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May24
Smile For Spectacles Removal Delhi - Lasikdelhi
SMILE

SMILE is an advanced surgery for enhancing vision and is less invasive as compared to LASIK. It is a one-step procedure and provides enhanced and clear vision.

What is the procedure of SMILE surgery?
SMILE, also known as Small Incision Lenticule Extraction which is significantly less invasive than LASIK surgery but provides the results like this surgery. Through a focused, computer-guided LASER, the surgeon makes a small incision on the cornea. With the help of this incision, a small corneal tissue is removed which results in reshaping of the cornea. With the help of highly-focused light, the surgery is done with high precision.

The procedure ends within a minute and the patient starts feeling better within 24 hours after surgery.

What are the benefits of SMILE?
Minimally Invasive Procedure:
As compared to PRK and LASIK surgery, the SMILE is less invasive. During the LASIK surgery, a corneal flap of 20 mm is created while in PRK, an incision of 8-mm is created. In the SMILE, the vision is corrected by creating only a 3 mm incision.

No formation of flap:
Although LASIK surgery is a highly safe procedure complication may arise in a few patients because of the flap creation. SMILE does not cause flap formation and thus, is safer, as compared to LASIK.

Odorless Procedure:
Due to the corneal ablations in LASIK surgery through excimer laser, the patient may smell an odor. As SMILE does not use an excimer laser, the procedure is completely free from the odor.

Fast recovery:
As the SMILE procedure is minimally invasive, the patient may recover fast and the vision is enhanced within a day after surgery. The results of the SMILE procedure are like that of LASIK surgery.

Fewer complications:
The patients undergoing SMILE procedure have fewer chances of complications as compared to LASIK surgery. There is less risk of halos or glare complications and have less incidence of dry eye syndrome.

Who are good candidates for the SMILE procedure?
SMILE procedure is effective in those patients who do not meet the criteria for LASIK surgery. These candidates include patients with a thin cornea, suffering from dry eye syndrome, and are involved in contact sports.

What is the difference between LASIK and SMILE?
Both procedures are used to correct the eye vision and to remove the spectacles and contact lenses. However, SMILE is safer as compared to LASIK surgery. The recovery period in the SMILE procedure is also less as compared to LASIK. SMILE surgery is less invasive and there is no creation of a flap in SMILE procedure.

SMILE is developed by using the traditional system of vision correction with the advancement in reducing the side effects. Experienced ophthalmologists should do SMILE surgery.


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May24
Cataract Surgery In Ghatkopar and Cataract Treatment In Ghatkopar From Eye Specialist Dr. Jatin Ashar
Cataract Surgery In Ghatkopar

Cataract surgery is replacing the faulty lens with an artificial lens. It’s a common and safe procedure done by ophthalmologist when you are having cloudy vision. Decision to undergo cataract surgery depends on the level of difficulty; a patient is facing on daily routine activities.

What is Cataract?
Cataract is progressive in nature and develops with time you grow older. Cataract affects most of people and becomes prominent with age. It can be described as blurry, cloudy or opaque vision. Natural eye lens focuses light on the retina to form clear and undistorted image. Clouding of this lens results in blurred and distorted image. It commonly affects both eyes but in few cases one eye cataract might advances rapidly. If not treated on time, may result is complete loss of sight.

Causes of Cataract
Cataract can be seen in children as a hereditary defect, while eye trauma, smoking, diabetes, excessive use of alcohol, prolonged exposure of sunlight or ultraviolet rays, extended use of corticosteroids are few causes of cataract occurring in elderly people.

Eye Examination
Cataracts can be diagnosed with simple eye exam. The eye exam contains a vision test and an examination of your eyes using a slit lamp microscope. The pupils are dilated with special eye drops to provide a better view of the back of the eye, where the retina and optic nerve are located.

Symptoms of cataract
Ask yourself few questions

Do you feel difficulty in seeing at night?

Is reading or watching television becoming difficult for you?

Driving at night or seeing in bright light has become difficult?

