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Lasik Eye Surgery
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. Lasik eye surgery is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser.
During Lasik Eye Surgery
The Lasik eye surgery should take less than 30 minutes. In lasik eye surgery, you will lie on your back in a reclining chair in an exam room containing the laser system. The laser system includes a large machine with a microscope attached to it and a computer screen. A drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will hold your eyelids open.
A ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of Lasik eye surgery procedure. The microkeratome, a cutting instrument, is attached to the suction ring. Your doctor will use the blade of the microkeratome to cut a flap in your cornea. The microkeratome and the suction ring are then removed.
You will be able to see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue.
During lasik eye surgery, the laser will be positioned over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light during lasik eye surgery is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes on. If you cannot stare at a fixed object for at least 60 seconds, you may not be a good candidate for this surgery. When your eye is in the correct position, your doctor will start the laser. As the laser removes corneal tissue, some people have reported a smell similar to burning hair. A computer controls the amount of laser energy delivered to your eye.
Before the start of lasik eye surgery, your doctor will have programmed the computer to vaporize a particular amount of tissue based on the measurements taken at your initial evaluation. After the pulses of laser energy vaporize the corneal tissue, the flap is put back into position. A shield should be placed over your eye at the end of the lasik eye surgery procedure as protection.
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