What Exactly Is LASIK Surgery?

The idea that you may be able to go to a vision correction center and have your sight fixed is one of the wonders of the modern world. LASIK vision correction has given hope to millions of people since its approval by the FDA in the 1990s. You may be wondering, though, what precisely LASIK surgery actually is. Let's explore it is performed and whether it might be an option for you to consider.

Everything Old is New Again

LASIK is a modernized version of an older surgery known as keratomileusis. The goal in a keratomileusis procedure is to make an incision in the cornea and induce corrections in deformities that may be inhibiting a person's vision. Where the older version of keratomileusis relied on the use of scalpels and other traditional surgical instruments, LASIK surgery is built around the use of lasers to accomplish the same goals in a less invasive and more precise fashion. The term coined for the new procedure was laser in situ keratomileusis.

LASIK was first successfully demonstrated for wider medical use in 1989. The FDA approved it for use in the U.S. in 1999.

History of Effectiveness

A study of more than 3,500 patients ages 18 to 39 who underwent the vision correction surgery found that all patients involved in the study reported corrected vision of 20/40 or better. Most participants also achieve improvements that were similar to or better than what they had achieved by wearing contact lenses.

Are You a Candidate?

One major downside to the LASIK system is that it's not ideal for every patient. You must be able to prove that your prescription has not shifted in the last year. Likewise, your vision problem should be something clearly diagnosed, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or myopia. You'll need to have consultations with your ophthalmologist and a LASIK surgeon to determine whether the types of visual acuity issues you have are treatable by this approach.

The LASIK Process

LASIK procedures are surprisingly fast, taking about 10 minutes per eye to finish. Most of the time consumed is spent dialing in on exactly what level of vision correction you require. Once that has been established, the laser is only actively operating for less than a minute per eye. If there is a radical difference between the two eyes, the doctor may take a little longer to make adjustments out of an abundance of caution.