Do you need assistance for finding ways while walking, cooking, shopping or daily activities of your visi

Are you opting for alternate ways to substitute your vision problems?

Glare or sensitivity to light is another symptom of cataract. Diplopia or double vision is also seen in cataract patients. It also affects color vision, leading to yellowish or brownish tint to your eyesight. Patients often need frequent changes in their eyeglasses.

Cataract Treatment in Ghatkopar
Cataract develops as a result of thickened eye lens and treatment is to replace faulty lens with a new lens. Cataract removal is a routine treatment procedure at opthalomogist clinic and carried out across the globe with rarely any accompanying complications.

To prepare you for surgery, your doctor calls you for eye checkup (a week before), to choose which eye lens is best for you.

On the day of surgery, it’s recommended not to eat for 12 hours before surgery.

Recovery
Usually it is a complication free procedure, but it is recommended to be in contact with your surgeon after the surgery. Initially, an eye drop is given to reduce inflammation and prevent infection. You will need frequent visits to the doctor to monitor any complications. Cataract removal procedure doesn’t need night stay, as it’s a small daycare surgery. Most people observe an improvement in their visual function within few days of the surgery, enabling them to restart most of their daily activities including work.

Majority of people regain full activity after a few days of getting the procedure. Your doctor might fit you with a pair of glasses (if needed) once your vision is stabilized. This also depends upon the type of intraocular lens implanted in your eye.

For more information = https://www.mumbaieyecare.com/


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May23
Neck Pain Treatment Gurgaon by Pain Specialist in Gurgaon Dr. Amod Mancoha
Neck Pain Treatment in Gurgaon

Neck Pain is a pain posteriorly anywhere between the skull base and thoracic spine. It is the largest cause of musculoskeletal disability after low back pain. Approximately two-thirds of the population will suffer from neck pain at some time in their life with high prevalence in middle ages. Fortunately for most people the acute pain resolves within days or weeks although in some it may reoccur or become chronic.

Neck pain may be a result of...

Local pathology
Whiplash (flexion-extension) injuries/ trauma
Be a part of a more widespread systemic problem such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia etc.
Be a result of referred pain from neighboring areas for example the shoulder joint

Neck pain usually has a multifactorial etiology -poor posture, neck strain/injuries, anxiety, depression and stress can play a role in magnifying the perceived pain. Quite often the diagnosis of simple or nonspecific neck pain is used implying postural and mechanical causes; this is contrary to other serious causes of neck pain such as fracture, tumour, infection etc.

Pain from upper neck can radiate towards the head leading to frequent headaches and that from the lower part of the neck can radiate to the shoulder, arm, chest wall and the scapula. Reduced neck movement along with localized areas of muscle tenderness known as trigger points are commonly observed along with pain.


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May23
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in pediatric nephrotic syndrome | Dr. Sidharth Kumar Sethi
Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis In Pediatric Nephrotic Syndrome



A 2-year-old girl presented to the emergency room with recurrent seizures. The child had been diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in the previous 2 weeks (serum albumin, 1.5 g/dl; serum creatinine, 0.4 mg/dl) and had been convulsing on and off since the week before presentation. Oral prednisolone (2 mg/kg per day) had been started for 2 weeks with no response. There was no metabolic cause of seizures with normal serum ammonia, blood gas, and serum electrolyte levels.
About Dr.

Dr. Sidharth Kumar Sethi
Kidney & Urology Institute
He was trained as a Fellow (International Pediatric Nephrology Association Fellowship) and Senior Resident in Pediatric Nephrology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Transplant Immunology, Cedars Sinai Medical Centre, Los Angeles, California. He has been actively involved in the care of children with all kinds of complex renal disorders, including nephrotic syndrome, tubular disorders, urinary tract infections, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and renal transplantation. He has been a part of 8-member writing committee for the guidelines of Steroid Sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome and Expert committee involved in the formulation of guidelines of Pediatric Renal Disorders including Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome and urinary tract infections. He has more than 30 indexed publications in Pediatric Nephrology and chapters in reputed textbooks including Essential Pediatrics (Editors O.P. Ghai) and “Pediatric Nephrology” (Editors A Bagga, RN Srivastava). He is a part of Editorial Board of “World Journal of Nephrology” and “eAJKD- Web version of American Journal of Kidney Diseases”. He is a reviewer for Pediatric Nephrology related content for various Pediatric and Nephrology journals.


