What exactly does laser eye surgery involve?

Posted in Laser Eye Surgery on October 28, 2009

If you are tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses every day, then laser eye surgery could be the ideal solution for you. However, before opting for laser eye surgery, its a good idea to understand how the procedure works.

The procedure is performed whilst the patient is awake and consists of three main steps:

Flap creation In this step, a suction ring is applied to the eyes. After the suction, a flap is created. This procedure is known as Intra Lasik and the flap is created with a specially adapted laser. A hinge is left at the end of the flap, which is then folded back. This fold reveals the middle section of the cornea. The process of lifting and folding back the flap can feel a little painful or uncomfortable at times.

Laser remodeling The second step of the procedure is the remodeling of the cornea, using a laser. One of the main benefits of using a laser is that no cutting or burning is required. When the flap is lifted, the patients vision will become blurry and they will generally only be able to see the light from the laser.

Repositioning of the flap Once flap creation and laser remodeling is complete, the surgeon carefully repositions the flap over the treated area.

After laser eye surgery, the patient is usually instructed to use eye drops and may also be prescribed a course of antibiotics.