What to Expect From LASIK Surgery

Anyone with a dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses will attest to the nightmare the dependency brings and the hope of finding a solution to their eye condition. The good news is, there is an alternative to the corrective eyewear in LASIK. Lasik in Atlanta has become famous, thanks to expert optometrists Dr. Achiron and Dr. O’Day. These professionals boast several years of performing LASIK treatment on their patients with various eye conditions. Contacting your surgeon for this refractive surgery has many benefits, including no downtime. You are likely to experience the results almost immediately after your doctor is done with the procedure.

However, not everyone with an eye problem is eligible for the procedure, and you will need to discuss your options with your LASIK surgeon.

LASIK Surgery 101

LASIK (Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a refractive surgery your doctor will perform to reshape your cornea, enabling the light entering your eye to be well focused on your retina for clear vision. This fast and pain-free procedure will result in instantly improved vision without contact lenses and eyeglasses. The surgery treats hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), and astigmatism.

What happens before the procedure?

Before a LASIK treatment, your doctor will thoroughly evaluate your eye to make sure it is healthy. He will assess your cornea’s thickness and shape, your pupil size and any other eye condition you could be having. The surgeon will also assess the tear film on your eyes’ surface and recommend preventive treatment to lessen your chances of experiencing dry eyes after the surgery. The LASIK expert will then use a corneal topographer to measure your eye’s front surface’s curvature.

What should you expect during a LASIK procedure?

During treatment, your surgeon will first use a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser to create a superficial flap in the cornea. He will then fold back the flap to reach the underlying cornea and remove the corneal tissues with an excimer laser. An excimer laser creates an ultraviolet beam light to scrape off microscopic amounts of corneal tissue so that light entering your eye may be accurately focused on your retina.

If you are nearsighted, your surgeon will aim at flattening your cornea. However, if you are farsighted, your doctor’s goal will be to make the cornea steep. Additionally, the care provider can smoothen your irregular cornea into a standard shape to correct astigmatism.

After reshaping your cornea with the laser ablation, your LASIK surgeon will lay back the flap in place to cover the area where he scraped off your corneal tissues. Unlike other eye surgeries, which will force you to have stitches and bandages, a LASIK procedure will only require you to use anesthetic drops.

Wearing contact lenses or eyeglasses can be tiresome, forcing you to outsource for other means to improve your visual health. Though LASIK surgery is one of the best alternatives to glasses and lenses, not everyone is eligible for the treatment. Therefore, you must discuss your eye problems with your surgeon to evaluate if the treatment is the best option for you. For more on LASIK surgery, book an appointment today at Atlanta Vision Cataract and Laser Center.