For more information = http://www.pediatricnephrologyindia.com/


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May21
How do Psychiatrists Help Recover From Drug Addiction?
Developing an addiction is not a character flaw. It shouldn’t be associated with weakness. Anyone, regardless of how strong they are, might develop an addiction. You can get addicted to a substance or alcohol. Or, you might develop an addiction to repetitive behavior, such as impulsive shopping, overspending, overthinking, etc. Some people develop an addiction to prescription drugs. If you know someone suffering from addiction or you are an addict yourself, join a rehab center to get the best de-addiction treatment in Kharghar. In the meantime, here are some tips for dealing with addiction.

Can You Recover from Drug Addiction?

Recovery from any type of addiction can be very challenging. You can’t do it without professional help. The recovery goes beyond your commitment to avoid the substance. Many addicts have tried quitting addiction only to disappoint themselves over and over again. It isn’t because you are weak, but your body and mind get too addicted to the substance that you find it hard to resist the urge to take drugs.

That doesn’t mean recovery is impossible. Many people have recovered from drug addiction successfully with the help of the best psychiatrist in Colaba, South Mumbai. The biggest challenge for an addict (during their recovery period) is dealing with the relapse.
Every addict is bound to continue their addictive behavior at some point in their recovery journey. They turn back to addiction after the failure, as they lose the hope that they will get rid of the addictive behavior. What they don’t know is that relapse is normal during the recovery phase. Not once, but it can happen a couple of times. That’s why it is important to stay in touch with your psychiatrist throughout your recovery journey. Keep them informed about your progress and relapse so they can establish a better plan for your recovery.

How a Psychiatrist can Help?

Addiction often indicates a serious underlying mental health condition. In most cases, people with depression and anxiety turn to drugs to feel temporary relief from the pain. Before they know it, their body gets so addicted to the substance that it doesn’t function without it. You need to feed your body drugs every few hours. Treating the addiction alone won’t help people with mental health diseases. If depression or bipolar disorder was the reason you started doing drugs, you need to recover from these issues first.
A psychiatrist will identify the underlying cause of addiction to develop an effective de-addiction treatment plan. Depending on your mental and physical health, your journey to de-addiction starts with full-body detoxification. The psychiatrist eliminates the substance from your body completely and starts medication and therapies to help you manage the withdrawal symptoms. Once the substance is eliminated from your body and you stop using it, you will experience physical and psychological inconvenience. These are called withdrawal symptoms. Your psychiatrist will recommend medication and other treatment options to help you recover faster. They will also give you tips for dealing with relapse.

Map Location Colaba: https://goo.gl/maps/y5jv9tPm6w6mf7E67

Address: Indu Clinic No. 58, Ground Floor, Royal Terrace, Wodehouse Rd, near Corporation Bank, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005, India

Map Location for Kharghar : https://goo.gl/maps/BhArqK82hfgjfLNAA

Address: Niramaya Hospital, Plot No. 5A, Sector 4, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 410210, India

Website: https://calidarehab.com/dr-prashant-dasud-psychiatrist-in-mumbai/

Phone Number: 9764044079


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May20
LASIK Technology Use For Lasik Surgery In Delhi - Lasikdelhi
LASIK Technology - Lasik Surgery In Delhi
Any LASIK procedure consists of two steps:

CREATING A CORNEAL FLAP

TREATING THE UNDERLYING CORNEA WITH A LASER

now we shall discuss the above two points in detail…
creating a corneal flap.

