Does Laser Eye Surgery Change Eye Colour
Does Laser Eye Surgery Change Eye Colour Ever wondered about the notorious claim linking laser eye surgery to a change in eye color? While it may seem like an outlandish idea, such curiosity isn’t totally baseless. This widely-used form of vision correction therapy has been subject to many myths and misconceptions.
Primarily used to correct various visual issues like nearsightedness or farsightedness, laser eye surgery involves one common procedure: reshaping the cornea with the aid of a special type of laser. Over time people also became interested if this type of treatment could alter their natural eye color lightly or drastically.
Procedure of Laser Eye Surgery
The fundamentals of laser eye surgery revolve around modifying the shape of your cornea, a sheer, transparent layer forming the front surface of your eyes. With an altered cornea structure, light rays entering our eyes get bent precisely onto the back of the eye for clear visuals. Let’s explore deeper into understanding how this corrective procedure takes place for vision problems.
Primarily, a protective flap is created on the surface of the cornea using either a microkeratome or another special type of laser. This step grants access to the underlying layers required to be reshaped. Post-creation, this flap gets delicately folded back while ensuring it stays attached at one end.
Now comes into play an excimer laser, a cool ultraviolet light beam removing microscopic portions from the stroma, the middle section of your cornea with utmost precision, sans heat damage to the surrounding regions. By virtue thereof, resulting morphing promotes focused formation of images onto the back of the eye, thereby offering sharp and precise visuals subsequently.
Once finalized by surgeons regarding sculpting requirements based on specific vision problems identified pre-operation, quick pulses hailing from these lasers remove and create the required topographical map and ideal shape to serve the needful purpose. After successful leveling or steepening, the original ‘flap’ is replaced without stitches, healing naturally within a few days, bringing about the desired correct visual acuity over time.
Potential Side Effects
By and large, laser eye surgery is a safe procedure with extremely good success rates. But it’s crucial to understand that not every patient has the same recovery journey. Some may be faced with potential side effects post-surgery, which can range in intensity and duration.
From temporary discomfort to visual irregularities, such as starbursts or halos around light sources at night, fleeting issues are common occurrences within the initial healing span of a few weeks after surgery. Fears over risks, however serious like significant vision loss, are far and few between. The majority of complications are rectifiable via revisional surgical treatments or medical therapy if needed.
A drier set of eyes for up to six months post-surgery needs care too: tear production is reduced, which tends to affect more people than others. Don’t fret, though; it is manageable through the use of prescribed lubricating drops to mitigate said condition until natural hydration levels resume normally.
For patients, occasional pointed glare, fluctuating visions, or even difficulty driving when dark, despite overall improved sight, is generally no reason for major concern unless it persists without signs of lessening beyond the preliminary five days of the week. Knowing these potential risks helps keep one prepared and equipped in just the right manner before deciding on their laser eye surgery course ahead.
Eye Color and Laser Eye Surgery
An alluring aspect about laser eye surgery that piques curiosity among many is the alleged possibility of undergoing a change in their natural eye color post-surgery. It’s quite captivating to think that not only could an individual correct their vision, but they might also alter the hue of their eyes along the way. But how far does this hypothesis hold water? Let’s take a deeper look into this intriguing query.
The process behind typical laser surgery primarily tackles layers beneath your cornea, influencing visual acuity without spurring any influence on elements determining our unique iris pigmentation. Your iris – the colorful portion – gets undisturbed throughout the operation, luckily leaving aesthetic appeal untouched while taking care of vision needs efficiently.
While certain invasive procedures aimed at changing eye color do exist, it’s important to stress that such operations categorically differ from standard ones for vision correction purposes using lasers alone. Unique hues are defined during birth and attributed to genes containing bundles of melanin pigment — more corresponds to darker shades, less resulting in lighter counterparts.
Humans tend to love variety and express ourselves uniquely to stand out from the crowd, whether it’s eyewear, permanent tattoos, or even deciding on recent surgically-induced color alterations. The idea is tempting, but the actual known risks around cosmetic alteration vastly outweigh the potential gains, deserving caution and contemplation before turning towards defying nature’s granted gemstones. Most beautiful kind stare at the world through them daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can laser eye surgery change my eye color?
No, standard laser eye surgeries for correcting vision issues do not result in any changes to the natural pigmentation of your iris or alter its color.
Are there side effects after getting laser eye surgery?
Although generally safe with high success rates, some people may experience temporary discomfort like dry eyes and visual disturbances such as halos around lights at night post-surgery. These usually resolve themselves within a few weeks.
Is there another way I could change my eye color medically other than corrective laser surgery?
Yes, there are procedures specifically designed to change eye colors through invasive methods but these should be seriously contemplated because they carry high risks and significantly differ from typical visioncorrecting lasers. Please note that this article is written for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult appropriate healthcare professionals before making decisions about your health.