LASIK or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis is an eye surgery that corrects hyperopia or myopia. Ophthalmologists perform this procedure using a microkeratome or a laser that reshapes the eyes’ cornea to improve vision. Many people decide to do this surgery to do away with contact lenses and corrective glasses.
The entire surgery is pain-free during and after the treatment. It will only last for about 15 minutes in each eye, and positive results can be felt after the procedure, while the vision can stabilize within a week. You can chat with a doctor on sites like louisvillelasikeyesurgery.com to know if you are qualified. Many clinics offer the surgery in Louisville, KY, but make sure that you go to an accredited and legitimate one.
What to Expect
Overall, LASIK has a good track record. The complications are infrequent, and many people are more than satisfied with the results. The success rate is 99%, and some people may require only one session with both eyes.
There are specific side effects such as temporary disturbances on vision and dry eyes, but they will eventually disappear. The overall results are dependent on refractive errors, and most people who have a mild case of nearsightedness are known to experience the most success.
How is the Process Performed?
The eyes are first numbed with drops. You can know more about these drops when you click this. Surgeries like this only require topical anesthetic drops with no need for stitches and bandages. LASIK’s goal is to reshape the cornea of the eyes, and there’s laser involved for a blade-free experience.
- The first step requires a surgeon to create a superficial flap in your cornea with the help of a femtosecond laser or a microkeratome which is a surgical tool.
- The surgeon folds back the hinges of the superficial flap he created to access your stroma. He will then remove some of the tissues through an excimer laser.
- The excimer lasers create cold ultraviolet light beams to ablate small amounts of issues from the stroma of the cornea. The removal process will reshape its entire structure so that the light that enters the eyes will be more accurately focused and improved.
- LASIK’s goal for nearsighted people is to gently flatten the cornea while the farsighted ones may aim for a steeper stroma. The excimer is also used to correct people’s vision with astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea and putting it into a better shape.
- After the reshaping process is done, the superficial flap is laid back in place, and it fully covers the area where the tissues were removed. The flap seals the cornea underneath it, which helps with the healing and recovery after the process.
What to Do Before the Surgery
Your ophthalmologist will perform a thorough inspection to ensure that your eyes are ready and healthy enough. He will evaluate the thickness of the cornea, it’s current shape, any refractive errors such as hyperopia and myopia, and do other examinations. Read more about hyperopia here: https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hyperopia.
Sometimes, if your eye doctor finds out that your eyes are too dry, they might require a precautionary treatment beforehand to increase the tear film on the surface. This will reduce the risk of you developing other complications afterward.
Generally, a corneal topographer which an automated instrument, is utilized to measure the curvature of your eye’s front surface and create an overall map for your cornea.
The wave front technology associated with the custom LASIK treatments will also read analysis so that the surgeons will have a more accurate view of your optic aberrations. This means that in the process of the lights mapping your optic nerves, the surgeons will see other issues that may affect your vision, which can result in a more accurate LASIK procedure.
The ophthalmologist will ask about the medications that you are currently taking, your health history, and other factors to determine if you are a suitable candidate. Before the treatment, your doctor may advise you to stop wearing your contacts for a period of time, usually around two weeks. This is because prescription contact lenses can alter the shape of your cornea temporarily. You can read other sources when it comes to LASIK and check with only the trusted clinics in Louisville, KY, for best results.
