Corneal laser myopia surgery is a type of “subtraction surgery”: it uses a femtosecond laser or an excimer laser to gently thin the cornea. The higher the prescription, the greater the amount of corneal tissue that needs to be ablated, so if you wish to undergo this kind of surgery, the corneal thickness must first meet the required standard.

Compared with classic FS-LASIK, thin-flap FS-LASIK produces a thinner corneal flap (a flap of 90 μm in thickness can be created, whereas conventional surgery creates a flap of 100–110 μm). At the same time, it is combined with the VISX STAR / S4 IR excimer laser for ablation, which saves corneal thickness to the greatest possible extent, saving an average of 5–7 μm per 100 degrees. Thin-flap femtosecond surgery fulfills the wish of removing glasses for those with a high myopic prescription and a relatively thin cornea. In particular, it has helped many students from all over the country who wish to apply to schools or to enlist in the military to realize their dreams.

Personalized FS-LASIK

On the basis of FS-LASIK, personalized FS-LASIK adds personalized guidance for corneal stromal ablation. Beijing Ming Vision & Ophthalmology is able to perform four kinds of personalized guided surgery in total: corneal topography guidance, wavefront aberration guidance, corneal topography–derived corneal aberration guidance, as well as Wavelight Plus. It refines the cornea with even greater precision, eliminating large astigmatism and the abnormal shape of irregular astigmatism, so that long-term postoperative visual quality is better.

One of the Personalized FS-LASIK Options: Wavelight Plus

Wavelight Plus is one of the four types of personalized FS-LASIK surgery. Before surgery, whole-eye biometric examination equipment is used to collect as many as 138,000 data points of the entire eye, a personalized and precisely customized ablation plan is designed, and ray-tracing technology is applied to correct the prescription together with higher-order aberrations at the same time, improving visual clarity as well as comfort. 

3. TPRK (Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy)

TPRK is also often called Trans-PRK; it is the traditional surface myopia surgery from the 1990s. It does not require creating a corneal flap, and instead uses the excimer laser directly to polish and reshape the corneal surface layer together with the inner tissue. The Smart all-laser surface myopia surgery performed on the AMARIS 1050RS excimer laser platform is a corneal surface ablation procedure that uses the excimer laser throughout the entire process, with no need for a mechanical blade or a femtosecond laser to create a corneal flap, making it relatively safer.

After all-laser surgery, there is relatively more obvious stinging pain and a foreign body discomfort. At the same time, the visual recovery period is also longer than with other procedures: continuous and standardized medication is required for 3 to 6 months, and there may be a certain risk of elevated intraocular pressure, so it is not suitable for those who cannot guarantee the time for postoperative reviews.

4. Corneal Laser Surgery Combined with Corneal Cross-Linking 

On the basis of the corneal laser surgeries described above, corneal cross-linking is applied in combination. It is mainly indicated for people whose corneal shape is relatively irregular before surgery and for myopic people with a relatively thin cornea. It is a personalized supplementary option, and not everyone needs to add cross-linking. Combining corneal cross-linking can significantly improve the biomechanics of the cornea, reducing the risk of regression as well as keratoconus.

II. Intraocular Lens Surgery

To put it simply, ICL surgery means placing a custom-made contact lens directly into the eye and fixing it in place.

Lens implantation surgery (such as ICL / TICL) is an “additive” type of myopia correction surgery, which changes the refractive power by implanting an artificial lens into the eye. It does not alter the normal structure of the cornea, and the correction range can reach 2,000 degrees. It is suitable for people with a high prescription and a thin cornea, or others who do not meet the conditions for corneal surgery. Compared with corneal surgery, however, it is an internal eye surgery and carries a slightly higher risk. At present it is not recognized in the physical examinations for military academies or enlistment, but some majors at police academies do accept it.

In the final analysis, what matters most in myopia surgery is the suitability of the choice. Each type of procedure has its own characteristics, and the wise approach is to make the choice under a doctor’s guidance, based on one’s own eye conditions.