What is laser eye surgery? How does it work?

The most frequently performed laser eye surgery is commonly known as LASIK. To date, more than 40 million LASIK (laser assisted in situ keratomileusis) procedures have been performed worldwide.

LASIK eye surgery involves the initial use of an infrared laser to make a thin flap around the thickness of a human hair in the cornea, the clear window of your eye. This flap is retracted, and the second ultraviolet laser is then used to ablate tissue under the flap, thereby changing the shape of the cornea.

LASIK can reshape the cornea. Altering the cornea corrects vision problems such nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.  As a result, this enables the eye to focus more clearly, without the need for wearing contact lenses or glasses.

Why your sight changes after laser eye surgery

Most people are familiar with the basic idea of how laser eye surgery works: a laser is used to reshape the tissue of the cornea, correcting vision problems. However, there is more to it than that. To understand how laser eye surgery can be so effective, it is important to know how the cornea works and how it affects vision.

The cornea is the clear front window of the eye. It plays an important role in focusing light onto the retina, which is responsible for sending visual information to the brain. If the cornea is not shaped correctly, light will not be focused properly and vision will be affected. This is what happens in cases of myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness).

Laser eye surgery can correct these vision problems by reshaping the cornea. By changing its shape, the laser can cause light to be focused more accurately onto the retina. This leads to clearer vision and often eliminates the need for someone to wear glasses or contact lenses.

If you want to know more about whether you’re a good candidate for laser eye surgery, give us a call on (717) 657-2020. Or take our quick self-test today to see if you qualify.