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The Four Primary Types Of Vision and Your Options For Treatment

woman experiencing headache from vision problems

Can Laser Eye Surgery Help With Nearsightedness, Farsightedness, Astigmatism, and Presbyopia?

The National Eye Institute estimates that up to 150 million people have trouble seeing clearly due to certain vision errors. These problems can be categorized into four types:

  • Astigmatism
  • Nearsightedness
  • Farsightedness
  • Presbyopia

Each of these vision types, which ophthalmologists and optometrists refer to as refractive errors, affect people in different ways. However, they all have one thing in common: they can all be treated.

Keep reading to learn more about each of these types of vision and what options you have for treatment, such as a vision correction procedure.

What Is Nearsightedness?

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, prevents people from clearly seeing faraway objects.

Symptoms of nearsightedness include:

  • Eye strain.
  • Squinting.
  • Blurred vision when trying to focus on objects in the distance.

Nearsightedness is caused by eyeballs that are too long (from front to back) or an issue with the shape of the cornea or lens. The Myopia Institute estimates that by 2050, 50% of the population will experience nearsightedness.

How To Treat Nearsightedness, Including Laser Eye Surgery

Nearsightedness can be treated with contact lenses, glasses, or a vision correction procedure from a sought-after Kansas City laser eye surgery center.

These procedures can help with nearsightedness, no matter your stage of life:

  • Laser-Assisted Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis: More commonly known as LASIK, Advanced SBK LASIK involves creating a microscopic flap to gently reshape the cornea.
  • Advanced Surface Ablation: Also known as photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) this procedure is recommended for patients who don’t qualify for LASIK due to the thinness of their corneas, scarring from contacts, previous surgeries, and more. Much like LASIK, your surgeon will use a laser to make tiny changes to the shape of your cornea.
  • EVO ICL™ (Implantable Collamer Lens): Typically recommended for extreme nearsightedness, this procedure involves implanting a permanent collamer lens behind the iris. These lenses are permanent, but can be removed if needed.
  • Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE): Although this surgery is typically recommended for those with aging eyes, this procedure helps with seeing at near, intermediate, and far distances due to the implanted lens’ multifocal capabilities.
  • Refractive Cataract Surgery: This surgery removes cataracts and, in the process, the refractive surgeon makes adjustments for improving the patient’s vision, including nearsightedness.
  • Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE): Considered an alternative to LASIK, SMILE is a minimally invasive approach to treating mild or moderate nearsightedness.

What Is Farsightedness?

Also known as hyperopia, farsightedness makes objects that are close by look blurry. This vision type affects more than 14 million Americans.

Symptoms of farsightedness include:

  • Headaches when reading.
  • Difficulty focusing on nearby objects.
  • Eye strain.

Farsightedness is caused when the eye grows too short from front to back, or the cornea is incorrectly shaped.

How Do You Treat Farsightedness?

Much like nearsightedness, farsightedness can be treated with glasses or contact lenses. In addition, vision correction procedures and laser eye surgeries also treat farsightedness:

Although some patients specifically experience farsightedness and seek treatment for this vision type, others may visit a Kansas City laser eye surgery provider for another symptom, but end up correcting their farsightedness, as well.

For example, a patient may be experiencing yellowing, blurred vision and difficulty seeing at night, and the refractive surgeon identifies cataracts as the cause. The refractive surgeon will remove the cataracts, while also correcting farsightedness.

What Is Astigmatism?

Known for making your vision distorted or unclear, astigmatism is very common, even in young children. Most estimates state that one in three people have astigmatism. The symptoms of astigmatism include:

  • Squinting.
  • Headaches and eye strain.
  • Difficulty seeing in dim light or at nighttime.

The cause of astigmatism is a cornea or lens that is wider than normal, in an egg-like shape. People also can develop astigmatism after an eye injury.

Can You Get Laser Eye Surgery For Astigmatism?

Contact lenses and glasses can treat astigmatism. These laser eye surgeries are also available:

Those with astigmatism tend to also experience nearsightedness or farsightedness. Treatment for astigmatism is especially common as a secondary benefit in patients seeking treatment for aging eyes, known as presbyopia.

Patients may seek out treatment from a Kansas City laser eye surgery provider due to symptoms related to these vision types, but find that the vision correction procedure they’ve chosen fixes both their astigmatism and their nearsightedness or farsightedness, too.

What Is Presbyopia?

If you’re getting older and having a hard time reading up close, you may be experiencing presbyopia. Presbyopia is the reason bifocals or reading glasses are stereotypically associated with older individuals. Most people experience presbyopia to some degree after age 45.

As your eyes age, their lenses harden, which limits their ability to flexibly focus on the finer details, like words in a book. Symptoms of presbyopia include:

  • Blurry vision.
  • Difficulty reading up close.
  • Holding what you’re reading further away to focus on it.
  • Eyestrain or headaches after reading or using a computer.

Does Laser Eye Surgery Treat Presbyopia?

Along with bifocal or multifocal lenses or contacts, vision correction procedures also treat presbyopia. A leading team for laser eye surgery near you will likely recommend one of these two procedures:

Although you may have astigmatism, nearsightedness, or farsightedness, patients undergo these vision correction treatments because their lenses are stiffening due to age. Refractive lens exchange and refractive cataract surgery can help with presbyopia.

  • When you undergo RLE, your refractive surgeon replaces your lens with an intraocular lens that provides near, intermediate, and far-distance vision.
  • During refractive cataract surgery, the refractive surgeon removes your cataracts with a laser, then replaces the lens, similar to refractive lens exchange. In addition, your surgeon can also alter your corneas to improve nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Continue Researching Laser Eye Surgery and Vision Correction Procedures

As you decide which approach you want to take to address your vision challenges, continue your research by comparing treatment options.

Consider this approach:

  • Create a pros and cons list: Weigh the benefits and downsides of glasses, contacts, and laser eye surgeries and correction procedures.
  • Look at the totals: Use a spending calculator to determine the total cost of vision correction versus a lifetime of glasses or contact lenses.
  • Uncover exclusive deals: Research financing options and special promotions for vision correction procedures and how these compare with spending money on glasses or contacts.
  • Use your benefits: If you have a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA), learn how you can use these funds for Kansas City laser eye surgeries and vision correction procedures.

If you decide laser vision correction is the best fit, find a leading provider of laser eye surgery near you. A superior team will have decades of experience and offer competitive pricing and special promotions, whether you need laser eye surgery for astigmatism, nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia, and more. Find an exceptional provider, and you’re on your way to a vision transformation.