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 What is
LASIK? Why Choose
LASIK? How is
LASIK Performed? What are the
Results? Frequently
Asked Questions 
LASIK is an extremely effective outpatient procedure that is suitable not only for higher prescriptions but also patients with moderate to low prescriptions. It can be used to correct even the most severe 1% of prescriptions, and has generated significant excitement in the eye care community around the world. LASIK dramatically reduces your recovery time and decreases the chance of many of the procedural risks. The procedure itself takes only a few minutes to complete and involves minimal discomfort. Although no procedure is perfect, excimer laser technology allows for an unparalleled degree of precision and predictability. This makes laser vision correction the best procedure available for suitable candidates. Most ophthalmologists feel that LASIK may soon be the treatment of choice for everyone who is nearsighted
The number of people considering refractive surgery is at an all time high and LASIK is considered by virtually all refractive surgeons worldwide to be the procedure of choice today. LASIK dramatically reduces your recovery time (versus PRK) and decreases the chance of many of the procedural risks (compared to ALK). The procedure itself takes only a few minutes to complete and involves minimal discomfort. LASIK requires more technical skill and training than other laser procedures. The following are some of the benefits of LASIK:
How is LASIK performed?
After the procedure, most people report that they no longer
need to wear glasses or contact lenses. In clinical trials, 80% of people could see
20/20 or better after their vision was corrected with the laser treatment, and greater
than 95% could see 20/40 or better. The remaining people experienced an improvement
in vision without glasses or contact lenses but may still need to wear glasses or contact
lenses for some tasks.
Can both eyes be operated on at the same time? Will
I need reading glasses? Why refractive surgery may be right for you. Why refractive surgery may not be right for you.
Can anyone have Excimer laser treatment? Will medical insurance pay for costs? What it’s like to have laser refractive surgery.
Is the laser treatment painful? The procedure is not painful. Local anesthetic eye drops
are used prior to the procedure. During the procedure, there may be a feeling of
pressure but not pain. One may have a mild to moderate foreign body sensation for a
few hours following surgery, but after about 4-6 hours, the eye normally feels
comfortable. Can both eyes be operated on at the same time? If both eyes need surgery, they can be operated on
together. In certain special circumstances it may be better to operate on one eye at
a time. It is possible to correct one eye for distance and leave the other slightly
nearsighted for reading. This technique is called monovision. If you are over
40 and a contact lens wearer, you may have already experienced monovision by wearing one
contact lens that has slightly less power. With refractive surgery, you may have
monovision by leaving one eye slightly nearsighted. About two thirds of patients who
try monovision adapt to it successfully and the other third elect to have both eyes
corrected optimally for distance and wear simple reading glasses for near work. If
you try monovision and do not like it, your under corrected eye can be enhanced to the
full correction allowing you to see clearly at a distance with both eyes. I will
discuss monovision with you so that an appropriate surgical plan can be made. Refractive surgery does not prevent the age related loss of
the eye's ability to vary its focusing power. Nearsighted people over 40 may require
reading glasses after surgery. Because the eye, with age, gradually becomes a
single-focus optical system which can view either near objects or distant objects clearly
(but not both), glasses for reading will probably be needed if both eyes are corrected for
distant objects. As an alternative to reading glasses, you may elect to leave one
eye slightly nearsighted; an outcome called monovision. Why refractive surgery may be right for you. A desire to reduce or eliminate your dependence upon
corrective eye wear for your daily activities is the proper reason for undergoing
refractive surgery. Do you wish to awaken and be able to see the alarm clock, to get
dressed in the morning, to function at home and at the office independent of corrective
eye wear? Would you like to be more active in sports – especially water sports
– without the hassle of glasses or contact lenses? Would you like to be able to
take care of yourself and your family in the event of an emergency without relying on
glasses or contacts? These are reasonable goals for pursuing refractive
surgery. Why refractive surgery may not be right for you.
Can anyone have Excimer laser treatment? No. Patients must be over 21 years of age. Your
vision must be stable for at least one year before surgery. You must have healthy
eyes that are free of disease, retinal problems, corneal malformations and corneal
scars. Will medical insurance pay for costs? Laser refractive surgery is an elective procedure. In
general, laser correction surgery is not covered by most health insurance policies.
Our office will discuss with you options for payment. What it’s like to have laser refractive surgery. Pre-treatment examination Your pre-treatment exam will involve a complete medical and eye history, in which both eyes will be examined. This will include a vision and eyeglass check, a microscopic examination, a glaucoma test, and possibly the computerized mapping of your cornea. If you wear contact lenses they must be removed prior to the examination. Soft contact lenses must be removed one week prior and hard contact lenses three weeks prior to the examination. Eye drops will be used during the examination. The day of surgery You should arrange for someone to drive you home after the surgery. Please discontinue the use of eye makeup at least three days prior to surgery. Eye drops will be placed in your eyes to numb your eyes before the operation. You will be awake and confortable throughout the surgery. No sedation, IV’s or general anesthesia is necessary. I will position a spring like device (lid speculum) between your eyelids, which will make it easy to keep your eye open during the procedure. You will see colored lights in the center of the microscope tube that is in place over your eyes. You will be instructed how and when to look at these colored lights. A surgical instrument will be used to remove the outermost layers of the cornea and then the eximer laser treatment will be performed. After the treatment, your eye may be patched for protection and comfort. The treatment itself is painless. Immediately after surgery, your eye will be more sensitive to bright light. Within an hour or so after the procedure, you’ll start feeling some minor discomfort – usually a scratchy sensation like there’s something in the eye. This will be relieved by a prescription pain medication. You may be sensitive to light and glare and have the feeling that something is in your eye for the first few days while the outer layer of your cornea grows back completely. Sunglasses may be worn for comfort during this time. Initially, your eye may be overcorrected making you hyperopic (farsighted) and objects up close may be blurry. This is part of the normal healing process after LASIK and it may take up to six weeks for your vision to stabilize. All eyes get some degree of haze or cloudiness in the cornea following treatment that may or may not interfere with vision. The haziness tends to disappear completely.
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LASIK (Laser In-Situ
Keratomileusis) 
is the worldwide treatment of choice for
correcting moderate and severe degrees of myopia. The refractive surgery procedure
of LASIK, laser in situ keratomileusis, involves a measured microkeratome to cut a hinged
flap of the cornea, combined with an excimer laser to removed a graded portion of
underlying corneal tissue. The incisional aspect of the procedure, the keratomileusis,
using an automated geared keratome was developed in Bogota by Dr. Jose Barraquer and Dr.
Luis Ruiz in the late 1980s. 
Under topical
anesthesia, an incision is make partially through the cornea, and a hinged circular
‘flap’ of corneal tissue is created by a special instrument know as
microkeratome. The ‘flap is then lifted away from the cornea and the excimer
laser treatment is applied to the underlying corneal bed. The eximer laser removes
the proper amount of corneal tissue with great accuracy.
The number of pulses and the size and shape of
the laser beam control the amount of tissue to be remove. The corneal flap is then
repositioned and allowed to rapidly adhere to the underlying tissue. Since only the
edge around the corneal flap needs to heal, visual recovery is rapid and patients report
little or no post-operative pain. The operation is painless and takes about 15
minutes. No sedation, IV’s or general anesthesia is necessary. 
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