Lasik Information

LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The goal of this Web site is to provide objective information to the public about LASIK surgery. See other sections of this site to learn about what you should know before surgery, what will happen during the surgery, and what you should expect after surgery. There is a glossary of terms and a checklist of issues for you to consider, practices to follow, and questions to ask your doctor before undergoing LASIK surgery.

LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A knife, called a microkeratome , is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. There are other techniques and many new terms related to LASIK that you may hear about.

If you're near-sighted, you understand the inconvenience of having to pick up a pair of glasses before venturing off to the movies. If you are far-sighted, you may need glasses in order to read the morning paper. If you wear contact lenses, you have the daily hassle of putting them in every morning and taking them out every night.

Technological advances are making these partial solutions to vision impairment obsolete. Newly developed surgical procedures utilize the precision of lasers, and one of the most successful new eye surgeries is Laser-in-situ keratomileusis , or LASIK . Doctors are able to correct the most common vision problems, from far and near-sightedness to astigmatism, with the LASIK procedure. Cumbersome corrective lenses no longer bother patients who have received successful LASIK surgery. igmatism, with the LASIK procedure. Cumbersome corrective lenses no longer bother patients who have received successful LASIK surgery.

If you are considering LASIK or LASEK, the following information will provide you with a good introduction to the procedure. For more detailed information about how this procedure may help you, we recommend that you consult an eye care physician with experience in this procedure.