Lasik eyes Surgery: During Lasik Eyes Surgery

Thursday, February 12, 2009

During Lasik Eyes Surgery

* Twenty minutes before the surgery, the patient is prepared with antibiotic and anesthetic eye drops.

* Once inside the sterile operating chamber, the surgical team disinfects the area around the eyes to be operated on. The flap is opened to expose the cornea’s middle layer.

* The surgeon then uses the excimer laser to reshape the exposed middle layer of the cornea. This laser emits energy in the ultraviolet range (193 nm) which acts only on the surface it irradiates. The laser evaporates the selected tissue without generating any heat or transmitting the radiation to any other media. This process leaves no trace on adjacent tissue or elsewhere inside the eye.

o In correcting near-sightedness, the laser reduces the central corneal curvature by removing microscopic amounts of excess corneal tissue in the center

o In correcting inborn farsightedness, the laser increases the central corneal curvature by removing some of the tissue near the periphery of the cornea.

o In correcting astigmatism, the energy is applied to create a more round cornea.

* The flap is then placed back to its original position, where it assumes the new shape created by the laser.

The eyeshield is of a perforated type, for the patient to see through. The patient can then return home.
* On the next day, vision is measured and the surgeon examines the eye.