Laser Eye Surgery in India
Eye surgery, also known as orogolomistician surgery or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, typically by an ophthalmologist.
The eye is a fragile organ, requiring extreme care before, during and after a surgical procedure. An expert eye surgeon must identify the need for specific procedure and be responsible for conducting the procedure safely.
What is a Laser?
A Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) is a device used to concentrate light into a narrow beam. LASER is often used as a noun. However, it is actually an acronym. LASER is just used for simplicity.
The light emitted by a LASER is thin and coherent. LASER light is different from the light that normally radiates from atoms. Atoms typically radiate light randomly, resulting in light that is referred to as incoherent. Basically, this means atoms radiate jumbles of photons that go in numerous directions. Coherent light behaves quite differently, going in one clearly defined direction.
What is Laser Eye Surgery?
Laser eye surgery also known as Excimer laser surgery, is used to treat common vision problems such as short sightedness, long sightedness and astigmatism. Laser eye surgery also often permanently do away with the need to wear glasses or contact lenses for distance vision.
With technological advancement the ailment of poor vision no longer depends on corrective lenses. The poor vision can now be corrected with laser eye surgery. This technological wonder can treat poor vision most effectively, with the guarantee of no further natural damage.
The laser eye surgery procedure is carried out relatively quickly. Depending on the severity of the condition, each eye takes normally just five to ten minutes to treat and the procedure is painless. Also, the quickness which accompanies the recovery period is spectacular.
Candidates for Laser Eye Surgery:
Whether or not you are suitable for laser eye surgery will come down to various factors that your doctor will let you more in details. Listed below are some of the main factors that you should be aware of when considering laser eye surgery:
- The age at which clinics will treat you can be different, though in general you need to be 21 years old or more
- Pregnancy - If you are expecting a baby then laser eye surgery is unfortunately not an option
- The severity of your refractive error will play a part in whether or not you can have treatment
- Participation in sports such as boxing may make you an unlikely candidate for treatment
- Careers such as the police are currently opposed to allowing its employees this treatment
- Some medical conditions and medications will also make you an unlikely candidate
Types of Laser Eye Surgery:
For many people, laser eye surgery can correct their vision so they no longer need glasses or contact lenses. Laser eye surgery reshapes the cornea, the clear front part of the eye. This changes its focusing power. There are different types of laser eye surgery which are as follows;
- Lasik Eye Surgery: LASIK stands for laser in situ keratomileusis, which means using a laser underneath a corneal flap (in situ) to reshape the cornea. This procedure utilizes a highly specialized laser (excimer laser) designed to treat refractive errors, improve vision, and reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses. This laser procedure alters the shape of the cornea, which is the transparent front covering of the eye.
- PRK Eye Surgery: Photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, is a type of laser eye surgery used to correct mild to moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism . During PRK, an eye surgeon uses a laser to reshape the cornea. This laser, which delivers a cool pulsing beam of ultraviolet light, is used on the surface of the cornea not underneath the cornea, as in LASIK. PRK once was the most common refractive surgery procedure before LASIK was developed as a more popular alternative.
- ALK Eye Surgery: Automated lamellar keratoplasty eye surgery, or ALK, is a procedure used to correct vision in people with severe nearsightedness and mild degrees of farsightedness. ALK, performed under local anesthesia, usually takes less than an hour to complete. Compared to other vision repair surgeries the healing process for ALK is relatively quick. But this laser eye surgery is relatively less popular than other types.
What Is The Difference Between LASIK And PRK?
The biggest difference between LASIK and PRK is that with PRK, the surgeon completely removes the outermost corneal cell layer (the epithelium) before performing the laser procedure. The patient then must wait for this cell layer to grow back, which can take anywhere from 3 to 5 days. In LASIK, a layer of tissue is created by an instrument called a microkeratome. This layer remains attached to the eye by a strip of tissue that forms a hinge, like a door attached to a frame. The flap is then lifted up and folded over, out of the path of the laser. The laser is concentrated within the cornea on the part of the eye called the "stroma". After surgery the flap is folded back to its original position, and remains in place using natural adhesion forces, with no stitches. With PRK, protective contact lenses are sometimes worn for a few weeks or more to aid in the healing process. The visual outcome for most patients is excellent with both PRK and LASIK, although there are some differences you should know about:
Laser Eye Surgery Procedure:
The procedure of laser eye surgery is actually quite simple, nevertheless the process involved is on the other hand quite complicated. A thin circular flap is created in the patient’s cornea with the use of an instrument called a microkeratome, this is to gain access to the tissue underneath in order to repair it with a excimer laser. Before the flap is created in the cornea, marker is used to mark where the incision will be performed.
