Lasik Eye Surgery

During the examination prior to the LASIK surgery, a doctor measures the curve and thickness of the cornea, shape of the eyes, size and position of the pupils. These routine measurements determine that there are no irregularities in the eye that would then eliminate LASIK as an option. Measuring the thickness of the cornea is important. This measurement determines if there will be enough corneal tissue remaining once the cornea has been cut and reshaped.

The LASIK surgery overall takes no longer than an hour. And actually it ordinarily takes only 10 to 15 minutes per eye to complete the procedure. Sometimes the procedure is done one eye at a time during different sessions, or both during the same surgery; it depends on the doctor and the patient.

The patient is awake during the procedure. The surface of the eye is numbed with a local anesthetic in the form of eye drop. The patient will not have any feeling in the eye during the procedure, but will notice that the vision will be blurry as the LASIK is completed. During the procedure, a knife called a microketeratome cuts the hinged flap of the corneal tissue from the outer layer of the eye. The cornea flap is then lifted, and the laser is used to reshape the cornea tissue. After the reshaping is done, the flap of cornea tissue is repositioned in the eye and the flap is secured. The flap does not require any type of stitches. The surgeon will then place an eye patch over the eye so that interference or rubbing in the eye is avoided for proper healing.

During the first two weeks of healing, LASIK patients are advised not to wear any lotions, creams, or makeup around the eye area. Vision often fluctuates within the first few months of LASIK surgery. During the healing process, it is not uncommon to have visual symptoms including difficulty driving at night, glares, halos, or contrast sensitivity. Dry eye is another common symptom following LASIK surgery. All these symptoms usually disappear as the eyes heal. Within three to six months, most LASIK patients are able to see the full results of eye surgery. Following your LASIK procedure, your eye doctor will schedule you for several follow-up appointments to monitor the healing process.

The majority of LASIK patients did achieve 20/20 vision following the procedure. It is important, however, to understand the possible complications, qualities of a good candidate and the extent of the procedure.

Resources:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Center for Devices and Radiological Health: www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK

National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus, www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus

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