Corneal flap can be created either using a blade or using a laser called femtosecond laser. We at BAJAJ EYE CARE CENTRE use the best of technologies for both of the techniques. In BLADE LASIK we create a flap using not a surgical blade but an instrument called automated computerized microkeratome. For flap creation with microkeratome we use the world’s best and trusted MORIA ONE USE PLUS SBK microkeratome which has a capability of producing very thin flaps measuring equivalent to 90 microns. This technique is called SBK LASIK (sub bowmans keratomileusis ). The thinner flap in the range of 90 microns ( 1 mm is equivalent to 1000 microns ) has obvious advantages.

More residual cornea is left behind thus leaving a thicker residual cornea for a lifelong normal functioning.

Since the flap is cut at a superficial level it results in a lesser dry eyes postoperatively allowing the patient to resume all his activities no sonnertha the next day onwards.

Moria one use plus microkeratome produces very smooth flaps almost equivalent to a femto second laser, thus the post operative vision is very good.

Thinner flaps settle down very quickly with no corneal folds and swelling thus the patient recovers vision almost immediately that is within 15 to 20 minutes postoperatively… a wow factor for SBK lasik. In BLADELESS or BLADEFREE LASIK we are using the most advanced ZEISS VISUMAX FEMTOSECOND laser machine and we take pride in having the first installation in whole of north Delhi for this.

Advantages of FEMTO FLAP on ZEISS machine… hundred percent blade free lasik. Painfree. Very precise and accurate flaps. Fast… IT takes only a few seconds to make a flap. Least expected complications which may occur on other technologies besides Zeiss platform. Flap related complications associated with microkeratomes are minimized or absent with the femtolasik, as it is more precise and more accurate. Femto flaps are more stronger in nature and fit more snugly to the base cornea comparatively.

THE SECOND STEP: TREATING THE CORNEA BENEATH THE FLAP WITH EXCIMER LASER

Here the cornea is reshaped according to the refractive status of the patient. various profiles currently in use are…

Planolasik it is the basic correction which corrects the spherical and cylindrical components of the refractive errors. The disadvantages include post operative glares and haloes especially in higher numbers, the advantage being it is cheaper.

Customised lasik ( clasik ) here a customization is attempted to be done according to patients corneal and total irregularities called abberations ( higher order abberations …HOA’S). however the drawback in most of the systems is that they are unable to pick up the abberations accurately and after treating them may land up in further abberations and problems caused by them.

Wavefront optimized aspheric lasik….this is supposedly the best technology, here the normal prolate shape of the cornea is maintained even postoperatively which mimics the preoperative shape. Advantages include absence or minimal postoperative glare and haloes which are a part of standard lasik. At BAJAJ EYE CARE CENTRE we use an advanced profile of aspheric wavefront optimized lasik at ZEISS MEL 80 platform, a GERMAN technology which are the world leaders in opto electronics.

Contoura lasik: this is just a form of topography guided correction lasik and not much different from conventional lasik.


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May20
Hair Treatment in Vasundhara by Dr. Megha Modi at Twachaaclinic
Hair Treatment in Vasundhara

Alopecia (Baldness/ Hairfall)
This problem is becoming more and more common and at early ages. Our suggestion is to treat it at the earliest for better results. Treatment options range from medicines to most advance Laser, PRP, hair transplant.

Unwanted Hairs
Premature Graying
Dandruff
Along with laser hair reduction we address to the underlying hormonal disturbances if any.

Dr. Megha Modi - Dermatologist
Dr. Megha Modi is a practicing Dermatologist in Delhi and received her medical degree from Baroda Medical College. She went on to specialize in dermatology and attained her MD in Skin–VD from the same college. She has to her credit the enviable distinction of being a gold medalist at both the undergraduate as well as post graduate levels.

Professionally Dr. Megha Modi has been a consultant at the Dermatech Clinic in North Delhi and brings to the table a rich experience in the field of Cosmetology and Dermatology. On an academic front, she has won numerous accolades and citations for her stellar contributions for her paper presentations at State and National Level conferences. Concurrently Dr. Modi has numerous publications in indexed journals which are standing evidence of her prowess in the specialty.

Some of her most significant contributions are to textbooks on topics like ‘Clinical Approach to Homosexuals with STDs’ in Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS’. Dr. Modi has even done some extensive editorial work for IJSTD in the recent past and is unarguably an authority when it comes to Cosmetology and Dermatology.


