LASIK Laser Eye Surgery

    Introduction to LASIK  

LASIK is an acronym for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and is a procedure used in the treatment of short-sightedness, long-sightedness, or astigmatism. The LASIK procedure uses a laser to improve vision by reshaping the cornea / eye.

People that undertake the LASIK procedure frequently find that it reduces their  need to wear glasses or contact lenses.

LASIK is the most common laser eye surgery in use today and uses a laser to change the shape of your cornea so that light entering the eye can be correctly focused on the retina which enables clear vision.

LASIK can be used to treat the three main problems that occur with eyesight. With myopia, nearsightedness, or short-sightedness, the front surface of the eye is flattened with the laser. With hyperopia, long-sightedness, or farsightedness, the laser shapes the centre of the cornea so that it is steeper. With astigmatism the steepest part of the cornea is reshaped by the laser making it more spherical.

People who undergo the LASIK procedure may experience some post-operative discomfort, but it is reportedly less than people who have had LASEK or PRK laser eye surgery. The resultant improvement in vision following the LASIK procedure is comparable to that achieved by PRK or LASEK.

    What happens before LASIK surgery?

Prior to having LASIK surgery your doctor needs to establish suitability. This is normally done during a thorough examination of your eyes where he will determine the best way to correct your vision.

Corneal cameras will be used to take photographs of your eye and map the cornea. These will help identify any irregularities including the flatness or steepness that must be revised in order to have clear vision.

    How is the LASIK procedure performed?

During the LASIK procedure, your surgeon will get you to sit in a reclining chair and will numb your eye with anaesthetic drops.

He will wash the eye with an antibacterial wash and then use a special instrument that holds your eyelids apart.

A ring is then placed over the cornea and a high pressure vacuum is created. Once the vacuum is in place the microkeratome blade is attached and the flap is carefully created.

After the flap is created the ring and attached blade are removed and the blade disposed of. The hinge of the flap is retained on the eye.

After the epithelial flap has been created it is carefully lifted and folded back. This give the surgeon room to work on the surface of the cornea that was beneath the flap.

An Excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea’s tissue. When the right amount of tissue has been removed, the flap is immediately put back into place,

LASIK surgery uses a cool beam of light from the Excimer laser to gently reshape the front surface (cornea) of your eye.

The entire LASIK eye treatment takes about 10 minutes and, unlike other laser correction techniques, LASIK eye surgery patients experience less discomfort after the procedure.

Both eyes can be treated by LASIK simultaneously.

    What happens after LASIK surgery?

Following the LASIK procedure, your eyes may feel slightly blurry, itchy or watery.

Your doctor should prescribe pain killers or eye drops to help the pain and alleviate any discomfort. To help the healing process you will be told to wear eye patches at night whilst you sleep.

You should be able to see straight after the operation although your vision will not be completely clear. It may take one or two months for your eye to repair fully and for your eyesight to completely stabilize.

Your doctor will check you out after a couple of days to ensure that your eyes are healing as they should be. This will be followed by regular visits to the doctor over the next six months to ensure you are making good progress and that any complications are treated quickly.

Your doctor may also advise that you to continue cleaning your eye lashes for a reasonable time after the operation. Swimming and using hot tubs, whirlpools and saunas should also avoided for a couple of months.

Physical sports involving contact should be avoided for at least the first month after the operation. It is very important to ensure that you shield your eyes from any sort of damage.

    Risks and Complications of LASIK Treatment

As with other types of refractive surgery, there are risks and possible complications associated with LASIK laser eye surgery and you should be aware of what these might be prior to embarking on treatment.

If insufficient tissue is removed from the eye during surgery then the improvement to your vision may not be as good as you expected. There is a higher chance of under-correction if you are nearsighted which could lead to you needing further surgery within a short period of time to properly correct the condition.

If excessive tissue is removed from your eye then again the results may not be as good as you had expected as your eyesight may have become over corrected. This is significantly harder to correct than to little tissue being removed.

You may experience the feeling that your eyes feel dry for the first six months. This can normally be alleviated by your doctor prescribing eye drops. In severe cases you may need another procedure that inserts plugs into your tear ducts that will help keep your eyes moist.

If the tissue removed during surgery was uneven then you may develop astigmatism. This complication can  arise if your eye moves excessively during surgery but can be remedied by a further procedure.

Further complications that you might experience are a difficulty in seeing at night, seeing halos, sensitivity to glare, and double vision. These may be remedied by the use of eye drops or a further operation may be more appropriate