By Dr Angelo Appiotti

A few weeks ago in the Milan clinic where I visit and operate I met a patient who had come to me to find out if she was eligible to undergo a surgical treatment to correct her myopic defect of -6 diopters of the right eye and - 4.50 of the left eye, and specifically wanted to understand if it could be treated with the new ReLex SMILE technique.

During my career as a surgeon, I have treated both amateur and professional athletes who chose refractive surgery to correct their vision problems and ultimately improve their sports performance. For people who practise sports, having good vision is fundamental to unlock their physical and athletic potential.

During my career as a surgeon, I have treated both amateur and professional athletes who chose refractive surgery to correct their vision problems and ultimately improve their sports performance. For people who practise sports, having good vision is fundamental to unlock their physical and athletic potential.

When it comes to treating myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia, there have been incredible technological and scientific advancements in laser eye surgery over the last thirty years. Until now, the main alternatives have been PRK and Lasik, while Femtolaser technology has appeared only in the last few years.

In the collective imagination, supernatural vision allows you to see through walls, shoot lasers from your eyes or see great distances. That being said, what laser surgery can do is improve your visual acuity, giving you superhero-like vision. Here is why I think that laser surgery could revolutionise your vision - and your life:

Vision problems have been plaguing humanity for hundreds of years and have remained an impairing condition until the 13th century, when the first eyeglasses that could partially correct such problems were introduced. This revolutionary invention worked on the same principle as today’s eyeglasses, which are used by over 51% of the Italian population.

In my blog I often cover the reasons why improving one’s vision also means improving one’s life, and I have also explained why refractive surgery is the best choice for professional athletes who want to significantly improve their sports performance...

La chirurgia refrattiva è una branca dell’oculistica efficace e sicura per la correzione dei difetti visivi presente da oltre 40 anni in tutto il mondo e praticata con successo da molteplici chirurghi specialisti. Alla luce di ciò sembrerebbe naturale pensare che la pratica della chirurgia refrattiva sia accettata e riconosciuta dall’opinione pubblica e che giustamente le informazioni relative alla sua sicurezza siano ormai consolidate nella mente dei più

Choosing to undergo refractive surgery is an important step that is also a cause for anxiety and fear; the fear of change and what it may do to us is an ingrained instinct. This is true in any aspect of life, and more so when it comes to medicine and entrusting our well-being and health to someone else.

A few days ago, I was flicking through a famous sports newspaper when I stumbled across the most bewildering article on a new refractive surgery technique, namely Femto-LASIK Lux, that only used “natural” methods instead of surgical procedures...