Lasik is something most people who wear contacts or glasses have heard of. It stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis which basically refers to vision repair with the use of lasers as opposed to traditional surgery. This may seem like a daunting option. No one likes the idea of having lasers burn into their skulls, let alone through the eyes but it has proven to be a relatively safe and effective procedure that can improve your vision and add to your quality of life.
Over time, it has become the preferred option because of how quickly patients recover. You can have your vision corrected and throw away your contacts as soon as a day after the procedure, which is why this is the most popular corrective laser eye surgery available.
There is also the issue of pain. Unlike most surgeries, Lasik corrective laser eye surgery is relatively painless in recovery, which means that there is less anxiety around the surgery and the whole experience is more pleasant than usual. Usually, our vision is impaired by excess tissue in the cornea which means that a thin flap has to be lifted in order to remove that tissue.
Using the laser makes it far easier to create this flap and remove that tissue impairing your vision. It differs from regular eye surgery as the incision is made more quickly and with less damage and the tissue is removed using ultra violet light which is far more accurate than simply relying on the naked eye.
Once the procedure is finished, the cornea will be shaped in a more natural way, making it easier for your eyes to direct light through the retina at the right angle and ultimately improving your vision. This can have major benefits for both near and farsighted patients, even though they are visually impaired in opposite ways. At the end of the day, it is the misshapen cornea that creates both irregularities. If you are nearsighted, it means that you struggle to see in the distance but are able to read and see things clearly which are close to your eyes. In these cases, the surgery will be used to make the cornea slightly more flat in order to enhance your long vision.
Similarly, if you are farsighted, you will struggle to see things that are closer to you. This means that your cornea is too flat and will require laser surgery to create a sharper cornea. There are also many people who suffer from astigmatism which is a slightly unbalanced cornea; in fact this is more common than both near and farsightedness. These patients need to have the irregular shape corrected in various ways. Laser surgery is perfect for these types of procedures and has the ability to correct astigmatisms in both the cornea and the lens of the eye where it can also develop.
If you feel like you may be a likely candidate for corrective eye surgery, it is important to go for an eye exam with your optometrist. They will be able to examine the eye thoroughly and advise you on how best to proceed.