Lasik Eye Surgery
September 19th, 2006 by Eric
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A knife, called a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.
After Lasik eye surgery, life can become very different and quite often considerably better. It is the most commonly performed surgical surgery for the eye, and after Lasik eye surgery, patients discuss a relative lack of pain and almost immediate occurrence of excellent vision.
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Even though lasik eye surgery is quite a simple procedure, it is still a surgical procedure. However, it’s incredible to notice that patients can easily come and go from the hospital before and after the procedure with little to no assistance. The process itself takes about sixty seconds, so you can imagine how simple it is. Patients are usually administered some drops of anesthesia to the eye prior to the surgical procedure, so at the end the patients feel almost no pain.
Some patients need the procedure in both eyes. They don’t have to wait days to get the other eye treated, they just have to keep some rest (half an hour usually) and then the other eye is sought to.
In order to decide whether you’re a good candidate for LASIK, your eye doctor will examine your eyes to determine their health, what kind of vision correction you need, and how much laser ablation is required. Just as in a regular eye exam, he or she will use instruments such as: a refractor (to determine your prescription); a slit lamp (to look into the back of the eye for retinal problems); and a tonometer (to determine intraocular pressure — if it’s high, this may be an early sign of glaucoma).
Enjoying the results
Lasik eye surgery normally brings immediate results. Most patients end up with 20/20 vision after lasik eye surgery, but there are also cases where patients will still need glasses or contact lenses after this intervention.
[…] Lasik eye surgery is a surgical procedure, but one can essentially come and go from the hospital before and after the procedure with little to no assistance. The procedure takes place while the patient is conscious although sometimes a mild sedative is given to the patient upon advice of the surgeon. The entire process takes, in normal circumstances, less than sixty seconds. Most people do not feel any pain at all during the procedure as drops of anaesthesia are administered directly to the eye prior to the surgical procedure. […]