expenses.
In both of these surgeries, there are instances where you might be required to pay extra out of your pocket. Sometimes you might ought for more expensive lenses in cataract surgery and this can push the total cost up. It’s therefore important to plan. Determine what you need and talk to your doctor to help you choose the best surgery specific to your needs.
Conditions Treated by LASIK Eye Surgery
Laser eye surgery is used to treat conditions such as;
- Nearsightedness
- Farsightedness
- Astigmatism
A good candidate for Las surgery should have stable vision, have healthy eyes, and should not have any prescription change in the last two years.
Conditions Treated by Cataract Surgery
This type of surgery is widely used in treating cloudiness that forms in eye lenses. The cloudiness prevents light from getting into your eyes correctly and hence poor vision. A cataract forms as someone age and they lead to treatable blindness. Other causes of cataracts include;
- Eye trauma
- Hereditary
- Certain medical conditions such as diabetes
- Certain eye diseases
- Exposure to excess UV rays
- Some medications
LASIK eye surgery and cataract surgery differ interns of the conditions they are used to treat. We will now look at the similarities between the two of them.
Similarities between Cataract Surgery and LASIK
Now that we have discussed how LASIK and Cataract Surgery differs, in this section, we are going to look at how they are similar to one another.
Both of these procedure uses laser technology to perform some or several steps during the surgery. In LASIK surgery, there are two types of laser used to perform the surgical steps the first one is called Excimer laser which is used in altering the shape of the cornea. The other type of laser used in LASIK eye surgery is known as a femtosecond laser. This laser is utilized in creating the corneal flap.
In cataract eye surgery, a femtosecond laser is widely used. It works by extracting the natural eye lenses so that they can be replaced with a new one.
Both cataract eye surgery and LASIK eye surgery have the ultimate goal of providing patients with clear vision. When done correctly, these two eye surgeries are a success.
Local anesthesia is administered for both LASIK and Cataract Surgery procedures. During this procedure the patient is conscious, the anesthesia allows patients to be comfortable and feel less pain.
Both cataract surgery and LASIK surgeries are quick procedures and take a very short time. On average, both procedures take about 15 minutes to complete. LASIK eye surgery is however quicker than cataract surgery and takes about 10 minutes. The difference between the timeline of these two surgeries is very minimal.
Most people worry about the recovery from these eye surgeries but the best thing is that there is no recovery time for both of these surgeries. You will be able to get back to your daily activities immediately after the surgery.
Is It Possible To Have Both LASIK And Cataract Surgery On the Same Eye?
This is one of the most asked questions regarding these two types sod eye surgeries. The truth is you can have both LASIK eye surgery and cataract surgery performed on the same eye but at different times.
LASIK is performed on the cornea while cataract surgery is performed on the eye lenses. Therefore, these two can be done with a single eye. Note that LASIK is mostly used when the patient is young to correct vision problems such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. On the other hand, cataract eye surgery is common in elderly people because cataracts sets in as someone gets older.
In some instances, LASIK eye surgery can be used together with cataract eye surgery. When cataract surgery is done to replace cloudy lenses, the vision might not be that clear and therefore LASIK procedure can be used to correct this giving a patient a permanent solution to their eye problems.
Note that due to the advancement in technology, it is rare to require these two types of surgeries at once. Artificial lenses such as IOLs are now very advanced and offer the desired results during just one surgery.
It is now clear that cataract eye surgery and LASIK eye surgery are two different types of eye surgeries. Either of these is applied for specific conditions. It is ways advisable to first consult your doctor when you want to undergo these procedures. They will first conduct the tests to determine the best treatment option for your eye problems.
