The LASIK Procedure
Benefits & Risks | The LASIK Procedure | Am I a Candidate? | Financing LASIK
The goal of LASIK is to decrease dependence on corrective lenses.
In people with perfect natural vision, light that
passes through the cornea and the lens will come to a perfect focus on the retina. In some people, light comes to a focus in
front of the retina. In other people, the light isn't focused strongly enough. During the LASIK procedure, the doctor uses a
precise laser to reshape the cornea of the eye in order to bring the light into focus.
In the modern world of LASIK, the best doctors are offering completely custom LASIK. With the use of a carefully calculated laser system, your doctor has a fully detailed, three-dimensional picture of your cornea’s shape and characteristics. Your doctor can then provide a unique eye treatment for each eye, resulting in personalized vision correction that is as individual as your eye.
To correct nearsightedness(myopia), the surgeon uses the laser to flatten the central corneal surface, enabling light to focus on the retina
To correct farsightedness(hyperopia), the surgeon uses the laser to flatten the peripheral or outer edge of the cornea, causing the central portion to steepen and increase its power
To correct astigmatism, (blurry vision) the surgeon uses the laser to reshape portions of the cornea, flattening the steeper areas in an elliptical pattern
LASIK Surgery
The procedure begins with anesthesia drops to numb and dilate your eyes. You will be awake and alert during the
procedure. For the first surgical step, the doctor uses a special microkeratome to separate a precisely calculated top layer
of the cornea from the front of the eye. This corneal flap is then folded back to one side while remaining attached during
the procedure. Next, the excimer laser delivers a programmed number of pulses of cool ultraviolet light to reshape the cornea
according to your individual correction. After the laser has reshaped the cornea, the corneal flap is put back in place. The
eye holds the flap in place naturally as it heals, so no stitches are needed. The entire procedure takes only about 15 minutes
per eye and its over before you know it!
LASIK Recovery
Many patients are able to see clearly right away, but you may experience slight blurriness immediately following LASIK. It may
take one to two days to come into your new vision clearly, and your vision may continue to improve over the next few months.
Make sure you follow your surgeon’s postoperative instructions carefully to minimize the risk of infection and maximize
your results.
