Lasik eye surgery how does it work

Step 2: Have your eyes mapped. Your doctor will use special technology to map out your cornea. This gives the doctor the information that is necessary for your surgery. You will also be asked relevant medical questions during this portion of the exam. Step 3: Schedule your surgery. If all seems well, your surgery will be scheduled. Step 4: Stop wearing contacts.

If you wear contacts, you will have to stop wearing them at least two weeks prior to your LASIK procedure. Instead, wear eyeglasses. Step 5: Take any prescribed medications as advised. You may be prescribed medication to take before surgery to help you relax. For some people, medical procedures are uncomfortable and nerve-inducing experiences.

Since LASIK requires that you remain still, medication that aids relaxation and eases anxiety can lower the risk of any complications and make the experience more comfortable. LASIK is one of the fastest vision correction procedures available. On average, it takes less than 15 minutes per eye. The specific timeline will vary according to the needs of the individual patient and the type of LASIK chosen. The typical patient spends less than 30 minutes in the operating room. You will be at the office for a longer period of time due to paperwork and preparations for the surgery.

Once the surgery is complete, you will spend some time in a recovery area, and your doctor will assess you before you go home. Preparation: Numbing drops are put in your eyes. A special tool is used to keep your eye open.

This helps to prevent you shifting or closing your eye, which could interfere with the procedure. Once your eye is ready, a suction ring will be put on your eye. The procedure: Your doctor will use a laser or sometimes a small blade to cut a small hinged flap in your cornea. This gives your surgeon access to your cornea, which needs to be reshaped. A computer is used to adjust the excimer laser to your particular prescription. You will be told to look at a light, which helps to keep your eye in a fixed position.

Meanwhile, a programmed laser will begin painlessly reshaping your cornea. As the laser pulses, tiny amounts of your cornea will be cut away.

As the surgeon uses the laser, you will likely hear a clicking sound. You may smell something that is similar to the smell of burning hair. We may earn commissions if you purchase something via one of our links. LASIK short for laser-assisted situ keratomileusis is the most common laser eye surgery. It is a minimally invasive procedure that provides patients with better vision. LASIK eye surgery has one of the highest success rates, and nearly all patients are pleased with the results.

In addition, LASIK has an unprecedented 96 percent patient satisfaction rate — the highest of any elective procedure. LASIK works by reshaping your corneal tissue. Once the incision is made, the surgeon peels back the hinged flap to access the cornea beneath stroma. Then, an excimer laser is used. It emits cool ultraviolet light to remove microscopic amounts of your cornea. The excimer laser reshapes your cornea so that your eye can focus, or refract, the light entering your eye better.

Once the ablation is complete, the corneal flap is put back into place, covering the altered cornea. The flap naturally heals back to the cornea during the recovery process. Most LASIK institutes offer free consultations to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. The procedure provides the surgeon with details about your eye health that determines whether or not you qualify for LASIK vision correction.

If you do qualify, the surgeon will use the measurements taken at the consultation to program the laser for your surgery. In order to prepare for your consultation, gather all available medical history, including your medical history from your general practitioner, any previous eye prescriptions, and any other eye health information you might have.

If you do not qualify for LASIK surgery, your surgeon may recommend another type of refractive surgery to correct your vision. Approximately 10 minutes is needed to complete the surgery on each eye. You are awake and alert during the procedure. Surgeons often offer a mild sedative to help you relax before the surgery. LASIK causes little to no pain during the procedure. Your surgeon will administer local anesthetic eye drops to numb your eyes before the LASIK eye surgery begins.

Many patients describe feeling a "slight pressure sensation" during the surgery. But in most cases, patients feel no pain throughout the procedure. Step 1 : First, your eye doctor places eye drops that contain a numbing agent in your eyes.

Your eyelids are held open with a tool so the eye surgeon can work. This is only possible because lasers can be used safely without damaging surrounding tissues. LASIK eye surgery is relatively painless because numbing drops are used to anesthetize the eye before and during the procedure. Patients generally experience some pressure from the eyelid holder used to prevent blinking, but otherwise, they are made comfortable with the numbing and lubricating drops.

After the procedure, some patients will have mild discomfort that on average lasts about 5 hours. Yes, and that usually makes some people cringe a bit. But, in addition to the numbing drops, you are given a valium or other sedatives to help keep you calm. Further, there is nothing that you could do being awake that would be harmful to you. If you sneeze or abruptly move your body too much, the laser automatically turns off. After all, it is a surgical procedure even if it only took 15 minutes.

This recovery period is to be expected and your eyes may feel a little dry, light-sensitive, or irritated while they heal. Some patients experience side effects from LASIK which generally include night vision visual symptoms such as glare, halos, ghosting, and starbursts, as well as dry eye. Typically, glare, halos, ghosting, and starbursts gradually resolve by themselves over a period of a few weeks or months, perhaps as long as a year.

In rare cases, less than 5 percent of the time, additional LASIK treatment may be recommended to address residual vision problems or you can wear much thinner glasses or contact lenses. Thin or irregular corneas, as well as certain eye diseases like glaucoma, are likely to disqualify patients for LASIK.

Certain autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, and medications, like corticosteroids, that can impair the healing process, sometimes make laser vision correction procedures a less-than-ideal choice.