Traditional LASIK Surgery

LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. It is a procedure which can significantly reduce a person’s use of contact lenses or glasses. It is most often performed on patients who are suffering from Myopia or nearsightedness. People suffer from Myopia can only see objects nearby clearly and anything that is distant is projected as being blurry. This blurriness is referred as a refractive error and is caused by an imperfection in the person’s eyeball, cornea or lens. LASIK makes use of an excimer Laser, which is a UV laser, for precision removal of corneal tissue in order to correct its shape for better refraction.

In traditional LASIK procedure, a special knife called microkeratome blade is used to slice a flap of the corneal tissue away from the outer layer of the patient’s eyeball. This hinged flap is gently lifted away and a laser is then used to cut and reshape the patient’s underlying corneal tissue. The surgeon has already calculated beforehand just how much tissue would be removed. Once the cutting and reshaping is done, the surgeon will places the flap back and secures it. There are no stitches needed but an eye patch or shield would be placed over the eyes to prevent pressure or accidental rubbing of the eye. This eye patch would be kept there until the eye has had enough time to heal.

Some risks are involved in this procedure. The common complications which might occur are corneal scarring, corneal infection, permanent warping of the cornea, problems with night driving, flap complications, visual symptoms like glare and haloes, a decrease in your vision at high altitudes, light sensitivity, dryness and scratchiness. Permanent loss of vision might happen but the cases are very rare.

Before the surgery, a complete examination of the patient’s eye would be done to make sure that his eyes are in a healthy condition to undergo the procedure. After confirming this, the doctor will then measure the curvature of the patient’s cornea as well as the position and size of his pupils. The doctor will also check the shape of the patient's eyes to ensure that there is no irregularities that would prevent the use of LASIK. The thickness of the cornea would also be measured to make sure that there would be enough left after it has been cut and reshaped. A consent form must be signed before the procedure. Signing this form would confirm that you have full knowledge of the benefits, risks, alternative options as well as the possible complications that comes with undergoing the procedure.

During the surgery, the anesthetic in the form of an eye drop is used to numb the eye’s surface. LASIK will only take up to 10 to 15 minutes for each eye and is an outpatient procedure. The entire surgical procedure is done while the patient is awake. During the same session, both eyes can be done.

After the surgery, the patient might experience a burning sensation and the feeling of having something in his eye. There could also be some mild discomfort but the doctor would prescribe a gentle pain reliever for this. It is important not to rub the eye after getting the procedure done to prevent the flap from moving or getting dislodged. The patient should also avoid whirlpools, contact sorts, eye make-up and swimming for at least 2-4 weeks after surgery.

As for recovery, it might take about 3-6 months for the vision to completely stabilize. There are instances wherein a patient might need additional surgery in order to reach the best possible quality of vision. These second operation are often referred to as “enhancement surgery”. These enhancement surgeries can help improve the patient’s distance vision but it might not improve visual symptoms like haloes and glares.

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