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May19
Cochlear and Hearing Implants in India by Dr. Ameet Kishore
Cochlear And Hearing Implants In India

How does a cochlear implant function?
In instances of sensorineural deafness, the hair cells are absent / damaged even though the hearing nerve might be in place. These nerve do not conduct sound as a result of hair cell damage. However, these nerves can convey electrical impulses to the brain on electrical stimulation. Cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells and convert natural sounds into electrical signals and send these signs through the hearing nerve to the brain. Easy availability of latest Cochlear and Hearing implants In India has now made it possible to have them. We have the Best Cochlear Implant Surgeon and Audiologist team in the region to help you get expert care .

Cochlear Implants (CI)
An electronic device surgically implanted in the cochlea (inner ear) that is used to provide sensation of sound in individuals who have a severe to profound hearing loss and do not benefit from hearing aids. Cochlear has conveyed the endowment of sound to more than quarter of a million people over the world. The world's best cochlear innovation is presently accessible in India. Accessible in a scope of item offerings, you can now easily have latest Cochlear and Hearing implants In India.

Bone Anchored Hearing Devices (BAHA and Bonebridge)
These are surgically implanted hearing devices that are designed to help persons with certain types of hearing losses. They work through the principle of bone conduction where sound is transferred to the inner ear by vibration of the skull bone. Preclinical outcomes suggest that the BB has practical execution like the BAHA and could be productive to patients enduring with conductive and hearing losses and additionally for those with one-sided hearing loss.

Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implant (VSB)
This is an electronic device implanted in the middle ear in those individauls with certain types of hearing loss, who are dissatisfied with hearing aids or cannot wear conventional hearing aids. Rather than a hearing aid - which can just make sounds entering the ear louder - the Vibrant Soundbridge changes over the signals into mechanical vibrations. This mechanical vitality specifically animates the structures of the middle ear and permits even sharp tones to be heard extraordinarily well.

Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI)
This is a surgically implanted electronic device that delivers sound directly to the hearing centre in the brainstem. It is an opton for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss where a cochlear implant cannot be used due to damage or absence of the cochlea or the hearing nerve

Cochlear Implant Surgery with Cochlear and Hearing implants In India
The Implant Surgery is performed under general anesthesia and takes only an hour. A cut is made behind the ear to open the mastoid bone and access the middle ear. After that the internal ear (cochlea) is opened and electrodes are inserted. The method requires a stay in the doctor's facility for 1 to 2 days.


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May18
Corneal Arcus or Arcus Senilis : Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment - Mumbaieyecare
Corneal Arcus
Corneal Arcus or Arcus senilis appears as a white, gray, or blue ring or arc around the cornea of the eye. The condition is usually seen in older adults but can affect people of all ages, even appearing at birth. Arcus senilis is generally harmless, and an involutional change modified by genetic factors. However, arcus is sometimes indicative of hyperlipidoproteinemia (involving low-density lipoproteins) with elevated serum cholesterol, especially in patients under 40 years of the age.

Causes of corneal arcus
Arcus is a deposition of lipid in the peripheral corneal stroma. Cholesterol and triglycerides are two types of fats in your blood. Some of the lipids in your blood come from foods you eat, such as meat and dairy products. Your liver produces the rest. Lipid deposition starts at the inferior and superior poles of the cornea and in the late stages encircle the entire circumstances. Arcus senilis is more common in men than in women. In people under age 40, arcus senilis is often due to an inherited condition and in rare cases, children are born with arcus senilis ( arcus juvenilis).

Arcus senilis can also appear in people with Schnyder central crystalline dystrophy. This rare, inherited condition causes cholesterol crystals to deposit on the cornea.

Symptoms
A person with arcus senilis may develop:

A white, gray, or blue circle around the cornea of the eye.
The circle or arc will have a sharp outer border but a blurred inner border.
If someone has an arc, the lines could grow to form a complete circle in front of the iris.
The presence of corneal arcus in patients younger than 40 year-old warrants evaluation for systemic lipid abnormalities.
Unilateral arcus is a rare condition associated with contra lateral artery disease or ocular hypotony. Usually it is an asymptomatic condition and does not affect your vision.

