Can I Have Laser Eye Surgical procedure?

Laser Eye Surgical procedure is an space of medication that’s consistently growing and evolving. Developments in know-how and our understanding on this space have persistently helped to make the process accessible to extra individuals – together with many who could beforehand have been unsuitable. This typically extends to these with present well being situations; however what about when you have a collagen vascular illness?

What’s Collagen Vascular Illness?

Collagen vascular illness (CVD) refers to a bunch of situations that trigger persistent irritation within the connective tissues. These might also be known as connective tissue problems/illnesses (CTDs). The connective tissues are the tissues that maintain your bones, muscle tissues and ligaments collectively; they supply help for organs and the physique in addition to retailer fats, defend towards illness and assist restore tissue injury.

Collagen is one sort of connective tissue. It offers construction in your pores and skin, bones, and joints. In collagen vascular illnesses, the immune system mistakenly targets wholesome tissues, inflicting irritation. This may end up in quite a few issues and signs.

Many collagen vascular illnesses are autoimmune illnesses, together with:

Some CVDs could also be genetic. This may embody Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and Osteogenesis imperfecta. Additionally it is potential to have signs of a number of forms of CVDs – this is called combined collagen vascular illness.

Do collagen vascular illnesses have an effect on the eyes?

Whereas many results of CVDs impression the cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal programs, lots of these problems might also have an effect on the eyes and precede the onset of different extraocular options. For instance, lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) is commonly related to ocular signs comparable to dry eyes, blood vessel modifications in the retina, and nerve injury.

In Rheumatoid Arthritis, a persistent autoimmune CTD affecting primarily the joints, ocular manifestations may also embody dry eye illness, and fewer generally irritation of the white outer layer of the eyes (episcleritis and scleritis).

Collagen Vascular Illness and Laser Eye Surgical procedure

Numerous the ocular results of some collagen vascular and connective tissue illnesses have the potential to have an effect on a affected person’s suitability for Laser Eye Surgical procedure. Specifically, dry eye illness – relying on trigger and severity – is usually a cause for sufferers to be turned away at some clinics.

Moreover, sufferers with some collagen vascular illnesses are additionally extra prone to have thinner corneas – one other issue that might have an effect on your suitability. Nevertheless, as skilled Laser Eye Surgeon, Mr. Glenn Carp explains within the video beneath, this isn’t all the time the case.

If a affected person’s collagen vascular illness of connective tissue illness shouldn’t be well-controlled, they could be discovered to be unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgical procedure – no less than quickly. Nevertheless, we work very intently with sufferers’ GPs and, if crucial, an ocular inflammatory skilled to make sure we’re in a position to confirm whether or not you should still be candidate for therapy. It’s important that you just inform us when you have a CVD at your preliminary screening appointment so we’re in a position to make an correct evaluation.

So, to sum up: Having a collagen vascular illness doesn’t essentially imply you gained’t be appropriate for Laser Eye Surgical procedure. The one means  to search out out for positive is to guide a session