Laser eye surgery, also known as LASIK surgery is one of the most popular eye surgeries in the last coupled decades! Why did it gain such importance? And how is it different than other surgeries?

What is laser eye surgery?

Laser eye surgery, which is a common name for LASIK: laser assisted in situ keratomileusis, is a corrective eye surgery!

What does laser eye surgery correct?

Laser eye surgery is used to correct refractive errors of the eye. These errors prevent you from seeing far objects clearly (myopia), or you can’t read and see near objects clearly (hyperopia) or you can’t see randomly (astigmatism). 

These errors prevent you from going on with your daily routine easily, and were usually corrected by wearing eyeglasses and contact lenses.

How does laser eye surgery correct refractive errors?

The main problem in refractive errors is that the eye globe is either too short or too long for the light to fall directly on the retina!

Or in some cases, the cornea is too flat or too curved, so the light refracts before or after the retina, creating a fuzzy unclear image!

Since we can’t shorten or lengthen the eye globe, so the second-best option is correcting the cornea!

Depending on very detailed computerized topographic map examination of the cornea, your doctor can determine where exactly does the cornea needs to be reshaped, this reshaping happens by the help of laser!

Steps of laser eye surgery

1. Before the laser eye surgery:

Your eye doctor can recommend laser eye surgery for you, if you are fit for surgery. He/she can clear you for surgery if you are:

• Above 18 years old
• Generally healthy.
• Your refractive error has been stable for more than 6 months.
• You don’t have any corneal diseases.
• After that, you are scheduled for surgery, if you wear contact lenses, stop them for at least one week before surgery.

2. On the day of the laser eye surgery:

• Come with one family member or friend, to help you around, and to drive you home after the surgery.
• Don’t put make-up that day.
• Bring sunglasses with you.
• Relax, it only takes 30 minutes to get your perfect eye sight back!

3. Inside the laser eye surgery:

• An anesthesiologist locally anesthetizes your eyes against pain.
• After a detailed topographic examination of the cornea, your eye surgeon uses a femtosecond laser to create a corneal flap.
• After the flap, another laser is used (excimer laser) to ablate and reshape the cornea! This reshaping ensures a better refraction and you will not need eyeglasses or contact lenses anymore.
• The eye surgeon then puts the corneal flap back in it is place.
• Add a few drops of local antibiotic, and you are done!

4. After the laser eye surgery:

• It is a bladeless surgery so there are relatively no complications, unlike traditional surgery
• You are released from the hospital, within a couple of hours.
• Your doctor gives you a list of instructions to follow strictly

5. Congratulations:

You can feel the effects of the surgery almost within 2 weeks, but the full correction will be complete after 3-6 months of surgery.

You can know live a normal life, with no eyeglasses or contact lenses!

Magrabi’s advice:

Laser eye surgery has changed the world of eye surgeries forever, being one of the most popular techniques to correct refractive errors of the eye. To know if you are a candidate for this surgery or not, consult with your doctor and follow his/her instructions carefully. Advantages of laser eye surgery totally outweighs its disadvantages. If you are interested to know more, book an appointment with Magrabi’s professionals now!