LASIK Facts

LASIK eye surgery is one of the most popular ophthalmological procedures that people with eye problems have. It’s very much popular because of its safety and outstanding success rate. If you’re considering of undergoing this kind of surgery, then here is an overview of what you may be undergoing through if you push through with procedure.

What Happens Generally?

Just like with any kind of surgery, you would also have to undergo preoperative, operative and postoperative stages with Lasik eye surgery. You have several necessary preparations to do during your preoperative period; while the operation itself is done by making a thin flap on your eye, and folding it so that a laser procedure can be done with the underlying exposed layer. After the laser procedure, repositioning of the flap is done and your eye would be left to heal during the postoperative period.

Before Getting Your Eye Fixed: Preoperative Stage

If you are wearing soft contact lenses, you would probably be advised by your ophthalmologist to stop wearing them five to seven days prior your surgery. Additionally, some experts recommend that those who wear hard contact lenses, who would be undergoing the operation, stop wearing their contacts for six weeks prior the operation.

These six weeks can even increase depending on how long you’ve been wearing your hard contacts. The general rule is that for every 3 years you’ve been wearing your hard contacts, another six weeks should be added.

Before you undergo the surgery proper, your corneas would be examined using a pachymeter. This is done to know your corneas’ thickness.

Additionally, a topographer would be used to measure its surface contour. A topographer uses low-power lasers to create a topographic map of your cornea. This procedure can also detect astigmatism and some other irregularities in your cornea’s shape. With all these information, the surgeon can calculate the location and amount of corneal tissue that they would remove during the operation. After this, you would probably be prescribed to take antibiotics beforehand, so that your risk of getting infected after the surgery could be minimized.

During The Operation

During the operation, you would be mobile and awake; however, you are also given anaesthetic eye drops and a mild sedative like Valium. There are three general steps for the whole procedure. First would be creating a corneal tissue flap, then the remodelling of your cornea’s surface underneath the flap using laser, and lastly the repositioning of the flap to its old place.

Postoperative Treatment

After your operation, you would probably be given a period of time to use anti-inflammatory eye drops and intake antibiotics. It usually takes about a couple of weeks until you can stop doing these post-operation maintenance.

Your doctor may also advise you to get more sleep. A dark tinted pair of glasses is also given so that your eyes can be protected from bright light and a pair of protective goggles to reduce dryness and prevent you from rubbing your eyes.

You may also need to regularly moisturize your eyes by the use of preservative free tears and follow the directions given to you for your prescription drops. You should also be adequately informed by your surgeon about the importance of post-operative maintenance so that your risk of post-surgical complications after your Lasik eye surgery would be minimized.