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Main Takeaways
- LASIK treats for farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.
- The procedure takes only 10-15 minutes.
- It’s a quick recovery! Most patients return to work the day after surgery.
- According to the FDA, LASIK has a patient satisfaction rate of more than 98%.
A Brief History of LASIK
Until the debut of laser vision correction in Europe during the mid-’80s, glasses, and contacts have been the go-to option. Since then, laser vision correction has grown to be the most popular elective procedure to date, with over 30 million surgeries performed worldwide, giving people the freedom from itchy contacts and glasses that seem to be perpetually dirty.
Types of Laser Vision Correction
Before we jump to the in’s and out’s of LASIK, it’s essential to note LASIK is only one of the many types of laser vision correction options. Laser vision correction is the umbrella for many corrective eye surgeries such as LASIK, SMILE, PRK, Epi-LASIK, and LASEK (no that is not a typo). Keil Lasik offers both LASIK and PRK treatment options.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s jump right in.
LASIK: A Brief Introduction
What is Lasik surgery?
LASIK or if you want to sound like a smarty pants you could say it’s full name “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis,” is a type of laser eye surgery that offers a long-lasting solution to treat near (farsightedness), far (nearsightedness) and astigmatism.
What does Lasik surgery do?
Like many of the laser vision correction options, LASIK reshapes the cornea to allow light to focus on the back of the retina properly. When there are irregularities (areas that are steeper and more shallow) on the cornea, it makes it difficult for light to have a straight shot to the retina to produce clear images. To correct these irregularities the cornea must be smoothed out to a more normal shape. This part of the treatment process compares to smoothing out the surface of a golf ball with steeps and valleys to a smooth ping pong ball. Main takeaway — Goodbye glasses. Hello, new life.
The entire LASIK procedure is as quick as a coffee break only taking 10-15 minutes, with relatively little to no discomfort. Most patients describe the sensation as a mild pressure that is similar to closing your eyes and pressing on your eye with a finger. Most patients return to work the day after treatment.
Are there follow-up visits after LASIK surgery?
As far as follow-up visits, they can vary from office to office. At Keil Lasik, there are three mandatory follow-up visits: the day after treatment, one month and three months. Once those are complete, patients return to their optometrist for yearly exams. Yes, you still need annual eye exams! Even though an eyeglass prescription no longer needs to be updated, the eye’s nerves, blood vessels, and physical structure still need to be monitored, which is essential for preventing serious diseases and maintaining proper ocular health.
If you have questions about LASIK or about any of the laser vision correction services we provide, please contact us. We are always happy to answer questions and share our experience!
