What happens in Lasik surgery?

Lasik is corrective surgery on the cornea to bring you as near 20/20 vision as you can get without the annoyances of glasses and expense and issues brought on by contact lenses. This half hour surgery involves a large machine with a powerful microscope attached along with a computer screen. Your eye is numbed, your eye area sterilized and braced to remain open. A whole lot of suction takes place and then a flap will be cut in your cornea. If the words "knife" and "cut a flap in your cornea" used in the same sentence produces a peculiar weakness in the knees, this surgery may not be for you.

The surgeon is able to then fold the flap backward revealing the middle part of the cornea or "stroma" and the excimer laser is started. Based on measurements of your eye taken on your previous appointments and based on thousands of cases done before you, the computer moderates the amount of energy the laser delivers to your eye to vaporize just enough tissue to get your vision to a more normal state. Once just enough tissue is vaporized for a correction in vision, the flap of your cornea is unfolded and placed back where it should be. There are no stitches, just the healing proclivities of the human body and a shield to keep you from disturbing the eye when you sleep or others from accidentally poking it.

If you are undaunted by the description of the surgery you may be a candidate for the Lasik procedure. However, there are a number of other caveats to think about before you make the appointment. There are risks and complications with this permanent surgery. At the minimum, expect discomfort when the surgery is taking place and continued discomfort for a few days while your eye heals. Taking into consideration your age, condition of your eyes pre-surgery, the physicality of your job, etc., your recuperative time may vary.