Silk Eye Surgery vs Contoura Vision

Explore the comparison between Silk eye surgery and Contoura vision; delve into their benefits, risks, and outcomes.

Silk eye surgery and Contoura vision are two prominent methods for vision correction. Silk eye surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a femtosecond laser to reshape the cornea, enhancing visual sharpness. On the other hand, Contoura Vision is a topography-guided LASIK surgery. It uses a detailed map of the cornea’s surface for more personalized treatment, often achieving better than 20/20 vision. Both procedures offer potential solutions for refractive errors like myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism. This article aims to provide a comparison between these two procedures, detailing their benefits, procedures, etc.

Benefits of Silk eye surgery vs. contoura vision

Silk Eye Surgery

• Quicker recovery time: Patients who undergo Silk eye surgery typically recover within 24 hours, and many are able to return to work or school the next day. Contoura Vision recovery time is typically slightly longer, with most patients able to return to normal activities within a week or two.
• Reduced risk of dry eyes: Silk eye surgery has been shown to have a lower risk of dry eyes than Contoura Vision. This is likely due to the fact that Silk surgery does not involve creating a flap in the cornea, which can lead to dryness and irritation.
• Less chance of halos and glare: Silk eye surgery can help to reduce the occurrence of halos and glare around lights, which can be a problem for some patients after LASIK or Contoura Vision surgery.
• Ability to correct higher-order aberrations: Silk eye surgery can correct higher-order variations, which are imperfections in the cornea that can cause blurred vision, glare, and halos. 

Contoura Vision

• Longer track record: Contoura Vision has been around for longer than Silk eye surgery, so there is a longer track record of safety and efficacy.
• More widespread availability: Contoura Vision is more widely available than Silk eye surgery, so it may be easier to find a surgeon who performs this procedure.
• Ability to correct all refractive errors: Contoura Vision can correct for all refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Silk eye surgery can only correct myopia and astigmatism.
• More customizable treatment plan: Contoura Vision allows surgeons to create a more customized treatment plan for each patient. This can lead to better vision outcomes for some patients.

The procedure of Silk eye surgery and contoura vision

Silk Eye Surgery

The following is a step-by-step overview of the Silk eye surgery procedure:

1. The patient’s eyes are numbed with anesthesia.
2. The femtosecond laser is used to create a lenticule in the cornea.
3. The microkeratome is used to remove the lenticule.
4. The excimer laser is used to reshape the remaining cornea.
5. The lenticule is repositioned over the reshaped cornea.

Contoura Vision

The following is a step-by-step overview of the Contoura Vision procedure:

1. The patient’s eyes are numbed with anesthesia.
2. The surgeon creates a corneal flap using a microkeratome or femtosecond laser.
3. The excimer laser is used to reshape the exposed cornea.
4. The corneal flap is repositioned.

What makes Contoura a better choice?

There are some key differences between the two procedures that make Contoura Vision the better choice for most patients.

Superior Vision Quality

Contoura Vision uses a topographically guided excimer laser to reshape the cornea, which allows for a more precise correction of refractive errors. This can lead to superior vision quality, especially in patients with higher-order aberrations.

Greater Versatility

Contoura Vision can be used to correct all types of refractive errors, including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. SILK Eye Surgery, on the other hand, is only able to correct myopia and astigmatism.

Fewer Side Effects

Contoura Vision has been shown to have a lower risk of side effects than SILK Eye Surgery, such as dry eyes, halos, and glare.

Faster Recovery Time

Patients who undergo Contoura Vision typically recover faster than those who undergo SILK Eye Surgery. This is because Contoura Vision does not involve creating a flap in the cornea, which can lead to dryness and irritation.

Contoura Vision is a better choice for most patients than SILK Eye Surgery because it offers superior vision quality, greater versatility, fewer side effects, and a faster recovery time. The main difference between Silk eye surgery and Contoura Vision is the way that the cornea is reshaped. In Silk eye surgery, a lenticule is removed from the cornea, and the remaining cornea is reshaped. In Contoura Vision, the cornea is reshaped directly with the excimer laser. Contoura Vision is a more customizable procedure than Silk eye surgery. This means that the surgeon can tailor the treatment plan to each patient’s individual needs. Contoura Vision has the advantage of a longer track record, more widespread availability, and the ability to correct for all refractive errors.