lasik eye surgery procedure
Lasik Eye Surgery Procedure: What To Expect
Mike Jerry
Mike Jerry
Lasik eye surgery will help with your vision, but what can you expect after it is over? Your surgeon will do the surgery and it may take a few minutes, depending if they are doing one eye or both eyes. A slight cut will be made on your cornea and will be lifted out of the way (otherwise known as the flap) so a laser can reshape your eye. Once that is completed, the flap will be returned and will heal itself, so no stitches will be needed. There will be some sort of shield placed above the eye so it can heal quickly. You will have blurry vision for a little bit, so make sure you have someone pick you up and take you home.
The following is a brief overview of the elements involved in the Lasik eye surgery procedure. Lasik eye surgery is still fairly new on the scene and is becoming very popular because of the ease, painlessness, and overall satisfaction of the procedure. Still, the Lasik eye surgery procedure leaves a lot of people curious as to what it entails and how it is done.
Do you qualify?
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has a basic set of guidelines to determine if you qualify for the Lasik eye surgery procedure. First, the procedure is not done on anyone under the age of 18 since the vision of those under 18 tends to still evolve and possibly change or improve given time. Also, if a patient is pregnant or nursing this is considered as these biological conditions can actually change the makeup of the eye and alter the shape of the eyeball.
Eyes must be healthy and in stable condition in order to be a candidate. Due to the changing specifications of the eyeball because of various eye afflictions, Lasik eye surgery is often postponed by surgeons in order to determine if the eye is suitable for the procedure. This is simply a precaution as not everyone is a good candidate for the surgery. The best way to determine this is to consult your medical professional.
The procedure
Lasik eye surgery is a quick and painless procedure that involves a local anaesthetic in the form of an eye drop on the surface of the eye. The surgery can range anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes per eye, but in some cases can be completed in less than a minute.
A special device or laser cuts a flap on the cornea and lifts it out of the way. The laser then reshapes the tissue of the eye underneath the flap and the flap is replaced. No stitches or sutures are required and the flap automatically heals itself and reattaches to the corneal tissue almost immediately. A shield is placed over the eye to protect the cornea while the healing process takes place.
Many patients take time off after surgery. The standard is a few days as the eye can properly heal in that amount of time. After Lasik eye surgery procedure, it is important to have a friend or trusted associate transport you home because your vision will likely be blurry. There may also be a mild burning or itching sensation following the procedure, but it is important to remember not to rub or touch your eyes. The medical professional will prescribe medication to ease this discomfort.
Do you qualify?
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has a basic set of guidelines to determine if you qualify for the Lasik eye surgery procedure. First, the procedure is not done on anyone under the age of 18 since the vision of those under 18 tends to still evolve and possibly change or improve given time. Also, if a patient is pregnant or nursing this is considered as these biological conditions can actually change the makeup of the eye and alter the shape of the eyeball.
Eyes must be healthy and in stable condition in order to be a candidate. Due to the changing specifications of the eyeball because of various eye afflictions, Lasik eye surgery is often postponed by surgeons in order to determine if the eye is suitable for the procedure. This is simply a precaution as not everyone is a good candidate for the surgery. The best way to determine this is to consult your medical professional.
The procedure
Lasik eye surgery is a quick and painless procedure that involves a local anaesthetic in the form of an eye drop on the surface of the eye. The surgery can range anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes per eye, but in some cases can be completed in less than a minute.
A special device or laser cuts a flap on the cornea and lifts it out of the way. The laser then reshapes the tissue of the eye underneath the flap and the flap is replaced. No stitches or sutures are required and the flap automatically heals itself and reattaches to the corneal tissue almost immediately. A shield is placed over the eye to protect the cornea while the healing process takes place.
Many patients take time off after surgery. The standard is a few days as the eye can properly heal in that amount of time. After Lasik eye surgery procedure, it is important to have a friend or trusted associate transport you home because your vision will likely be blurry. There may also be a mild burning or itching sensation following the procedure, but it is important to remember not to rub or touch your eyes. The medical professional will prescribe medication to ease this discomfort.
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