Vision Correction with LASIK

Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a laser surgical procedure effective for correcting all ranges of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, except extremely high degrees. The most commonly performed vision correction procedure, LASIK is performed on nearly 1 million patients per year. LASIK combines corneal flap surgery with excimer laser reshaping for dramatic results and rapid visual recovery.

LASIK was first performed in the early 1990s in Greece, but the two main components of the surgery were performed separately long before then. South American surgeons began developing corrective procedures in the 1960s by removing a portion of corneal tissue, reshaping it, and then placing it back on the eye. Excimer laser correction has been done on the surface of eyes since 1987. Combining the advanced forms of both types of technology gives LASIK certain advantages for correcting vision.

For the procedure, the patient sits in a surgical chair which reclines into a horizontal position. A surgical assistant instills topical anesthetic drops to numb the eye for a painless correction. Assistants then carefully drape the patient's face around the eye to ensure a perfectly clean surrounding area for the surgery.

During LASIK surgery, a flap is created in the outer layers of the cornea, using either the IntraLase FS laser or a microsurgical instrument called a microkeratome. The flap is then lifted and pulled back so the excimer laser can treat only the middle layer of the cornea. Traditionally, the instrument used for creating a flap has been the microkeratome. It cuts and lifts a flap that is approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the corneal thickness. This circular flap remains attached to the cornea by a small hinge of tissue. The hinge enables the flap to be lifted away from the central cornea. The excimer laser can then be used to reshape the exposed mid-layer of the cornea.

In recent years, the IntraLase Wavefront laser has become available to create a flap using multiple short pulses. These pulses are so close together they create an almost complete separation of the flap from the rest of the cornea, but they do not actually lift the flap. If the flap pattern is judged to be complete and satisfactory, a delicate separation of the flap is performed with a few gentle manipulations using a surgical instrument.

Wave front - Custom LASIK

Recent media coverage of wavefront-guided Custom LASIK has drawn widespread attention to this new development in laser vision correction surgery. Since the excimer laser was approved as safe and effective in 1995, several million Americans have had their vision corrected and have recommended LASIK to friends and family. However, concerns about nighttime glare, and reports of a very small percentage of problems have caused many people who would prefer not to wear glasses or contacts to put off having LASIK surgery. Contrary to the notion that "...the laser does all the work in LASIK," the addition of advanced wavefront technology used in Custom LASIK requires even more surgical expertise and judgment than conventional LASIK.

Based on clinical research submitted to the FDA, most eye doctors feel that Custom LASIK will enable more people to have their vision corrected more safely than ever before. In fact, many patients who had wavefront-guided Custom LASIK found their night vision after surgery was better than their night vision with glasses or contacts before surgery.

This is not to say that LASIK, as it's been performed since 1996, is not a safe procedure. On the contrary, our practice has performed thousands of LASIK procedures with overwhelmingly good results. Custom LASIK is expected to provide an extra measure of precision that will allow many patients who've been "waiting for better technology" to now feel comfortable having their vision corrected.

Conventional LASIK is based upon the patient's eyeglass prescription. Custom LASIK takes into account not just the eyeglass prescription but also subtle irregularities in the way each individual's eye focuses light. Two people can have the same eyeglass prescription, but no two people have the same wavefront map. In other words, with Custom LASIK more sophisticated measurements are used and a more precise correction is obtained. Some Custom LASIK patients even achieve better than 20/20 vision! Not all LASIK patients will benefit from custom cornea ablation. Custom LASIK is most valuable for those people with greater than average irregularities in their prescription. Only a doctor experienced in LASIK can determine the value of Custom LASIK for each individual person. Contrary to the old myth that "the laser does all the work in LASIK", adding the more advanced technology of wavefront analysis requires even more surgical expertise and judgment than conventional LASIK. Now that Custom LASIK is a reality, many patients - who were told they could not have their vision corrected in the past because of large pupils or unusual prescriptions - may now safely reduce or eliminate their need for glasses or contacts.

The LASIK Procedure

After the LASIK Procedure

The Risks of LASIK

The Benefit of LASIK

LASIK FAQ's