Although this may sound like a painful experience the reality is that in most cases it is not at all, nevertheless the surgeon may use some special drops to anesthetize the eyes before the operation takes place.
The amount of cornea needed to be removed will vary, depending on the patient’s particular vision problem, and with nearsighted people the goal in this procedure is to flatten the cornea, whereas with farsighted people the goal instead is to gain a steeper cornea.
Preparing for Laser Eye Surgery:
Laser eye surgery has helped many people virtually eliminate their dependence on contact lenses and glasses. Even though it's relatively safe, there are several things you can do to prepare for your laser eye surgery so that you get the best possible results.
- Talk to your surgeon. You need to have a frank conversation with your surgeon to determine what results you are likely to get
- Speak with former patients. Ask your surgeon for the names of individuals who have had the same procedure you're having. Ask them about their experience, their results, their recovery time and any complications they may have had
- Make arrangements for transportation after your laser eye surgery
- Take time off from work. Most laser eye surgeons recommend that patients take a few days off after having the surgery to heal
- Follow pre-op instructions provided by your eye surgeons to the letter
- Stop wearing your contacts a few weeks prior to surgery
- Make sure that you prepare some basic first-aid items in your medicine cabinet
- Stop smoking and intake of alcohol few weeks prior to your surgery
After Care of Laser Eye Surgery
- Antibiotic Eye Drops: After the surgery eye drops or antibiotic eye drops are prescribed which need to be taken without fail but one should make sure that his hands are washed before putting the drops. After any surgery the immune system is low and even the slightest bacteria might create an infection. The first after care of laser eye surgery is to maintain cleanliness.
- Driving:The patient should not drive for at least a week after the surgery. While on a vehicle, make sure your eyes are securely covered. Strong wind or dust particle might irritate the operated area.
- Eye Pads: Eye pads are worn after the surgery to protect it from dirt and dust. The after care of laser eye surgery demands the eye pads to be changed every day. Due to eye drops or watering eye, the residue might be left behind on the eye pad. Thus, to avoid it is best to change eye pads every day.
- No Water And Chemicals: Chemicals needless to say will be harmful for the eye but one needs to stay away from water as well. Water can result in bacterial infection.
- Avoid Sun Rays: As said earlier, after the laser eye surgery one should avoid sun rays. Your eye after the surgery might be sensitive to light and exposure to Ultra Violet Rays may strain them causing internal damage.
- Avoid Hair and Fibers:Avoid hair or any another material disturbing your eye. This will hinder the curing of the surgery and thus, cause problem.
Benefits of Laser Eye Surgery:
Laser eye surgery is a procedure that is becoming increasingly popular. Following mentioned are some of the major benefits of laser eye surgery
- Laser eye surgery eliminates the risks associated with wearing contact lenses, such as possible infections or abrasions.
- Driving can become a much easier practice if you have previously required driving glasses.
- In general, you will notice a significant difference to the way you go about your daily life. When you awake, for example, you will not need to begin a search for your glasses on the bedside table, or, if you wear contact lenses, you will not have to spend time putting them in.
- If you don’t like the idea of touching your eyes, as required when putting in contact lenses, then laser eye surgery is a way to eradicate this problem
- You don’t need to worry about your contact lenses falling out when playing sports or partaking in other activities. Or, if you wear glasses you will no longer need to be anxious about them falling off and getting trampled on.
- The nuisance of having your glasses steam up can be forgotten
- You can enjoy the company of your children more now that you no longer need to worry about them breaking your glasses by accident.
- You won’t need to clean away specks of dirt from your glasses.
- Perhaps most importantly, you will feel more confident in yourself. This treatment can have a tremendous effect on your personal and social life for the better.
- The problem of tired eyes for those wearing glasses or dry lens for those who wear contact lenses can be greatly reduced or even completely eradicated if you go ahead with treatment.
Risks of Laser Eye Surgery:
The chances of having a serious vision-threatening complication are minimal. Following are some of the risks associated with laser eye surgery
- Loss of crisp vision: Many patients describe a sharpness that's lacking even when their post-surgery vision tests well.
