General Information About LASIK Eye Surgery - What Prospective Patients Should Know

                                                                                         

Many of you may ask, “What is LASIK?” LASIK is a procedure used to correct vision problems, or refractive errors as your optometrist might say. LASIK eye surgery is performed in order to reshape the cornea to produce clear vision. LASIK eye surgery is used to correct myopia, which is the inability to see long distances or nearsightedness, hyperopia, which is the inability to see close up or farsightedness, and astigmatism. The procedure will reduce the patient’s need for corrective lenses whether the patient wears glasses or contact lenses. Refractive errors hinder the ability of the eye to focus, resulting in blurred vision in the patient suffering with the refractive error. LASIK eye surgery gives the patient a treatment option, which is a predetermined amount of the cornea, is removed. Reshaping the cornea improves the eye’s ability to focus and improves the patients’ visual sharpness.

The actual LASIK vision correction procedure is perform by an ophthalmologist who will perform a pre-LASIK eye examination to determine if the patient is a good candidate for LASIK eye surgery. Once it has been determined the patient is a good candidate for LASIK, the patient will have certain guidelines to follow during the days and weeks prior to the actual procedure.

After the eye has been anesthetized with topical eye drops, the ophthalmologist will create a hinged flap in the outer surface of the eye. This is done to expose the underlying cornea, which is to be reshaped. The flap is created using a microkeratome, which is a hand-held device or the ophthalmologist can choose to use an IntraLase laser, which is computer guided. The tool used to reshape the cornea is the excimer laser. Once the cornea has been reshaped the flap is then replaced.

Following the procedure some patients experience improved vision immediately while it can take up to six months for the vision to stabilize. Patients should expect a short recovery period. However as a rule there is little or no discomfort following the procedure. The follow-up exams are mainly to ensure proper healing.

The majority of patients who have had the procedure are please with their LASIK end results. Many patients will experience freedom from wearing corrective lenses and improved vision sharpness. LASIK eye surgery is known to be a safe and effective procedure, which is becoming more and more popular with the patients who wear corrective lenses.

A small percentage of the patients can experience sensitivity to light, haloed or glared vision, irregular astigmatism, dry eyes, a loss of vision clarity, and sensitivity. Because of the improvement in LASIK technology, complications and problems have been dramatically reduced, and can easily be corrected with additional treatment.

About the author:
For some additional information on different refractive surgery treatments as well as conductive keratoplasty (CK), it is important to visit a Portland, Oregon LASIK surgery center to learn more about your eye care options.

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