What is Lasik surgery?
Lasik is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. LASIK is performed by ophthalmologists using a laser.[1] The procedure is generally preferred to photorefractive keratectomy, PRK, because it requires less time for the patient's recovery, and the patient feels less pain overall. However, there are special instances where a PRK procedure is medically justified as being a better alternative to LASIK. Many people choose lasik to replace glasses or contact lenses.
Technology
New advances in LASIK technology, including Wavefront Lasik, give patients options that provide a level of safety and accuracy than wasn't possible in the past. With the debut of the technologically advanced lasers, patients can undergo a bladeless form of LASIK. Another advance in Lasik surgery is offering patients personalized forms of vision correction. With the custom LASIK systems, almost all types of vision can be fixed instead of in the past when only a few procedures were able to corrected. This allows patients to achieve better visual results than they would with previous LASIK surgeries.
Procedure
Before surgery there are several rules the patient must follow to guarantee success. Patients wearing contact lenses are instructed to stop wearing them 4 to 19 days before surgery. During a pre-surgery appointment the surgeon will examine the eye with a pachymeter to determine their thickness, and with a topographer to measure the counter of the eye surface. The operation is performed with the patient awake and mobile; however, the patient is sometimes given a mild sedative and anesthetic eye drops. The procedure itself is performed in three steps. The first step is to create a flap of corneal tissue. The second step is remodeling of the cornea underneath the flap with the laser. Finally, the flap is repositioned. The surgeon then creates a thin flap on the eye, folding it to enable remodeling of the tissue beneath with a laser. The flap is repositioned and the eye is left to heal in the postoperative period.
Post-surgery patients are usually given antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops. These are continued in the weeks following surgery. Patients are usually told to sleep more and are also given a dark pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes from bright lights and protective goggles to prevent rubbing of the eyes when asleep and to reduce dry eyes. They also are required to moisturize the eyes with preservative-
Am I a candidate for Lasik eye surgery?
A candidate for any type of eye surgery must meet a few general pre-requisites. Patients should be at least 18 years old (and often times at least 25 years of age), demonstrate no change in eye sight for at least one year, and as with most surgeries have realistic expectations regarding the results of eye surgery. Patients who have experienced an eye infection or injury in the past year should not undergo the surgery. In the end this is something that only a doctor can decide. Normally, if you meet these requirements listed above you will be accepted