Diagnosis
Eye examination performed by eye doctor can diagnose arcus senilis. A slit lamp microscope is a very helpful tool to evaluate eye thoroughly. A special eye drop is used to widen the pupil of the patient. Once the eye drops works, ophthalmologist can inspect all parts of the eye with back of the eye as well for any disease. In arcus, thickness of the vessels increases due to fat deposition. Surgeon has to look for signs of atherosclerosis also, which is a condition where arteries become clogged with fatty substances.

A blood test will determine whether someone has high cholesterol. If they do, they may be prescribed medicine or advised on a suitable diet and exercise program to lower the cholesterol in their blood.

How corneal arcus is managed?
The good news is, you don’t need to treat arcus senilis. It typically affects both eyes, but in some cases only one eye has a grayish arc around the cornea, which may be a sign of poor blood circulation.

Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly are some good ways to keep your eyes healthy. We recommend wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection when outdoors and safety goggles when doing hazardous tasks as well.

If arcus senilis is a sign of high cholesterol, a doctor may recommend a diet that is low in saturated fats and high in fruit, vegetables, and fiber.

If lipid levels are not controlled by diet and exercise are not enough, several medications can help lower your lipid levels:

Statin drugs block a substance your liver uses to make cholesterol. These drugs include atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin and rosuvastatin.
Bile acid binding resins force your liver to use more cholesterol to produce digestive substances called bile acids. This leaves less cholesterol in your blood. These drugs include cholestyramine, colesevelam and colestipol.
Cholesterol absorption inhibitors like ezetimibe reduce your body’s absorption of cholesterol.
Drugs may be used to lower triglyceride levels:
Fibrates reduce production of lipids in your liver and increase the removal of triglycerides from your blood.
Niacin reduces the production of lipids by your liver.
Increased exercise and quitting smoking can also help.
Possible complications
Arcus senilis alone is not known to have any complications unless it is a sign of high cholesterol. High levels of cholesterol in a person’s blood can cause significant problems, such as coronary artery disease or cardiovascular disease.

Follow-Up
Arcus senilis may sometimes appear as a white ring around the iris due to calcium deposits on the circumference of the cornea, where the white section of your eye (the sclera) and the colored part (the iris) meet (called the limbus). When the deposits consist of calcium, the limbus appears milky and may indicate tissue damage that needs correction.

The blue (or sometimes gray) ring around the iris often is associated with high cholesterol and triglycerides. In turn, this may be an indicator of heart condition that yor are more prone to heart attacks and strokes. When this condition appears in people younger than 60 years old, regular blood tests are normally recommended to monitor elevated lipid levels.

In few other cases, when corneas become opaque, due to genetic mutation it could be from a lowered high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. This condition can result in other eye problems. Principally, this opacification may be related to deficient levels of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT). LCAT is an enzymatic protein responsible for converting free cholesterol into cholesteryl ester.

Cholesterol ester, is then separated into the nucleus of the lipoproteins to produce a synthetic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) chain. This reaction is forced one way, since the deposits are removed from the exterior. So the enzyme is attached to both HDLs and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) in blood plasma.

This process can result in the manifestation of fish eyes, and it is actually called “fish eye disease.” Corneal opacification can also result from mutations in another HDL protein, the adenosine triphosphate-binding protein ABCA1.

Just because you are younger than 40 and have arcus does not mean you absolutely have elevated lipid levels, but at a very minimum, it is recommended that you have them checked.

Unilateral corneal arcus may be associated with vascular or inflammatory etiologies.

Important Reminder: This information is only intended to provide guidance, not a definitive medical advice. Please consult eye doctor about your specific condition. Only a trained, experienced board certified eye doctor can determine an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment.


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May17
PRK and EPI - LASIK Surgery In Delhi
What is PRK?

