Complete Lasik Eye surgery Procedures Guide

To help you decide if Lasik is right for you, you need to understand the entire procedure involved in the Laser Procedure from the initial examination and assessment for Lasik surgery as well as the steps involved for the surgeon in the operation and the laser equipment used in completing surgical procedures and aftercare.

Befor your surgeon considers any type of refractive eye surgery, the surgeon will want you to have a thorough eye examination. This examination is to determine if each of your eyes is suitable for refractive correction and if so then what style of surgery or procedure. There are several types of refractive eye treatment options to suit different eye conditions from LASIC to LAKEK as well as Non-Excimer Laser Procedures.

Some refractive surgery types involve some risks of complications and so if after examination your Physician advises against Laser surgery in your case, then you should heed their advice

Some jobs may prohibit certain refractive procedures. If you are in a job where this is possible then be sure to check with your employer before undergoing any procedure.

Cost is an important issue. Most medical insurance will not pay for refractive surgery on the basis that it is elective surgery. Although costs is have been coming down, LASIK surgery still involves a significant cost and so you will need to budget for it in advance or arrange terms payment.

If you were required a change the prescription for your spectacles our contact lens in the past 12 month, this is called refractive instability and refractive surgery may not be suitable for you at this time. If you have related conditions such as diabetes, or are taking medications that may cause fluctuations in vision, then you are more likely to have refractive instability and should discuss the possible additional risks or better timing with your surgeon.

The safety and effectiveness of refractive procedures has not been determined in patients with some diseases. Some diseases and medications can affect wound healing. Care should be given to the consideration of time out if you are actively participating in contact sports where knocks to the face are a common situation.

Your doctor will interview you and screen you for several conditions or indicators of risk that may increase the risk of infection or inflammation of the cornea after LASIK surgery.

In order to decide whether you're a good candidate for The lasik surgery process, your surgeon will examine each eye to determine its health and which type vision correction is needed and how much laser ablation is appropriate. Your surgeon will use instruments such as a refractor (to determine your prescription); a slit lamp (to look into the back of the eye for retinal problems) and a tonometer (to determine intraocular pressure - if it's high, this may be an early sign of glaucoma). A corneal topographer is used to photograph your eye and map the cornea. Most of us don't have a perfectly rounded cornea, and so the topographer shows the corneal irregularities and the actual steepness or flatness that the doctor must correct. Some doctors are also using newer "wavefront" devices, which send waves through the eye to provide an even more precise map of the aberrations that are affecting vision.

The LASIK surgical procedure

The procedure differs a little depending on which type of Lasik surgery or Non-Excimer laser procedure is selected for your condition. You walk into the surgery, have a laser surgery procedure, and walk out again. In fact, the actual surgery usually takes less than a minute once they are set up, and you're awake the whole time. Occasionally, the doctor will give a mild oral sedative beforehand. You sit in a dentist's type chair sometimes the laser burning creates a slight smell like burning hair.

LASIK eye surgery and PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) which used to be the most common refractive surgery procedure, are grouped together as "laser eye surgery," but each is a little different when it comes to implementation and advantages. LASIK patients usually have less discomfort and obtain good vision faster (with PRK improvement is gradual over a few days or even months), but most surgeons prefer PRK for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas.

LASIK surgery is performed using an excimer laser. A knife, known as a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea leaving a hinge at one end of this flap. When folded back the flap reveals the middle section of the cornea known as the stroma. Pulses from the computer controlled laser vaporize a predetermined section of the stroma before the flap is replaced. This process reshapes the cornea changing its focusing power. Once prepared, the LASIK surgery process usually takes less than one minute per eye.

PRK is also performed with an excimer laser. The laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely ablate very tiny peices of tissue from the surface of the cornea to reshape it. The reshaped cornea can better focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing improved focus and better vision.

LASEK surgery is a newer procedure, similar to LASIK, with a longer healing time, however the surgeon does not cut through the epithelium and part of the strom he only cuts a flap in the cornea's outer layer of cells (the epithelium). The surgeon then loosens the edge of the flap with alcohol. This procedure is mainly for those with thin or flat corneas who would not be suitable candidates for LASIK, which requires more corneal tissue.

Epi-LASIK Surgery procedure is more appropriate for people with less steep corneas (who have low myopia). After the epithelial flap is made, it is lifted and gently folded out of the way. An excimer laser is used, as in LASIK or PRK, to sculpt the underlying corneal tissue. Then the epithelial flap is placed back on the eye with a kind of spatula. If you have Epi-LASIK you will most likely experience some pain, which is manageable with painkillers. The pain is reportedly less than with PRK or LASEK.

Most people don't feel pain during Surgery. Your eyes are first anesthetized with special drops. The doctor will have you lie down, then make sure your eye is positioned directly under the laser. A special retainer is placed over your eye socket to keep your eyelids open, this is not normally too uncomfortable. The process uses a suction ring to keep your eyeball pressurized and immobile.

The Corneal flap edges heal in around 24 hours, though patients may wear a bandage contact lens for around four days with some procedures. You will likely feel eye irritation during the first few days and will most likely experience some pain, which is manageable with painkillers. Also, the time it takes to recover good vision varies between two to seven days, depending upon the person and the procedure and the skill of the surgeon.

Find more information on LASIC eye surgery aftercare here.