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LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ
Keratomileusis. LASIK eye surgery is a procedure that permanently changes
the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using
an excimer laser.
The LASIK eye surgery should take less than 30 minutes.
In LASIK eye surgery, you will lie on your back in a reclining chair in an
exam room containing the laser system.
The laser system in LASIK eye surgery
includes a large machine with a microscope attached to it and a computer
screen. A drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be
cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will hold your eyelids
open. A ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be
applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the
suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some
discomfort during this part of LASIK eye surgery procedure.
The microkeratome, a cutting instrument, is attached to the suction ring. Your
doctor will use the blade of the microkeratome to cut a flap in your cornea.
The microkeratome and the suction ring are then removed. You will be able to
see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during
the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it
back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue.
During LASIK eye surgery, the laser will be positioned
over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the
laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light during LASIK eye
surgery is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes
on. If you cannot stare at a fixed object for at least 60 seconds, you may
not be a good candidate for this surgery.
When your eye is in the correct
position, your doctor will start the laser. As the laser removes corneal
tissue, some people have reported a smell similar to burning hair. A
computer controls the amount of laser energy delivered to your eye.
Before
the start of LASIK eye surgery, your doctor will have programmed
the computer to vaporize a particular amount of tissue based on
the measurements taken at your initial evaluation. After the
pulses of laser energy vaporize the corneal tissue, the flap is
put back into position. A shield should be placed over your eye
at the end of the LASIK eye surgery procedure as protection.
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