Jun14
Posted by Dr. Rajiv Bajaj on Tuesday, 14th June 2022
What Is Lasik Surgery?LASIK is the acronym for Laser-Assisted in Situ-Incision Keratomileusis. It is a type of refractive surgery used for vision correction. It is one of the effective, safe, and popular laser-based refractive surgeries. LASIK is carried out as an alternative for glasses and contact lenses. It permanently changes the changing the shape of the cornea. It helps in treating Near-sightedness, Farsightedness, and astigmatism eye defects. When the eye does not refract (bends) the light correctly, it leads to blurry vision.
Why Is Lasik Eye Surgery Performed?
LASIK surgery is carried out to correct the following eye disorders:
Near-sightedness: It is also known as MYOPIA. It occurs when the eye focuses the light in front of the retina. As a result, the far objects appear blurry, whereas nearby objects can be seen properly without any hassle. LASIK can be used when near-sightedness is up to the range of -1 dioptres
Farsightedness: It is commonly known as HYPERMETROPIA. It occurs when the eye focuses the light behind the retina instead of on it. As a result, the nearby objects appear blurry and unclear, and things far away can be seen clearly. LASIK can treat farsightedness up to the range of +6 dioptres
Astigmatism: It occurs when the focus of both near and far vision is affected.
Is There Some Eligibility Criteria One Needs To Meet To Get Lasik Done?
There are specific criteria which are needed to be met to get LASIK done. LASIK is not for everyone. Your doctor must be transparent and honest with you. Several conditions are taken into consideration while deciding the eligibility. Some of the points which determine the eligibility for LASIK are:
A person must be 18 years or above.
Should not be suffering from autoimmune diseases like HIVs, AIDS, Rheumatoid arthritis
Have stable vision
Should have an appropriate corneal thickness for surgery
Should have no history of any eye disease, scarring, or infection
The farsightedness is not age affected
Should not be pregnant or nursing
How Is Lasik Eye Surgery Performed?
LASIK is a two steps process. It takes almost 25-30 minutes to complete. In LASIK, the laser remains in contact with the cornea of the eye for 60 seconds. First, the doctor administers the anaesthetic eye drops in the eye to numb the eyes. Then the doctor places an eyelid to prevent it from blinking. The surgeon guides the femtosecond laser to create a thin “circular flap” on the cornea. The flap is then folded back. It allows the surgeon to access the stoma (underlying cornea). Later, using the computer-guided laser, the surgeon injects a beam of ultraviolet light to remove the small part of the cornea. It is done to reshape the cornea. Once done, the light is refracted accurately on the retina. Then optic nerves transmit the message to the brain to convert it into a clear image. Without proper optic nerve functioning, the image produced is unclear and blurry.
Are There Any Risks Or Side Effects Associated With The Process?
LASIK is an advanced technology with a high success and patient satisfaction rate. However, all surgeries have some or other risks associated with them. However, the risks associated with LASIK are generally mild. As per the reports, only 1% of patients are seen to have a complication. These were are also temporary ones and improved with time.
The significant risk associated with LASIK is flap complications which are flap wrinkling, flap breaking, displacing from its position, or debris trapped under the flap.
Some side effects associated with LASIK are:
Mild pain
Watery eyes or dry eyes
Blurry or hazy vision
Itching or burning in the eye
The white part of eyes may look bloodshot and red for some days
Sensitivity to light, glare, and haloes surrounding lights
The doctor may prescribe some eye drops for the side effects. Kindly take the eye drops prescribed as directed. These are common with LASIK and will go away within a week.
What Results Can You Expect After Lasik?
You may experience ocular discomfort few hours after the surgery. The doctor may also provide eye drops to relieve the symptoms and reduce the risk of infection. You may expect a significant improvement in the vision the next day after the surgery. An experienced eye surgeon performs the surgery. It has a high patient satisfaction rate. The results have been so wonderful that many people don’t consider the second LASIK. As per the latest report, more than 90% of patients have achieved perfect vision. It is important that to obtain the maximum benefit and perfect vision after LASIK eye surgery, you should strictly follow all the recommendations of your eye surgeon.