Vision correction employs various options to correct refractive error caused blurry vision. The three basic options most often used to correct vision are glasses, contact lenses and vision correction surgery.
Glasses and contacts correct your vision by using corrective lenses in front of the eye to refocus light to land on your retina. Generally, vision correction surgery either reshapes your cornea or replaces your own eye lens so that light is focused on the retina. And after vision correction surgery your use of other correct vision options will either be drastically reduced or not at all.
The fundamental vision correction surgery options include:
- laser eye surgery
- radial keratotomy
- intracorneal ring segments
- phakic intraocular lens implants
- presbyopic refractive lens exchange or clear lens extraction
Surgical vision correction is not a suitable option for everyone. So, vision correction surgery may not be an option in certain health related circumstances, for instance:
- keratoconus
- herpes keratitis
- diabetic retinopathy
- are pregnant or nursing
- unstable refractive error
- have cataracts, glaucoma
- corneal disease, corneal scarring
- collagen vascular disease ~ lupus
- immunosuppressive disease ~ AIDS
- tend to form keloids during wound healing
- autoimmune diseases ~ rheumatoid arthritis
- taking certain medications ~ isotretinoin, sumatriptan, amiodarone
An optometrist is the eye care specialist who makes the determination that a corrective measure is needed and prescribes the correct vision option. These health care providers diagnose and treat other vision problems as well.