PRK ( photorefractive keratectomy ) is a type of laser vision correction procedure to correct the refractive errors that is… myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism. PRK was one of the earliest laser eye surgery vision correction procedures and has been performed longer than LASIK which has become more popular than PRK now. Similar to LASIK and other types of LVC procedures corneal reshaping is done using an EXCIMER LASER thus allowing the light rays to properly focus on the retina and achieving a clear vision without spectacles.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LASIK AND PRK
In both the techniques the laser used is same and corneal reshaping is also the same but the difference lies in the FIRST step. In LASIK in the first step a flap is made either using a microkeratome or a laser , the thickness of the flap varies between 90 to 130 microns and after the procedure is over this flap is repositioned back. In PRK the flap is not made, instead most superficial layer of the cornea called epithelium ( only 45 to 50 microns thick ) is scrapped /removed to expose the deeper corneal layers which is then treated with excimer laser to reshape the cornea. The epithelium regrows and repairs itself within a span of 3 to 4 days 1after the surgery. So PRK is a flapless technique and since the flap is not made, the tissue saved adds to the residual corneal stromal bed thickness thus making PRK a very safe procedure in terms of long term corneal biomechanical stability.

Who are the best candidates for PRK?…in other words what are the indications for PRK
Patients having relatively thin corneas where lasikcan not be done. In patients with thinner corneas making a flap ( in the first step of lasik ) may weaken the cornea later on thus it is better to avoid lasik in these patients and PRK is a preferred procedure.
All those patients who are into contact sports etc , here a possible later trauma to the flap is theoretically avoided.

ADVANTAGES OF PRK
Because there is no flap made here in this technique unlike lasik ( flap consists of both epithelium and the deeper corneal tissues ) more corneal thickness is available for treatment and also more corneal tissue is left behind, benefitting thin corneas, resulting in safety.
Since there is no flap there are no flap complications which may occur in blade lasik

DISADVANTAGES OF PRK
PRK recovery is slower than lasik. Though one is able to see clearly within a week’s time it takes at least 4 to 6 weeks before the final visual recovery takes place. It is because it takes a few days for the new epithelial cells to grow and fully cover the surface of the eye.
Postoperative recovery period is more painfulas compared to lasik
Slightly more risk of eye infection in postoperative period, however it is minimised with the usage of proper antibiotic eye drops.
There is a minimal risk of postoperative corneal haze postoperatively, however it is minimised with the concurrent use of an intraoperative drug called mitomycin-c.

How is PRK performed?
During PRK, a central approx. 8 to 9 mm area of the uppermost layer of cornea called the epithelium is removed either mechanically or using an alcoholic solution. This is followed by usage of excimer laser rays which very precisely reshape the corneal curvature. This is done by removing corneal tissue in microns the amount of which is proportional to number of glasses in diopters. A drug called mitomycin-c may be applied for few seconds to some patients if indicated to prevent postoperative haze. A soft contact lens called bandage lens is applied for about 3 to 4 days to promote healing and minimize pain and later on removed.

What is the recovery process with PRK?
IN THE IMMEDIATE POST OPERATIVE PERIOD
Patients are advised to rest for a short while after which one can go home. some body must accompany to drive you back home. Post operative antibiotics and anti- inflammatory drugs are applied and prescribed to minimize post operative pain and discomfort and to accelerate healing process.

Patients are followed up the very next day, then on the 4th day to remove the bandage contact lens. Frequent follow ups are required to monitor the progress and to avoid any post op complications.

THE FINAL RECOVERY IN PRK
It takes a bit longer in PRK to recover fully, sometimes to the tune of 10 to 12 weeks. Till then one is very comfortable in carrying out the routine activities. One is able to drive within a week or two. It is important to protect the eyes from direct sunlight ( u v rays ) and one should wear a good UV protecting sunglasses.

LONG TERM SUCCESS IN PRK
The results obtained after PRK are quite similar to LASIK with most of the patients achieving 6/6 vision unaided postoperatively. Glasses are required to read when one crosses the 45 years age barrier due to a natural process called presbyopia.


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