Laser Eye Surgery - What is it? How does it Work?

    SAN JOSE, CA, November 20, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Remember when the concept of laser eye surgery was still fairly new? People were so afraid of having a doctor operate on their eyes just so glasses and contacts could be left behind. There were lots of people thinking, "What if...?"

In the early days of laser eye surgery, it was probably a good thing to be overly cautious. Since then, though, the technology has improved by leaps and bounds. It is surgery, and there are inherent risks associated with it, but there is no longer a need to be as scared.

What is Laser Eye Surgery?
Laser eye surgery, or laser vision correction, is simply correcting the shape of the cornea to improve near and far vision. The most common term for it is LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis).

On average, LASIK surgery takes about 30 minutes per eye. The procedure is fairly simple and uses state-of-the-art technology, including eye tracking software for the laser system, to help achieve the best possible results.

How does it Work?
To begin with, numbing drops are placed in your eye and the area around it is cleaned. Once the numbing drops have done their job, a lid speculum is used to gently hold your eyelids open.

Next, the eye surgeon uses a laser keratome (optical laser device) to carefully cut a flap on the cornea. Since you are awake during the procedure, you will probably notice your vision dim and you may feel some pressure on your eye, but you shouldn't feel any pain.

The corneal flap, which is still hinged to the rest of the eye, is folded back and you will be told to stare at a special light for a minute or so. This is to help the laser system set the eye-tracking capabilities, allowing just the right amount of laser energy to be used as your eye surgeon carefully reshapes your cornea. During this part of the process, you may hear the normal clicking sound from the laser keratome but it isn't anything to be concerned about.

Once the reshaping process is complete, the corneal flap is unfolded and put back in place. No stitches are used as the flap will heal on its own. You will have to wear a protective shield over your for a day or two. Can't have you rubbing or otherwise injuring it, you know. Any discomfort or pain you feel after the procedure can generally be handled with a mild pain reliever.

At your first follow up appointment, about 48 hours following the procedure, the eye shield will be removed. You can except to schedule additional follow up visits over the course of the next year to be sure everything has healed properly and no LASIK enhancements are required.

Hopefully, this brief explanation has given you a better idea of what LASIK is and how it is performed. It is really pretty simple and, again, the modern technology makes the opportunities so much better now than 10 or 15 years ago. As always, though, be sure to ask your laser eye surgeon for complete details for your specific LASIK surgery before you make a final decision.

If you are considering LASIK in San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose, California, please visit the website of Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley today.

Source: Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley
Website: http://www.lasikdocs.com

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