What Happens During the LASIK Procedure?
February 24th, 2023
LASIK is a speedy and safe procedure using laser surgery to correct your vision. You’ll experience reduced dependence on glasses and contacts after LASIK, and because recovery is swift, it will cause little disruption in your life.
If you are planning on having LASIK or are interested in the procedure, it’s best to know what will happen step-by-step during the LASIK procedure. Keep reading to learn about what happens during LASIK!
What is a LASIK Consultation?
Weeks before your surgery, you’ll have a comprehensive LASIK consultation with your eye surgeon. Your eye doctor will measure your eye to determine the shape of the cornea and how it will be reshaped during the LASIK procedure to correct your vision.
They will develop a plan, unique to your eye’s individual profile, which will determine the exact amount of tissue to be removed to achieve clear, sharp vision.
Day of LASIK Surgery
When you go in for your LASIK procedure, you’ll receive numbing eye drops to ensure you won’t feel any pain. Next, your eye surgeon will use a specialized femtosecond laser, a focused, high-energy light beam delivered in pulses.
A femtosecond laser produces an incredibly fast light pulse measured in femtoseconds which are trillionths of a second. The femtosecond laser makes fine and accurate incisions.
The Corneal Flap
The femtosecond laser will be used to create a small flap in the surface of the cornea to gain access to the inner layer of the cornea. Because the incision is a flap, the tissue remains attached and can be folded back during laser eye surgery, then put back in its original position afterward.
Because it’s such a precise incision, it adheres easily.
Shaping the Cornea
Then a second laser, an excimer laser, is used. This laser performs the actual correction of the cornea, reshaping it to correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Your LASIK surgeon reshapes the curvature of the cornea to the desired refraction. The flap is then put back in its original position, where it heals on its own within a short time.
The whole procedure takes only a few minutes, and LASIK surgery is minimally invasive. There are no stitches or sutures needed, and the flap acts like a bandage for your eye while healing takes place.
You should experience visual improvement in the days and weeks after
What Happens Immediately After LASIK?
Right after LASIK surgery, you can open and close your eyes normally. Within a few hours to days, your vision will be restored.
You’ll see immediate results and experience clearer, more reliable vision in no time at all. You will continue to experience visual improvement in the days and weeks after.
Recovery at Home
You’ll be sent home with instructions and eye drops, and you should follow everything exactly as outlined, so you can minimize any chance of risk or complications. You’ll return for a follow-up visit to ensure you’re healing properly.
Take a day off from work, and return when you feel up to it. Avoid strenuous activities for a few days, and don’t get water in your eyes.
After LASIK, you’ll be surprised at how clear and sharp your vision is. And you’ll wonder why you waited so long to choose LASIK for vision correction.
It’s safe, effective, and will end your dependency on glasses and contacts.
Do you want to determine if you may be a candidate for LASIK? Schedule a LASIK consultation at Laser Eye Center in Huntsville, AL, today!
