Eye surgery, sometimes called ocular surgery, is cosmetic surgery done on the eye itself or one of its appendages, usually by an optometrist. The eye is such a delicate organ, and needs extreme care before, during, and even after a surgery. The eye has very fine hairs that need to be maintained in tip top shape all the time to avoid infections. In fact, many conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts can develop in the eye and require eye surgery to correct. There are many types of eye surgery, each one requiring a specific surgical procedure.
Some eye surgeries are used to correct common vision problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hypermetropia (farsightedness), and presbyopia ( blurred vision). These surgeries include laser eye surgery, cephalea laser eye surgery (to correct dry eyes), LASIK eye surgery (laminated eyelid surgery), PRK surgical keratotomy (to remove wrinkles), LASEK surgical keratotomy (to remove scar tissue) and other types of vision correction eye surgeries. Many times eye surgery will correct a vision problem due to an underlying disease such as macular degeneration, cataracts, or glaucoma. When eye muscles weaken from age or disease, eye surgery is often used to strengthen the muscles, allowing the patient to retain their eyesight.
Another common eye surgery performed on people who desire to retain their sight is cataract surgery. A cataract is formed when a clouded lens structure develops on the top of a person’s eye, causing blurry vision. For this procedure, a thin flexible tube called a catheter is introduced into the eye, and the catheter is removed later once the vision clears.