LASIK
The term LASIK stands for Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis. That simply means that a laser is used to reshape the cornea (clear front part of the eye) to increase clarity of vision.
Since LASIK was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the mid-1990s, it has continually improved. The candidate pool has vastly increased, so that many more people can now have some type of LASIK procedure who could not safely have it years ago.
The original LASIK procedure is now considered Traditional LASIK, and has been supplanted in popularity by the more sophisticated and accurate Wavefront-Guided LASIK.
What Does LASIK Treat?LASIK and its variant procedures treat three types of refractive error:
- Nearsightedness (myopia)
- Farsightedness (hyperopia)
- Astigmatism
The LASIK Procedure
Briefly, it is a three-step process:
- A thin round piece of corneal surface tissue (a “flap”) is detached and folded back out of the way
- The laser quickly and precisely vaporizes small pieces of the layer thus exposed (the stroma)
- The flap is replaced and smoothed into position and left to heal by itself
Why is a Flap Necessary?
If no flap was folded back and the laser simply treated the top surface of the cornea, your improved vision would not remain improved. The corneal top layer (epithelium) is continually changing its cells – discarding and replacing itself, much the way our top layer of skin does. But the next layer down, the stroma, does not do that. It is stable. So by changing the corneal curvature on the stroma, LASIK makes your vision correction permanent. The surface flap rests on the new stromal surface and acts like a bandage during the short (one or two days) recovery period.
Resources for More LASIK Information
If you would like to learn more about who is a good candidate for LASIK, please see our page on LASIK candidacy. You can read more also on our LASIK Questions page.
All of our highly-trained and experienced LASIK surgeons have many happy patients, and you can read some of their letters on our patient testimonials page.
Our LASIK
surgeons are:
We will be very willing to work with you on making your vision correction affordable, fitting into your budget with comfort. Please see our Financing page for more details.
| To learn more now: Read the comprehensive LASIK information here on our website or please call our Refractive Surgery Coordinator at 704-367-8133 or 1-888-71-LASIK to see how you can find out if you're a candidate. |
