LASIK is the most popular type of eye surgery today. It is at the same time fast, efficient and gentle. And the complications of are rare. For most people a LASIK surgery is a good solution to improve their sight in the cases of nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism.
LASIK technique is a further development of the older PRK laser surgery. Both operations are done by removing the outer cornea layer, so the laser can remove the tissue. The difference is that while the PRK eye surgery scrapes the outer layer of the cornea away, the LASIK surgery will cut a flap in the cornea that can bend. After the surgery the flap will be put back again.
The operation itself takes only a few minutes and is completely painless. The eye will be anaesthetized right before the surgery, and most people will not feel any pain at all. Subsequently the flap will be cut and the laser surgery can be made.
The actual operation only takes between 30 seconds and two minutes. A laser specially designed for operating in the eye’s sensitive tissues will be used. After the operation the flap is put back in place.
You can go home right after the operation. Because the eyes may sting a little bit, it is recommended to rest for the rest of the day; and maybe also take a nap.
Right after the operation the sight will have improved for most people. Over the next weeks it will be stabilized.
After the eye surgery the eyes can feel a little dry. It is therefore recommended to drip them with a little salt water.
All studies indicate that a permanent sight improvement is provided by the LASIK operation. And previous bad eyesight will not return again. But a possible, natural change of sight in the future is not possible to prevent by the operation. So the surgery should not be done before the sight is stable.
A LASIK laser treatment can also not prevent the age-related long-sightedness that all (even normally sighted people) will experience.
Martin Elmer is the editor of Laserbehandling. Here you can also read about Laseroperationer.
categories: eye surgery,laser surgery,LASIK,PRK,surgery,operation,eyes,sight,laser,glasses,short-sighted,long-sighted,astigmatism,contact lenses