LASIK Eye Surgery Effectiveness

LASIK

You've probably heard of LASIK, and you're probably aware that LASIK surgery is an effective alternative to corrective lenses. But have you ever wondered exactly where LASIK comes from, and how it works?

LASIK - which stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. Several doctors claim responsibility for inventing lasik. One of which was a doctor from Latin America, José Barraquer, who worked on techniques of the LASIK procedure in Columbia in the 1960s. Over the years, eye surgeons from India, Italy and Greece worked to perfect LASIK techniques. LASIK surgery finally came to the U.S. in 1991. To understand what LASIK is and what it can do for you, it's helpful to know how your eye works.

The eye is similar to a camera. It has an adjustable opening, which is your pupil, while the "lens" of his bio-camera consists of a transparent tissue called the cornea. The pupil and cornea are controlled by fine muscles that cause the pupil to become larger or smaller in response to changing lighting conditions, changing the shape of the cornea for close-up and far-off focus. (You may have noticed that when you focus on something close to your eyes, objects further away become blurry - and vice-versa.) Light images that enter through the cornea strike the retina, which functions as reusable "film."

LASIK surgery is indicated when one's eye changes shape as a result of aging or other causes. Myopia (near-sightedness) occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated, causing images to come into focus before they reach the retina. Hyperopia is the opposite: the eye becomes shortened, so images reach the retina before coming into focus. Blurry vision may also be caused by an astigmatism. People suffering from any of these conditions are usually excellent candidates for LASIK.

As you can see, vision problems treatable by LASIK are caused by your eyes' inability to focus correctly. In all three cases, images entering the eye are not hitting that "film," the retina, correctly. LASIK surgery corrects this by literally changing the shape of the "lens," or cornea. By using a pulsing, tightly-focused laser onto the eye's surface, the surgeon remove parts of the cornea. By doing this, the cornea is reshaped, resulting in the restoration of correct focus and eliminating the need to wear glasses or contact lenses.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks of complication when receiving a LASIK procedure. In extremely rare cases, patients have reported glare as well as halos or "starbursts" surrounding bright lights at night, as well as occasional "ghost" images or double vision. In addition, because the cornea has been thinned as a result of the LASIK procedure, some high-altitude activities - such as mountain climbing - may induce myopic shifting. Before scheduling your LASIK surgery, your ophthalmologist will discuss all potential complications that can occur prior to, during and after a LASIK procedure.

LASIK has come a long way since it was introduced in the U.S. in 1991. If you are tired of the hassle of contact lenses, or want to be free having to wear glasses, contact your ophthalmologist today to determine if LASIK is right for you.

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