Different Kinds of Laser Eye Surgeries

Which Laser Vision Correction in Kansas City is Right For You?

Everyone’s eyes are different. And everyone has unique visual demands, too. So it makes sense that there are multiple types of eye surgeries available to correct vision and treat impairments.

Depending on the vision issue you’re experiencing, the expert eye surgeons at Durrie Vision can help you see better and rely less upon your eyeglasses and contact lenses, which take time and constant investment.

Let’s review the laser vision correction surgery options at Durrie Vision in Overland Park. Then, we’ll tell you how to find out if you’re a candidate for vision correction!

Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis for Ages 18+

The most advanced laser vision surgery available, Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis, or SBK, is an advanced LASIK surgery in Kansas City that corrects common refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism and eliminates the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The technique provides for fast recovery post-surgery, with exceptional visual results. There’s a reason why this particular vision correction surgery is the most common one performed at Durrie Vision.

During SBK, physicians use a femtosecond laser, instead of a mechanical blade or microkeratome. This technology is more precise than traditional LASIK and can be customized more easily to the patient’s eyes. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes, although patients will need to be in the Durrie Vision office for about 90 minutes total.

Recovery is fast, and the results are nearly immediate, although your vision may be blurry for the first few hours after surgery. Most patients are able to return to work and normal activities the very next day.

Advanced Surface Ablation for Adults 18+

Formerly known as photoreactive keratectomy, or PRK, advanced surface ablation (ASA), is performed with an Excimer laser to correct vision by reshaping the cornea.

ASA is ideal for adults with limited corneal thickness, corneal scarring, or previous eye surgery, where traditional SBK Advanced LASIK eye surgery is not an option. ASA successfully corrects farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism. The whole procedure takes about 15 minutes to complete.

During ASA, your eye’s epithelium – the outer skin of your cornea – is removed, before the laser works to reshape the cornea.

The most noticeable difference between ASA and LASIK for the layman is that ASA requires a longer healing and recovery time. This is because the epithelium must heal, which can take up to 72 hours after surgery. Even during week two post-surgery, some patients still notice their vision is a bit hazy before it recovers fully in the following weeks.

SMILE Vision Correction for Adults 18 and Older

SMILE is short for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. It’s a minimally-invasive procedure that corrects mild to moderate nearsightedness and astigmatism.

SMILE is different from LASIK eye surgery because it corrects the eye’s refractive error by removing a bit of the cornea. In traditional LASIK, the cornea is reshaped using an excimer laser.

Like most vision surgeries at Durrie Vision, patients undergo the actual procedure for only about 15 minutes total. And while their vision may be blurry for the first few hours post-op, they see improvement very quickly, achieving optimal vision within a few days following surgery.

Refractive Lens Exchange for Adults 50+

When your vision is strong, your eye’s lens serves as a “zoom” function on a camera, which allows you to focus up close without aid. As the lens ages, it hardens, discolors, and thickens. The center of the lens becomes compressed as new layers form. The result is a progressive loss of the ability to “zoom” your vision.

Patients who suffer from presbyopia – this inability to focus and zoom – and other vision problems, may be eligible for refractive lens exchange, or RLE. During RLE, your physician replaces your eye’s natural lens with an artificial one.

While performing RLE surgery, your doctor will treat one eye at a time, about a week apart, although same-day surgery for both eyes is possible. Recovery takes about a full week, and you’ll need to use anti-inflammatory eyedrops after surgery for a few weeks. You can return to work and most of your daily activities one day after the procedure.

Refractive Cataract Surgery Near Me

Eliminate dependency upon cumbersome bifocals and improve your overall vision with refractive cataract surgery at Durrie Vision.

Cataracts can negatively affect how you experience your day-to-day life. Clouded or “dim” vision, fading colors, sensitivity to light, halos around lights, and other vision changes are signs you may have cataracts that can be removed with refractive surgery.

Traditional cataract surgery cannot correct refractive errors, like astigmatism, nearsightedness, farsightedness, or myopia, so you may still need reading glasses or bifocals after surgery. However, refractive cataract surgery can!

With recent advancements in technology, not only can Durrie Vision remove your cataracts, but we also can eliminate your reliance on glasses, bifocals, and contact lenses at the same time while we replace your clouded lens with a premium intraocular one.

Like RLE, refractive cataract surgery is done one eye at a time, although both eyes can be done simultaneously. The surgery itself takes about 15 minutes, and the day after the procedure, most patients can resume their daily activities. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eyedrops keep your eyes healthy in the months following surgery, although results are immediate.

Phakic IOL Implants in Overland Park, Kansas

High levels of myopia (nearsightedness) can render someone ineligible for LASIK eye surgery, but Corneal Crosslinking

Keratoconus is a corneal disease that weakens and thins the cornea, eventually developing a cone-shaped bulge.

Corneal collagen cross-linking, also called Keratoconus surgery, does not correct vision, but it does help thicken and strengthen the cornea using UV light and Vitamin B2 eye drops for patients who have been diagnosed with Keratoconus.

A Keratoconus treatment at Durrie Vision reduces the need for a corneal transplant and halts disease progression while preserving vision. Patients may eventually qualify for vision restoration surgery, however, once the cornea stops changing.

Cross-linking is done one eye at a time, generally between three and six months apart, although it can require a gap of nearly a full year. Recovery times will vary, with vision improving over the span of many months, rather than immediately.

Interested in Laser Vision Correction in Kansas City?

You deserve to see your best.

Patients who are interested in surgical vision correction must undergo an Advanced Ocular Analysis (AOA) at Durrie Vision in Overland Park, where our expert physicians will help determine which laser eye surgery is right for you, depending on your visual needs and lifestyle.

Take our quick and easy self-candidacy test to see if a laser eye surgery may be right for you, then book your consultation online.