How LASIK Surgery Works

LASIK surgery is eye surgery that is done with a laser to correct common vision problems and allow a person to see clearly without corrective lens. LASIK eye surgery has been a revolutionary addition to vision correction. People no longer have to rely on eye glasses and contact lens, but rather have the option of getting their vision corrected through LASIK eye surgery for a permanent vision correction result.

LASIK surgery is done with a laser. The basic surgery consists of cutting a flap in the cornea and then reshaping the cornea so that it reflects light properly. After the cornea is reshaped, the flap that was cut is placed back and left to heal. There are no stitches or other adhesives used to secure the flap into place.

For each type of vision problem the procedure of reshaping the cornea is different. LASIK is used to treat three forms of vision problems that effect the clarity of vision. LASIK can be used to correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Myopia is also sometimes called nearsightedness. It causes a person to be unable to see images up close clearly. Hyperopia is also called farsightedness. It causes people to be able to see clearly at a distance. Astigmatism effects the overall vision, making all images appear blurry.

Myopia patients have a cornea that is too thick in the center. The cornea is thinned in this too thick area to help correct the myopia during LASIK eye surgery.

Hyperopia patients have a cornea that is too thick around the edges. During the LASIK surgery the cornea is thinned around the edges which will correct the hyperopia.

Astigmatism patients have a cornea that is just not round shaped as it should be. Instead the cornea of an astigmatism patient is oval. The cornea is reshaped overall to give it that round shape during the LASIK surgery.

As you can see, it is dependent upon the type of vision problem you have as to how the LASIK surgery will be performed. If the surgeon does not correct the cornea properly then the results will not be the expected clearer vision, in fact, there will likely be no results at all.

LASIK surgery is a great option for the millions of people who rely upon eye glasses and contact lens. It is the answer to years of struggling with glasses slipping off your nose and lost contact lenses. The idea of being able to live without the constraints of corrective lens is offered by LASIK eye surgery and is now readily available.