For the past several years, the number of 'eyeglasses-wearers' all over the world has been reduced. The improvement has been possible because of a rapid development in one of the branches of ophthalmology, namely the refractive surgery, sometimes also referred to as the eyesight defects surgery. The main objective of these medical procedures is to enable the best eyesight without eyeglasses or contact lenses; hence to ensure a higher standard of living. At present, the laser correction of eyesight defects is considered the safest.

Laser correction of eyesight defects involves the employment of the so called excimer laser (from excited dimer) to reshape the front part of the eye - the cornea.

The computer controlled laser produces a cold pulsating beam of ultraviolet light of a single specific wavelength (193 nanometers) that is used to break the tissue inter-molecular connections and remove a microscopic, thinner than human hair, portion of the cornea. The shape of the cornea is changed, and this re-shaping allows the incoming light rays to focus more accurately on the retina. The vision improves.

MEL-80 is the newest generation excimer laser produced by a German company - CARL ZEISS Meditec. In Medical Center MAVIT, the laser is used to correct the following refractive errors:

• nearsightedness - from -0,75 D to -10,0 D
• farsightedness - from +0,75 D to +6,0 D
• astigmatism - to 5,0 D

More serious refractive defects may also be laser treated, depending on an individual anatomical structure of the eye, i. e. the shape and thickness of the cornea.