The most common type of laser eye treatment, Lasik (Laser-Assisted-In-Situ-Keratomileusis) is the most commonly performed elective operation in the world, and also has some of the highest success and safety records. It is a relatively quick and simple procedure that is used to cure short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism.
The laser eye treatment Lasik procedure is simple and quick. It is done in four simple steps:
- First, the surgeon applies anaesthetic drops to the eye. You will be completely awake during your laser eye surgery. Lasik is completely painless, however, and the most you will notice are some bright lights and clicks.
- The surgeon then cuts a small flap in the membrane of the eye around the iris. This is to avoid damaging the outside of the eye with the laser, and to stop the laser beam from being diffracted by the lens. This flap will heal over completely, but this is the part of the operation that will cause itching and redness afterwards.
- After the flap has been cut, a computer-controlled laser sends pulses of blue laser light into your cornea, reshaping it until the defect has been corrected. The cornea can be reshaped to correct for most major defects. While the laser is running you’ll hear a clicking sound, but that is all you should notice.
- Finally the flap is closed. When it’s been put back in its original place it will heal naturally over the course of the next few weeks.
Laser eye surgery – Lasik – is a very inexpensive and accessible procedure, and can be available on prescription from your doctor if your vision defect qualifies.
Do I Qualify?
If you have any of the following vision problems then you are probably a good candidate for laser eye surgery. Lasik can be used to treat:
Long-sightedness
you are long-sighted if you have no problem seeing when you are driving or looking across the street, but struggle to read things close up. This is when the lens is too flattened, focusing the image on a point beyond the retina
Short-sightedness
If you can see things close up but your vision degrades more and more the further away you are looking, then you are probably short sighted. This is when the lens is too convex, focusing the image before the retina.
Astigmatism
If you find that your vision if blurry no matter how far away things are, but it makes viewing things like license plates difficult, then you probably have astigmatism. This is when the eyeball becomes elongated, like a football, causing images to be out of focus no matter how far away they are.
If you have any of these conditions, even if they are relatively slight, you may be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. Lasik is the procedure most recommended for common vision problems, so ask your doctor or optometrist if Lasik can help your vision.