Eye Surgery

•Eye History & Examination to determine refractive error, absence of eye disease and your expectations of the procedure.
•Corneal Topography - The computerized videokeratography system (EYESYS) projects a 16-ring (8 light and 8 dark rings) onto the surface of the cornea. A CCD camera in the housing of the corneascope captures the image of the projected rings. A total of 5,760 points at 1 degree intervals of the cornea are measured. A number of sophisticated computer programs interpret the data and create a series of color graphic displays. If needed, a hard copy can be obtained from a color printer, Polaroid camera, or a 35mm slide. (a topographical map of your eyeballs)
•Pachymetry - A test performed to measure the corneal thickness
•Axial length measurements

The Procedure

Some patients see a dramatic improvement in their vision the first day. For others, vision may be blurry and fluctuate for several weeks to several months. Most patients return to normal activities in 1-3 days. Regular follow-up visits are essential to monitor your progress and ensure that you achieve the best results. A follow-up examination will be scheduled to monitor your progress. 

LASIK is the acronym for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, a type of refractive laser eye surgery performed by ophthalmologists for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Lasik is a surgical procedure that changes the shape of the cornea to reduce the need for glasses or contacts. Lasik has many distinct advantages over other refractive surgery procedures, but also has limitations that may indicate something else or no surgery is best for an individual patient.

Lasik literally “fools” the cornea into not knowing it has been wounded. This is why Lasik normally provides no pain, has an almost instant vision recovery, and almost never causes corneal haze; the cornea doesn’t know it has had surgery.

Before surgery
Patients wearing soft contact lenses typically are instructed to stop wearing them approximately 10 to 15 days before surgery. Before the surgery, the patient's corneas are examined with a pachymeter to determine their thickness, and with a topographer to measure their surface contour. Using low-power lasers, a topographer creates a topographic map of the cornea. This process also detects astigmatism and other irregularities in the shape of the cornea. Using this information, the surgeon calculates the amount and locations of corneal tissue to be removed during the operation. The patient typically is prescribed an antibiotic to start taking beforehand, to minimize the risk of infection after the procedure.

Risk factors
On particular occasions your doctor will warn you about possible risks. The main risks link to properties below:

Thin Corneas: The cornea is the thin clear covering of the eye that is over the iris, the colored part of the eye. Most refractive procedures change the eye’s focusing power by reshaping the cornea (for example, by removing tissue).  Performing a refractive procedure on a cornea that is too thin may result in blinding complications.

Blepharitis: Inflammation of the eyelids with crusting of the eyelashes, that may increase the risk of infection or inflammation of the cornea after LASIK.

Large pupils: Make sure this evaluation is done in a dark room. Although anyone may have large pupils, younger patients and patients on certain medications may be particularly prone to having large pupils under dim lighting conditions. This can cause symptoms such as glare, halos, starbursts, and ghost images (double vision) after surgery. In some patients these symptoms may be debilitating. For example, a patient may no longer be able to drive a car at night or in certain weather conditions, such as fog.