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LASIK
Procedure by Dr. Saira Choudhri
LASIK
is the most commonly performed refractive
surgery procedure. You may hear
people calling it "LASIX,"
but the name is actually short for
"laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis."
Why
is it so popular? LASIK has advantages
over other procedures, including
a relative lack of pain afterward
and the fact that good vision is
usually achieved by the very next
day.
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An
instrument called a microkeratome
is used in LASIK eye surgery
to create a thin, circular flap
in the cornea. Another, newer
way of making the flap is with
a laser. |
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The
surgeon folds the flap back out of
the way, then removes some corneal
tissue underneath using an excimer
laser. The excimer laser uses a cool
ultraviolet light beam to precisely
remove ("ablate") very tiny
bits of tissue from the cornea to
reshape it.
When
the cornea is reshaped in the right
way, it works better to focus light
into the eye and onto the retina,
providing clearer vision than before.
The flap is then laid back in place,
covering the area where the corneal
tissue was removed. |
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Both
nearsighted and farsighted people
can benefit from the LASIK procedure.
With nearsighted people, the
goal is to flatten the too-steep
cornea; with farsighted people,
a steeper cornea is desired.
While this is not widely recognized
by consumers, excimer lasers
also can correct astigmatism
by smoothing an irregular cornea
into a more normal shape. |
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