The LASIK Procedure: A Complete Guide
LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. You may hear people calling it "LASIX," but the name is actually short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis."
Why is it so popular? LASIK has advantages over other procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision is usually achieved by the very next day.
An instrument called a microkeratome is used in LASIK eye surgery to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Another, newer way of making the flap is with a laser. [Read more about the recently developed IntraLase laser that is used for this purpose.]
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The surgeon folds the flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it. When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.
Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from the LASIK procedure. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. While this is not widely recognized by consumers, excimer lasers also can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.
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Before you have LASIK surgery, you'll need a complete eye exam and other tests.
Before the LASIK Procedure
If you are considering LASIK eye surgery, your first step is to choose a good surgeon. [Read our article on how to choose a LASIK surgeon for advice on this subject.]
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. [See also: What To Expect From an Eye Exam]
Your doctor will also look for signs of dry eye disease, which must be treated and cleared up before LASIK can be performed.
Also, a corneal topographer is usually used; this device photographs your eye and creates a kind of "map" of your cornea. With new wavefront technology associated with custom LASIK, you also are likely to undergo a wavefront analysis that sends light waves through the eye to provide an even more precise map of aberrations affecting your vision. [See also: Wavefront in Eye Exams]
Finally, the doctor will find out from you any health problems you have or medications you take. Some health conditions will disqualify you altogether for LASIK, but others may just postpone the procedure until a later date. [For more information on disqualifiers for LASIK, please read Are You a Candidate? Or, for a custom report on whether you are a good candidate for LASIK, please take our two-minute screening test.]
source:http://www.allaboutvision.com
