-- How is the Surgery Done? --
Lasik eye surgery is the most common surgery being done to correct nearsightedness. It is also being used for farsightedness and astigmatism.
You might be considering this surgery.
Of course, before going through the procedure, you will want to know how it′s done. On a preliminary visit to the doctor, you will be given an oral medication to take on the day of the surgery. This will help you to relax. It also makes it difficult to drive a car, so you should have someone else drive you to the clinic.
When you enter the room, you will notice a big machine. This is the laser. It will have a microscope on it. There will also be a computer with a large screen in the room. You′ll go in and have a seat in a special chair.
You will be awake throughout the procedure. The only anesthetic you will be given is in the form of eye drops. The doctor will clean the area around your eye and put on a device to hold your eyes open. This is called a lid speculum.
A corneal ring will be placed on your eye and pressurized to make it possible for the doctor to cut a flap from your cornea. Before the flap is cut, though, the doctor will use an ink marker to indicate where its location will be.
Then the flap is cut. This can be done by a laser (not the one used to correct your vision), or a microkeratome blade. You should be fairly comfortable through these proceedings because you won′t even see how the flap is made.
The doctor uses the computer you saw in the room to set the laser. You will be asked to focus on a light. This is just a target so you will keep your eyes still. It isn′t the actual laser.
The laser is used to change your cornea to make it a more normal shape. You can expect this procedure to be painless. You will hear sounds and smell odors that will let you know something is happening. The pulse of the laser light will sound like a steady click.
That′s all there is to it. You can rest after that. If you are having both eyes done, the doctor will wait a few minutes before doing the other eye. Then, you can go about your business with the person who brought you in driving you back home.