- Dry eyes
- Poor night vision due to halos, glare and starbursts, which usually disappear after six weeks, but not in all cases
- Overcorrection/undercorrection: Nearsighted people may become farsighted, for example
- Diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK): A rarely occurring inflammation that must be treated immediately to avoid eye damage
- Equipment malfunction may require the procedure to be stopped before completion. This is a more significant factor in LASIK, with its higher degree of complexity, than in PRK
Laser Eye Surgery in India:
- The primary reason people travel abroad for a medical purpose is to save on medical treatment costs in their home country. With several leading medical tourism destinations offering world class health care at state-of-the-art facilities, yet at costs as much as half of those in Europe or North America, its is no wonder the medical tourism industry has expanded rapidly in the past decade.
- India boasts volumes of its excellently maintained healthcare providers by stringent government controls on the policies for control of promotion and advertisement, thus not visible much in newspapers, magazines and electronic media. But certainly as good as other regional healthcare providers like Singapore and Thailand.
- Accommodation and hotels in India are another very good reason for medical tourism promotion in this country. India has very extensive network of all categories of hotels and motels. All big international chain of hotels is available in India.
- Hotels in the cities are packed with features of style and living. All at affordable prices, a sound reason for patients and tourists traveling for medical tourism, to choose India as the choice destination.
Cost of Laser Eye Surgery in India
Laser eyes surgery has very quickly become a pretty common procedure these days. With the prices now down to a level that most people can afford, people have really started to notice this kind of surgery more and recognize its benefits. There is not one "right" price for laser eye surgery. The amount you pay will be based on many factors, including the surgeon you choose, the equipment and quality of the laser system used, the time given to each patient and procedure, your vision prescription, and the type of procedures being performed.
Medical Treatment | Procedure Cost (US$) | |
---|---|---|
United States | India | |
LASIK Eye Surgery | 1,400 | 600 |
PRK Eye Surgery | 1,000 | 400 |
ALK Eye Surgery | 900 | 350 |
Top Eye Surgeons in Our Panel
To be qualified as a good eye surgeon in India, a surgeon is required to have the following qualifications -
- MS Ophthalmology
- DOMS/DNB from International Colleges and Hospitals
- International Fellowship and Training Programs
- Publications and Paper Presentations in Reputed Scientific and Medical Journals
- Wide Clinical Experience
All of our associate doctors / surgeons have trained or worked in some of the best medical institutions in United States, United Kingdom, Europe and other countries across the globe.
Our Panel of Top Laser Eye Surgery Hospitals in India
Eye Hospitals in India are now world renowned for providing quality and safe laser eye surgery for various eye problems. Eye patients from all over the world come to India to take advantage of all eye-related care, treatments, medicines, tests, consultation, and surgeries under one roof and at a reasonable price. Features that make Eye Hospitals in India class apart from other eye specialty hospitals in the world are as follows
- State of the art world class hospital infrastructure
- Internationally renowned eye surgeons with decades of experience in providing total eye care solutions
- Highly skilled and motivated team of Ophthalmologists and Surgeons
- World-class service systems and trained service personnel
- State-of-the-art operation theatres
- Post-Op care and facility
- Advanced and latest equipments
- 24/7 pharmacy
- Ambulance services
Plan your Laser Eye Surgery in India with Tour2india4health consultants:
- Tour2India4Health have been pioneers in providing healthcare facilities in India at low cost.
- We handle patients all over the globe & recommend them to the best medical establishment. We ensure in giving the best treatment without spending too much money. Benefits of working with us include zero waiting time, complete personal care and cost effective treatments.
- We have our network Office worldwide, marketing and promoting our associated health care providers. We act as a facilitator between the patients and the hospitals, assisting them right form their arrival, treatment and departure.
- In addition to medical services, we also provide complete transport, travel, accommodation and tourist assistance to the patient and his family.
- Tour2India4Health will take care of all the arrangements like travelling, finding a surgeon, accommodation and help in visa procedures too.
- Patient just has to send a query related to the surgery then Tour2India4Health’s company assistants will contact within 24 hours and they will take care of rest of the procedures.
Laser Eye Surgery in India is available in following cities
Mumbai | Hyderabad | Kerala |
Delhi | Pune | Goa |
Bangalore | Nagpur | Jaipur |
Chennai | Gurgaon | Chandigarh |
Go to the Enquiry Form
Phone Numbers Reach Us
India & International : +91-9860755000 / +91-9371136499
UK : +44-2081332571
Canada & USA : +1-4155992537
Below are the downloadable links that will help you to plan your medical trip to India in a more organized and better way. Attached word and pdf files gives information that will help you to know India more and make your trip to India easy and memorable one.