Leading You To Better Vision

For those who have lived with eyeglasses or contacts for years to combat the effects of nearsightedness or farsightedness, LASIK brings total freedom and a renewed sense of confidence. LASIK is one of the most common refractive surgery procedures performed today, improving the vision of millions of patients around the world.

The draw of LASIK is not just the effectiveness of the procedure, but the minimal downtime required with the corrective procedure. In most cases, the patient experiences very little discomfort following laser eye surgery, and experiences a drastic improvement in vision within just one day.

LASIK is performed as an outpatient procedure, using a microkeratome, a small instrument that makes a thin, circular flap that follows the cornea shape. Today, advances in technology allow for the use of laser in this procedure, which may be used as an alternative to the microkeratome. Once a flap is created, it is edged back, revealing corneal tissue to the surgeon. A small amount of tissue is removed using laser technology. Using a cool laser, the excimer laser is able to ablate, or rub away, corneal tissue bit by bit, thus reshaping the cornea itself. The cornea is reshaped based on the correction necessary for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.

When the cornea is shaped correctly it focuses light towards the retina, which translates the light into clear vision. Following the reshaping of the cornea with laser technology, the corneal flap is replaced, healing over within a few days. Both eyes may be treated in the same day, although some patients have only one eye treated at a time, with sessions scheduled a week or more apart. During the procedure, the patient feels no pain, but may smell a slight odor from the laser removing tissue.

Healing from LASIK surgery occurs quite rapidly. Immediately following treatment, the patient will rest in our office for a few minutes, and then be released to a friend or family member who will drive him or her home. Pain medication may be prescribed, although many patients have no need for it. At home, the patient is advised to rest the eyes the remainder of the day, and possibly the next. After LASIK surgery, rubbing the eye should be avoided so as not to apply undue pressure to the corneal flap.

To safely and effectively attain better vision and throw out those eyeglasses or contact lenses, contact us for your LASIK consultation.

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