LASIK as a surgical procedure is one of the most preferred eye surgery techniques all across the globe. This technique is no less than a revolution in the field of ophthalmology, which has simplified the overall process of eye surgery by making it less complex and also by reducing the long recovery periods. Further, Lasik treatment ensures improved accuracy in comparison to older procedures.
LASIK is the acronym for Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. This technique was jointly developed by by Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris of Greece and Dr. Lucio Buratto of Italy at 1990. They developed this surgery by fusing two techniques - keratomileusis and keratectomy. The LASIK procedure involves three stages: the pre-operative stage, the operation itself and the post-operative and recovery stage. Nowadays, LASIK is widely practiced by specialists to treat vision farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism.
The procedure of Lasik Treatment
As discussed above, LASIK treatment has three stages:
Pre-Operative Stage
During the Pre-operative stage the patients is subjected to the following regulatory steps:
Patients are refrained from wearing contact lens for a period of 7 to 10 days.
Initial examinations of patients cornea are done to detect irregularities in corneal shape
This examination is carried out with the aid of a computer-controlled scanner, which creates a map of the persons cornea by shooting low-power lasers.
Based on the examination of these maps, the surgeon decides upon the amount of corneal tissue to be removed
Usually, the patient is put on mild antibiotic to avoid the chances of corneal infections during post-LASIK surgery.
The Operation
Initially, a computer is set to track the position of the eye at speeds of 4,000 times per second, during the entire operation.
The patient is given localized anesthesia in the form of an eye drop. The patient can be kept awake during the operation or can be given a sedative.
Next, using a femtosecond laser, the initial incision is made to cut a flap of the cornea at the designated location.
The cut flap is folded back in order to expose the mid-section of the cornea, which is called as stroma.
Next, using a computerized excimer laser the stroma is reshaped.
Finally the corneal flap is folded back to its original, and smoothed out with a soft instrument.
Post-Operative Stage After the surgery, the eyes are checked again to examine the correction, and ensure success of surgery The patient is advised to take another pill of sedative after 6 hours and to sleep for the next 12 hours.
The patient must stick to the eye drop and vitamin regimen prescribed by the surgeon for the next 6 months.
Patient should complete all follow up visits to ensure the cornea is healing smoothly and with the least complications.
Probable Side Effects of the LASIK Surgery
If anyone is thinking of getting Lasik Treatment, then it would be beneficial if they know beforehand about certain complexities associated with this surgery. The following is a list of possible side effects that a patient may experience post surgery:
Striae, or wrinkles in the corneal flap
Erosion of the epithelium
Double vision
Decentered ablation
Induced astigmatism
Sensitivity to light
Halo/starbursts near sources of light
Visual acuity fluctuation
Under/overcorrection
However, there are only a few cases, where patients report any such side effects, and even if occurred, these get recovered within two weeks to six months.
Article Source: EzineArticles
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