What is LASIK eye surgery
The newest and now most popular method is usually for patients with severe long-sighted problems or severe short sighted problems. It works by reshaping the clear front covering of the eye (cornea) to change the way light is refracted and correct vision errors. The surgical procedure involves cutting a small flap in the cornea, lifting it, and aiming an excimer laser beam to remove corneal tissue. The flap is replaced to promote healing. Vision is almost restored instantly.
The step-by-step guide to what happens beforehand, during and after LASIK surgery:
LASIK stands for Laser-assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, the surgical procedure is used to reduce the dependency on contact lenses and eye-glasses. The surgery is used to create a variety of problems such as refractive errors of the eye, nearsightedness (myopia) farsightedness (hyperopia) and elongated cornea's (astigmatism).
LASIK eye surgery helps to improve the ability of the eye's focus on light. In eyes that have perfect vision, light enters the eye bends and directly hits the retina, which produces a clear image. People with blurry or distorted eye-sight have imperfect corneas. These imperfectly shaped corneas don't properly refract the light which hits the retina and therefore the final vision is blurred or distorted. LASIK corrects the refraction errors by permanently changing the cornea's shape. The newly shaped cornea focuses light much better and rids the need for eye-glasses or contact lenses.
A few weeks before the surgery will happen patients are given critical instructions to follow. If the surgery is to be success they need to be followed directly. Patients who wear contact lenses will be advised to stop wearing them so the eye's can reform their natural shape. Other factors like certain vitamins or medication you take and beauty products you use may need to be avoided in the weeks leading up to surgery. If a patient fails to follow the strict pre-operative instructions then the risk of complications occurring from the surgery will increase and the procedure may need to be completely re-done.
During the surgery the patient will be awake and alert but the Doctor's usually give out numbing eye drops to help keep the patient relaxed and calm. The natural blink reaction when in contact with other items means the eyelids will have to be secured to stop blinking interfering with the surgery. This is done by a special implement called a Lid Seculum. The eye is cleaned then this seculum is put in place. A small ring is then placed on the cornea which creates a strong suction to the cornea. This usually entails slight discomfort in the procedure but it is vital as the suction enables the eye to stay immobile throughout the surgery.
In the next part of the surgery a flap is cut into the cornea, leaving a tiny hinge which keeps it attached to the eye. The flap is made by using a small razor sharp knife called a microkeratome, or by using an IntraLase. The suction ring is used as a precise guide for the microkeratome which makes sure the flap is made cleanly and accurately. After the incision is made the suction is removed and the flap is gently pull away form the cornea and peeled back towards the hinge which reveals the underlying stroma.
The Doctor operating will then dry the eye and ask the patient to stare at a fixed light without moving, until the procedure ends. The eye will then be moved into the appropriate position, and the excimer laser will be activated. The surgeon would have programmed the laser to re-move the specific amount of tissue from the specific location before the surgery was started. The more severe and more removal needed to be done will determine the amount of time the laser is used. The laser pulses a beam of light into the eye and the excess tissue is slowly removed, a ticking or zapping sound is made by the laser and an odor is created similar to that of burning hair. When the laser has finished doing it's job, the surgeon will turn it off and then replace the cornea flap back and smooth over the surface to make sure no wrinkles develop.
Due to the vulnerability that LASIK surgery creates, it is vital to take extra pre-cautions and protect the eye during it's healing process. An eye shield or patch is given immediately after by the surgeon . The Doctor will give further instructions to follow like wearing the shield while sleeping to stop rubbing of the eye and dislodging the flaps. Antibiotic ointment is advised to prevent infection and eye drops may be used to keep dry and scratchy eyes well lubricated during the healing process.
A follow up appointment will be made by your Doctor just to evaluate the surgery on the eye, this appointment is usually within 24-48 hours of surgery. It is needed to evaluate any potential problems and to monitor how the healing is developing. After this initial appointment, patients will be asked to return for check-up appointments every few weeks, then months until gradually the surgeon feels the procedure was successful and the eye risk-free.