Types of Corrective Eye Surgery

Corrective eye surgery, also called refractive and laser eye surgery, refers to any surgical procedure used to fix vision problems. Safe and effective, corrective eye surgery is a commonly performed method of vision correction to reduce or even eliminate your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. If you would like to be less dependent on corrective lenses, Tidewater Eye offers several corrective eye surgery options in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth including: LASIK, Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), LASEK and Refractive Lens Implants.

LASIK, laser in-situ keratomileusis, works for people who are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism. Our doctors use a laser to create a flap in the outer layer of the cornea and then reshapes the tissue under the cornea so it can focus light properly. The flap is what makes LASIK different from other procedures.

PRK, photorefractive keratectomy, is used to correct mild to moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Like LASIK, a laser is used to reshape your cornea but a flap is not created prior to the corneal reshaping. 

LASEK, laser epithelial keratomileusis, is similar to LASIK in that a flap is created. Our doctors then use an alcohol solution to loosen the epithelial tissue and then a laser to reshape the cornea. After that, a soft contact lens is placed to hold the flap in place while your eye heals. LASEK works well to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

RLE stands for refractive lens exchange. Other names include PRELEX, clear lens exchange (CLE), clear lens extraction (CLE) and refractive lens replacement (RLR). This is the same surgery used for cataracts. In this procedure, a small cut is made at the edge of your cornea. The natural lens of the eye is removed and replaced with a silicone or plastic lens. This surgery can correct extreme farsightedness or nearsightedness. It works well for people with thin corneas, dry eyes or other minor cornea problems. A LASIK or LASIK-related procedure can be combined with RLE to correct astigmatism.

The right corrective eye surgery for you is determined through a consultation with our doctors. To schedule your appointment, contact Tidewater Eye at 757-483-0400 or website.