Basic Lasik Information
At the basic level, LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and this procedure will permanently change the shape of your eye enabling more clarity of vision.
Understanding the way the LASIK process works will better help you decide if the laser eye surgery process is really for you and also will enable you to be a better patient if you choose the have the surgery.
Laser eye surgery involves the cornea. The cornea is the part of your eye that focuses an image on your retina and it works in much the same way that a lens on a camera works to put an image on film. The shape of the cornea is usually round and the rounder the cornea, the better your vision. Laser eye surgery is used to correct imperfections of the cornea and improve vision.
There are three primary types of vision issues resolved through laser eye surgery:
- myopia
- hyperopia
- astigmatism
Persons with myopia, or nearsightedness, have more difficulty seeing distant objects as clearly as near objects. Persons with hyperopia, or farsightedness, have more difficulty seeing near objects as clearly as distant objects. Astigmatism is a distortion of the image on the retina caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens of the eye.
It isn't unusual for a person to have a combinations of myopia and astigmatism or hyperopia. Fortunately, most individuals with these vision issues are excellent candidates for having their vision improved through laser eye surgery.
Just like you already correct your vision with glasses and/or contact lenses, the cornea can be reshaped through a quick surgery that literally takes 5 minutes or less and experience the same vision correction you once had through glasses or contacts by using LASIK.
