The environment wherein we live is made up of billions of objects, each with its own color and sharpness. Those with good vision have the luxury of seeing all of these things, which is a blessing. However, there are certain people in this world who have difficulty seeing things in their best light.
This could be due to visual impairment or hazy and poor vision. Lasik Surgery and Cataract Surgery are two well-known treatments for treating vision problems in people. While they both aim to improve eye vision, they are not the same thing.
Lasik Surgery vs Cataract Surgery
The main difference between Lasik Surgery and Cataract Surgery is that the former aims at the betterment of nearsightedness or farsightedness, and to do so, it alters the shape of the cornea, which results in the change in eye vision and focus. While on the others hand, the latter focuses on removing cataracts from inside the eye and replace the lens with an artificial lens.
Lasik Surgery, also known by various names such as Laser eye surgery or Laser vision surgery, seeks to improve an eye’s vision. This is due to the use of a laser during the procedure, which affects the structure of the cornea. The cornea is responsible for a person’s distorted or blurred vision, and it is this feature that is altered during surgery.
Cataract Surgery, on the other hand, removes the extra cataract from one’s eye and allows the person to see things clearly. It’s also known as lens replacement surgery since it tries to replace the natural lens in the eye with an artificial lens. This artificial lens is made with acrylic in order to improve efficacy.
Comparison Table Between Lasik and Cataract Surgery
| Parameters of Comparison | Lasik Surgery | Cataract Surgery |
| Definition | This refers to a form of eye surgery aimed at improving eyesight by altering the shape of the cornea. | It refers to eye surgery in which the natural lens of an eye is replaced with an artificial one when the natural one becomes cloudy or obsolete. |
| Also referred to as | Laser eye surgery or laser vision surgery is another name for this surgery. | Lens replacement surgery is another name of this surgery. |
| Used to | Treat farsightedness or nearsightedness of an individual allowing him to see without having dependent on glasses. | Treat the obsoleteness which occurs in the natural lens of an eye. |
| Effectiveness | This surgery has a success rate of about 96-97 percent | This surgery has an average success rate of about 99 percent |
| Most suitable for | People with farsightedness or nearsightedness | People with blurry vision or cataracts in the lens |
What is Lasik Surgery?
Lasik surgery is known by certain other names, too, such as Laser eye correction or Laser vision correction, and is a prominent form of eye surgery that is used all across the world by a number of people. With an average success rate of 96 to 97 percent, this surgery is known to be very useful.
In this surgery, a laser is used to cut a flap in the outer layer of the eye, which is properly known as the Cornea. This cornea is responsible for the vision a person has. This flip causes an alteration in the cornea resulting in improvisation in the visual clarity. This helps to treat farsightedness or nearsightedness in the eye.
In a normal course, this surgery is done on both eyes in the same session. This surgery is most suitable for people who are habitual of glasses as it reduces the need for glasses in the life of such a person.
What is Cataract Surgery?
It is also called Lens replacement surgery, for it attempts to change the natural lens of the eye and put an artificial lens in the vacant position. Over the years, the natural lens of the eye develops some sort of clouding in it. This development can take years to appear.
This cataract or clouding hampers the process by which a person sees in a better way. As per a study, a total of 50 percent of cases of blindness all around the world are caused due to this clouding. To cope up with this, Cataract surgery is performed. In this, the natural lens is removed from the eye, and the vacant place is filled by an artificial lens.
The surgery is said to have an average success rate of 99 percent and is deemed to be most suitable for people who have blurry or unclear vision. In order to get treated by this surgery, one needs to visit the doctor two days in a row, where each eye is treated each day.
Main Differences Between Lasik and Cataract Surgery
- Lasik Surgery is the process of using a laser in order to alter the shape of the outer layer of the eye. While Cataract Surgery is the process of removing clouding from the lens of the eye.
- Lasik Surgery is also called Laser eye surgery or Laser vision surgery, while another name of Cataract Surgery is Lens replacement surgery.
- Lasik Surgery treats the farsightedness or nearsightedness of an individual, allowing him to see without having dependent on glasses. On the other hand, Cataract Surgery replaces the natural lens of the eye with an artificial lens.
- The success rate of the former is 96-97 percent, while the latter is said to be 99 percent effective.
- Lasik Surgery is most suitable for people having trouble with eyesight, while Cataract Surgery is most suitable for people having a blurry or cloudy vision.
Conclusion
An eye is an irreplaceable part of the body of a person. If it is healthy, it is no less than a blessing, for it allows us to see the beauty of nature in its original and unaltered condition. Not just colors but the shape, size, and context of anything is beautiful when one has a clear vision.
Some people, however, do not happen to be that fortunate to have a clear and perfect vision. Most people nowadays are suffering from impaired vision. Therefore, in certain cases, eye surgeries are required to cope with this situation. Lasik Surgery and Cataract Surgery are two of such surgeries used to improve the vision of the patient.
References
- https://bjo.bmj.com/content/88/1/19.short
- https://journals.lww.com/co-ophthalmology/fulltext/2008/01000/Cataract_surgery_for_the_developing_world.13.aspx