Reielites

“Laser eye surgery, also known as the LASIK procedure, has been around for a few decades now. This advanced form of eye surgery was always helpful but it has recently begun to make incredible changes in the lives of the people who receive this surgical treatment of their vision problems. The process is very simple and involves little pain and a remarkably short recovery.

History of Eye Surgery

Surgeons have been able to operate on the eyes successfully since the middle of the 20th century. A metal knife known as a microkeratome was used to cut the cornea open and excise portions in order to have an effect on the vision. This procedure could be effective but it obviously had the drawback of causing pain in the patient due to the inherent discomfort of having a knife scrape at your eye. For this reason, surgeons actively looked for ways to make the surgical process easier on the patient.

In the 1980′s, a doctor finally patented a procedure that used lasers to improve vision by carving the cornea just as surgeons had previously done with knives. In the following decade, this method gained acceptance and was lauded for the short amount of time required and the relatively small amount of pain caused. In the first decade of the 21st century, a computer-aided version of this procedure began to allow doctors to do more than simply fix a patient’s vision. The wavefront technique can actually make some patients see better than normal and give them 20/10 vision or better.

Steps To Laser Eye Surgery

” The patient stops wearing contact lenses for a certain period of weeks prior to surgery. Each doctor will explain the specifics to patients, depending on the type of lenses that they wear.
” The patient arrives at the doctor’s office or other surgical center just prior to the surgery. The surgical team will use a special device to map the patient’s cornea for reference during the surgery.
” The patient self-administers anesthetic drops in his or her eyes right before lying down for the surgery.
” A member of the surgical team applies a corneal suction ring to the eye on which they will be operating. This holds the eye still and diminishes interference from the eye lids.
” The surgeon turns on the laser and quickly cuts the cornea and folds it down, leaving a hinge at the bottom and essentially turning the cornea into a flap.
” With the middle cornea exposed, the surgeon cuts away material and alters the shape of this part of the eye as is necessary.
” The surgeon checks for debris, moisture and air bubbles before closing the flap. There is no need for suturing as this incision will close and heal on its own over the course of weeks.
” Afterward, the patient, who has remained awake the entire sixty seconds that were required for cutting, will receive anti-biotic eye drops. The only precautions that he or she will have to follow regard bright lights and sunglasses. The eye will heal on its own and soon be working better than it did prior to the laser eye surgery operation.”