Laser eye surgery

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Patients undergoing LASIK (acronym for laser assisted in situ keratomileusis) will require little time to heal and benefit from reduced discomfort, which are two desirable postoperative conditions.

Recently, more and more people have started to seek out as an alternative to wearing glasses or even contact lenses, correcting their refractive disorders surgically. The procedure is often performed with the patient lying consciously on the table, the only anesthetic being administered locally in the form of eye drops. Once the doctor has made a small flap in the cornea, the next step is to apply the laser and correct the refractive disorder. The flap will then be put back in place and the procedure over. However, one has to understand that the most difficult part of is actually creating the flap.

Before creating the flap, the doctor will have to prevent the eye from moving. The moment this objective is achieved, the flap will be created using a special instrument generally known as microkeratome. The only discomfort the patient might feel will be during the lifting of the flap but this is not a case for all patients. The next step is to remodel the cornea using the laser, most patients experiencing a blurry vision and become disoriented. After this treatment is performed, the flap returns to its original position and the doctor will verify if everything is alright.

has a wide range of benefits but it is important to understand that there are certain complications associated, just like other medical interventions. LASIK surgery might cause one to have dry eyes, suffer from abnormal vision and even increased sensitivity to light. Other potential complications include debris under the flap made in the cornea (which is likely to cause infection), the appearance of astigmatism (in patients who did not suffer from that particular refractive disorder) and the dilatation of the cornea. The complications can be classified according to the moment they appear, meaning before, during or after the surgery.

Before undergoing such an invasive procedure, the doctor should perform a thorough medical investigation and obtain as much information as possible about the patient’s medical history. There are many factors that contribute to the outcome of the , starting with the condition the patient is suffering from and his/her age. Patients are recommended to stop wearing contact lenses a few weeks before the surgery, thus reducing the risk for the cornea to become vascular during the intervention.