Bladeless Laser Eye Surgery- LASIK

Laser In Situ Keratomileusis, or popularly known as LASIK, is a bladeless laser eye surgery for vision correction of long-sightedness, short-sightedness and astigmatism. This is bound to replace PRK treatment due to the minimal discomfort and faster recovery time of patients who had undergone LASIK treatment. This popular laser eye surgery has two forms in which one could either choose to have. These two are:

• Blade- This procedure uses a medical instrument called “microkeratome” to cut a small flap on the surface of the cornea. The flap is then lifted (not removed like in PRK) while the laser reshapes the cornea.

• Bladeless- Uses high energy lasers (Wavefront and Intralase) for vision correction. The two types of energy lasers are excimer and femtosecond.

This bladeless laser eye surgery, LASIK, will reduce or minimize the need of an individual to wear glasses or contact lenses. LASIK aims to accurately correct the shape of the cornea to bend and focus light to the retina.

LASIK is used to treat:

• Hyperopia (long-sightedness). The laser makes the central cornea of our eye steeper.

• Myopia (short-sightedness). The laser flattens the surface of the eye.

• Astigmitism. The laser reshapes the cornea, making it more spherical.

After undergoing LASIK treatment for vision correction, your eyes might feel kind of itchy, blurry and watery. However, these discomforts can be alleviated with certain medication prescribed by your doctor (e.g. eye drops). Also, after the treatment, you are required to wear an eye patch while you sleep at night. But, just like any other operation, there are risks involved.

Risks of LASIK treatment:

• You might develop astigmatism if uneven tissues were removed from your eye. This is due to too much movement of your eye during the treatment.

• For the first few months, you might feel that your eyes are dry. An eye drop should remedy the complication. However, there are severe cases in which you should undergo another procedure.

• If not enough tissue are removed in your eye, then you might not attain the clarity of vision in which you expect. You could have another surgery around a year prior to the date of your first bladeless laser eye surgery.

• Also you might get into a situation where too much tissue has been removed. This is much more complex problem to resolve.

• Glares or double visions. After the surgery, you might experience seeing halos, double vision and glaring. You might have difficulty in seeing at night.

 After the surgery, you would be able to instantly see again, but expect it to be blurry. You should wait a couple of months before the complete recovery of your eye. Your doctor will require you to return after 48 hours so he could determine if your eyes are stabilizing and healing properly. You should visit your doctor regularly so you could spot any complications early. Do not use make up, at least not until your eyes have fully recovered, to prevent foreign particles from getting into your eyes. You should refrain also from any water related activities such as swimming. 

Before undergoing this bladeless laser eye surgery-LASIK, you should first consult your doctor. There are risks and benefits. You should give all necessary details to your doctor to help know if you are suitable for the procedure.