An operation for myopia does not mean final farewell to his ophthalmologist. “The principle of corneal surgery will be to change the curvature of the eye, or reduce it, to rid the myope of his lenses or his glasses”, says Dr. Damien Gatinel, ophthalmologist at the Rothschild Institute in Paris. If it reduces the eye to a “normal” size – myopia is caused by an eye that is too long, which affects distance vision and makes it blurry – surgery does not avoid regular follow-up with the ophthalmologist.
Today, many advances have been made in terms of surgery and it appears to be safer than ever. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of operations has even jumped. The cause ? Wearing a mask – which is no longer mandatory but recommended in this context of epidemic recovery linked to BA.5 – and the condensation it creates on eyeglasses. If many tips had been shared to avoid fogging, only the operation could really avoid this inconvenience. According to the French Association of Implants and Refractive Surgery (Sapphire), the increase was between 20% to 30% in June 2021.
A solution that could be revolutionary in the treatment of myopia, which is likely to claim more and more victims in the coming years: in 2050, 5 billion people could be myopic in the world. But beware, if the operation corrects this vision disorder and restores clear distance vision, myopia remains associated with many eye pathologies requiring regular ophthalmological follow-ups, in particular macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma or even cataracts.
The risks of retinal detachment do not decrease with the operation
In myopes – and more particularly in those with high myopia – the number of cases of retinal tear is around 100/100,000 compared to 3/100,000 in the elderly population. nal. This tear leads to a peripheral vision loss and more or less central loss and requires surgical emergency. This can lead, in the worst case, to visual impairment or worse, blindness.
The ratio of open-angle glaucoma is also higher in myopes. This eye disease that causes optic nerve damage and therefore progressive loss of vision is the first cause of blindness in France and develops initially without visible symptoms.
If more and more people are having surgery and the results are reliable and well controlled, surgery does not nevertheless operate on the risk factors linked to myopia. “The ophthalmological risks related to these diseases persist, even if the refractive error is corrected, and the patient gets rid of glasses or lenses“, insists Dr. Gatinel. Hence the need to keep a regular follow-up – once a year or even once every two years – to maintain healthy vision.