What to expect during a LASIK operation?

If you decide to have LASIK surgery, it is important for you to know what it will entail. Before your procedure you will have an initial assessment by the doctor to ensure you are a good candidate for LASIK. If you wear contact lenses, we advise that that you stop wearing them two weeks before the assessment as they affect the shape of your cornea.

On the day of your procedure it is important that you don’t wear any creams or eye make up.

In the old days, laser eye surgeons performed LASIK using a blade and a specialized laser. Modern laser eye surgery, which is what we do at Memorial Eye Institute, involves two lasers.

Instead of using a blade, we use one laser to create an ultra-thin flap in the window of your eye – which we call the cornea. That may sound a little scary for some, but I assure you that you won’t see any instruments near your eyes and won’t feel a thing.

We raise that flap and then use a second laser to reshape the cornea to restore normal optics and normal focusing of the eye. Following that, we reposition the flap. The natural forces and processes of the eye seal the flap within a few hours.

The side effects of surgery are usually minor and can be managed with over-the -counter medications . Side note: don’t rub your eyes after the procedure because this could move the corneal flap.

The day after the LASIK procedure, most patients’ vision becomes as good as it was with glasses and contact lenses before the surgery. Their vision is typically very sharp and patients are able to resume normal life.

LASIK eye surgery is pain-free, low risk and has a fast recovery time. It also has an extremely high success rate in correcting vision for most people who do it!

To find out if you are a candidate for LASIK or another type of refractive surgery, book a free virtual assessment on our website today.