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LASIK (Laser in situ keratomileusis)

LASIK is the most commonly used surgical procedure for correcting:

  • short-sightedness (myopia)
  • long-sightedness (hypermetropia), and
  • astigmatism

Description of the procedure

The surgeon creates a "flap" at the surface of the cornea, then folds it back so that the laser beam can access and re-shape deeper corneal tissue.

The LASIK procedure takes about 15 minutes per eye:

  • The cornea is anaesthetised.
  • The surgeon administers anaesthetic eyedrops, and then applies an instrument called a lid speculum to keep the eye from blinking.
  • A corneal flap is created using an instrument called IntraLase. The flap is comprised of a thin layer of surface corneal tissue.  The flap is gently hinged back across the cornea in order to expose the corneal 'bed'.
  • The corneal bed is re-shaped. The surgeon uses an excimer laser to re-contour the corneal bed specifically to the patient's prescription requirements.  The laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely ablate (vapourise) a pre-determined amount of tissue across the cornea.
  • The corneal flap is re-positioned. No sutures are required because the eye has natural suction capacity that holds the flap secure.
  • Antibiotic and anti-inflammation eyedrops are applied.
  • An eyeshield is applied to protect the eye while it is healing.
  • Both eyes can be treated on the same day.

Post-op Visual Recovery

Patients can resume most activities on the day following surgery.  This is because the smoothness of the corneal surface is minimally disrupted by the surgery.

Post-op Comfort

The eyes should feel fairly comfortable the day after surgery.  This is because the topmost layer of the cornea is minimally disturbed during the surgery.

Post-op Stabilisation of Prescription

The eye tends to stabilise at around one month, which is quicker than with the other laser techniques.  This is because the healing response is relatively mild after LASIK. Therefore, regression of the prescription is less likely to occur following LASIK surgery compared to other techniques, particularly for treatment of high prescriptions.

Post-op Corneal Haze

Virtually no corneal haze is observed after LASIK surgery.