What is LASIK?

Lasik Eye surgery is an alternative approach to wearing glasses and/or contact lenses. It is commonly known as REFRACTIVE SURGERY.

LASIK stands for Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.

Lasik Eye Surgery takes place on the part of the eye called the cornea. The cornea is a dome-shaped tissue that plays a huge part in bending light from objects into the eye towards the centre of the retina known as the macula. People who are unable to appropriately bend light to the macular are known to have refractive problems.

People who have refractive problems such as nearsightedness, longsightedness and in some cases, astigmatism, can decide to go for a LASIK eye surgery. The higher the refractive problem, the more suited the eyes will be for the surgery.

People who have successful LASIK eye surgery no longer need to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses. However, in some cases, the aim of the surgery is to reduce the refractive error from an initial high-power prescription to a very low prescription power. For example, someone who uses a -10.00 diopter glasses prescription and goes for LASIK may end up needing only about a -0.50 diopter glasses prescription after a successful LASIK eye surgery.

RISKS

Rarely do we have cases/complications from LASIK that result in vision loss. However, some side effects of the surgery are common.

Some of the side effects include the following.

1. Increased light sensitivity: Some notice increased light sensitivity or glare after undergoing LASIK. This usually goes away after some time.
2. Under correction: This is where the target result is not achieved. For instance, the target was that the patient would not need any glasses prescription but after the surgery, there is still some refractive error remaining.
3. Over correction: Same with under correction but in this case the patient’s refractive error moves from longsightedness to shortsightedness.
4. Other instances are astigmatism, flap problems, weakness or thinness of the cornea, vision regression (vision gradually returning to the original error)

LASIK eye surgery is not recommended for the following people.

1. People that have corneal diseases such as keratoconus.
2. Degenerative shortsightedness.
3. People who have very good overall vision.
4. People who are into sports like boxing.
5. People with a very thin cornea.

What to expect?

Before the surgery, the surgeon will look out for the following.

• Eye infections
• High intraocular pressure
• Any inflammation or dry eyes.
• Large pupils
• Cornea thinner than normal.

If any of these are detected, the surgery may be discouraged, and appropriate treatment given in the case of infections, high intraocular pressure, dry eyes, and inflammation. People with thin cornea are not good candidates for LASIK eye surgery.

After the surgery, the vision will not be clear though the patient will be able to see. It may take up to 8 weeks for the eyes to properly heal and the vision to be completely stabilized.