Refractive surgery refers to any surgery that is done to correct a refractive error in your eye. A refractive error is present if you cannot clearly focus your eye and need to wear spectacles or contact lenses. The most common refractive errors are:
- Myopia – difficulty in seeing distant objects clearly (short-sightedness)
- Hyperopia – difficulty in seeing close objects clearly (long-sightedness)
- Astigmatism – distorted vision resulting from an irregularly curved cornea
- Presbyopia – age-related difficulty in reading or seeing close objects clearly
Refractive surgery is usually done by a laser. The laser procedure changes the shape of the cornea to correct the error in your vision. Hence, the surgery is also known as LASIK, which refers to ‘laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis’.