The Beginners Guide to LASIK Surgery

Before you type “LASIK near me” into your Google search bar, it’s important that you learn about this type of surgery and find out what you’re in for. LASIK is an acronym and stands for laser in-situ keratomileusis. It is a very popular form of surgery that is used to treat astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness through vision correction.

LASIK is one of many kinds of laser eye surgeries. All laser eye surgeries are concerned with one main agenda: the reshaping of the cornea. The cornea is the lens of the eye and is the clear part that sits right at the front, filtering light in and focusing it on the retina that sits at the back of the eye. LASIK, just like other kinds of laser eye surgeries, seeks to alter the shape of the cornea to enhance its focusing abilities.

What Are the Benefits of LASIK Eye Surgery? 

There are many benefits to this type of eye surgery:

• This type of surgery works. It has been successfully applied in hospitals all around the world for two and a half decades now. In fact, it has a success rate of 96 percent where that proportion of patients reported getting the desired improvement in their vision after the surgery.
• LASIK involves minimal levels of pain due to the administration of anesthetic in the form of eye drops.
• The correction is almost instant, with vision improving within a day after the surgery.
• You don’t need bandages or stitches with this kind of surgery.
• Even after the surgery, you can still make further adjustments years later as your vision deteriorates with age.
• Most patients see a decrease in their dependence on glasses and contact lenses after the surgery. Some don’t even need them anymore. 

How to Prepare for the Surgery

 Before you undergo the surgery, it is important that you meet with the eye surgeon who will conduct the experiment and have him or her explain to you the procedure and what your expectations should be. There will be an evaluation of your medical history and a full examination of your eyes. The thickness of your cornea and its refraction will be measured as well as pupil dilation and eye pressure. They may even come up with a full mapping of your cornea. After this initial evaluation, all your questions will be answered, and you can now schedule the actual operations.

In case you wear contact lenses, and they are gas permeable, you should not have them on for a minimum of three weeks leading up to the surgery. With other contact lens types, you should not have them on for at least three days before the surgery. Your eyeglasses prescription should also be renewed so be sure to bring them to the surgeon prior to the surgery. Don’t wear any eye makeup on the day of the surgery and have a light meal only.

What Happens During LASIK Surgery

During the process, a thin flap will be created in the cornea using either a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser. That flap is peeled back so that the corneal tissue underneath can be reshaped using yet another type of laser. The whole process is painless. Once the reshaping has taken place, and the cornea is better able to focus light the flap is put back. The whole process will take about 10 minutes, and the patient is under local anesthesia the whole time. 

After the Procedure 

Have someone around to drive you back home after the surgery. You will experience temporary dryness in your eyes. The doctor will prescribe some eye drops for you that will keep them moist as well as prevent inflammation and infection. The eye drops may blur your vision a little and cause a slight burning sensation. Do not use any eye drops that your doctor has not prescribed to you.

This is a guest blog entry.