LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) is the most popular form of refractive surgery, used to correct common vision problems like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
Refractive surgeries gently reshape the cornea and how your eyes bend light, consequently, adjusting blurry vision.
If you’ve got your eyes on LASIK and want to learn more, read on as our expert, Dr. Scott Beeve at Beeve Vision Care Center, shares what the surgery entails and how you can prepare for it.
Experienced eye surgeons, with the assistance of precise lasers, conduct LASIK procedures, leaving no scarring and requiring no stitches. Within one hour, using either a surgical blade or a femtosecond laser, the surgeon creates a flap on the cornea surface.
The next step involves lifting the flap and exposing the underlying corneal tissue. With the help of a laser, the cornea gets shaped to the exact specifications required to correct your vision. Then, this flap gets laid back down, where it naturally adheres without stitches, serving as a biological bandage.
The purpose of reshaping the cornea is to allow light to focus correctly onto the retina, providing clear and sharp vision.
Proper preparation for LASIK can ensure a safe and effective treatment. Following these steps ensures your cornea is in optimal condition for the laser treatment:
Contact lenses temporarily change the shape of your cornea. To ensure the laser measures and reshapes your eye accurately, your corneas must return to their natural shape.
With toric, gas-permeable, or hard contacts, you may need to stop wearing them for four weeks or longer; soft contact lenses cause less significant corneal changes, and you can usually stop wearing them two weeks prior.
Dry eyes interfere with healing. To ensure your eyes have sufficient moisture, we may recommend using drops or other treatments before your surgery.
The pre-operative consultation checks for dry eye syndrome, which can interfere with your healing. If dry eyes are detected, Dr. Beeve may prescribe lubricating eye drops or other treatments to maximize moisture and prepare the eye’s surface for surgery.
Makeup, creams, lotions, and fragrances can interfere with the laser and the purity of the air, which in turn can raise the risk of infection.
After your surgery, make sure you have someone who can drive you home, as your vision will be temporarily blurry, and you will receive a mild sedative to help you relax.
With LASIK, surgeons can correct up to +6.00 diopters in hyperopia and astigmatism and up to -12.00 diopters in myopia. If you are interested in learning more about whether LASIK can improve your vision, contact us today to schedule an appointment at our Glendale, California, office.
Dr. Beeve examines your eyes and provides the best course of treatment for improving your eyesight.
