How LASIK Works
What is LASIK eye surgery?
Welcome to our webpage explaining LASIK eye surgery. We will first start by explaining conventional LASIK and then explain some of the latest technology that has helped make this surgery safer and more effective. We hope you will find this information useful but if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at anytime.LASIK is an acronym for Laser in-situ Keratomileusis, and is one of the most commonly performed types of laser eye surgery. This procedure is generally safe, effective, and has very few side effects. LASIK eye surgery has helped millions of people see clearly without dependence on glasses or contact lenses. It has made active lifestyle people happy again. Imagine being able to workout without glasses or see the alarm clock in the middle of the night. For contact lens wearers, there is no more discomfort putting lenses in, no more scratchy lenses hitting your eyelids and no more solutions. LASIK is a quick and relatively painless vision correction procedure with an excellent track record of success. Proper pre-operative evaluations are critical to the success of this procedure for you. To get a better understanding regarding whether or not you would be a LASIK candidate please see our LASIK candidacy page. To learn about what happens during this eye surgery process please read below.
Understanding what happens during LASIK eye surgery
During LASIK, Dr. Meyer first applies anesthetic eye drops to numb the eye for surgery. Next a suction ring is applied that is designed to hold the eye steady and also confirms the pressure of the eye. Dr. Meyer then creates a thin corneal flap using a device called a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser. Dr. Meyer tests for laser alignment and walks the patient through the fixation process. The corneal flap is lifted up, and the excimer laser is applied to the exposed interior surface of the cornea to reshape the tissue. The computer-controlled excimer laser removes the tissue under the flap and reshapes the cornea of the affected eye. In less than 60 seconds, high-energy pulses from the excimer laser actually reshape the internal cornea. The flap is then repositioned over the treated area. This is the exact corneal flap that serves a natural bandage, which eliminates the discomfort associated with other types of refractive surgery, and expedites the healing process. Eye drops will be applied to assist with the healing process. You will be required to take eye drops on a regular basis in the post-operative period. Dr. Meyer will then watch the eye for five minutes to ensure proper healing. Because of the extraordinary bonding properties of the corneal tissue, stitches are not needed to keep the flap in place postoperatively.Did You Know?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said for the first time it will consider applicants who have undergone two common types of vision-correction surgery: laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, known as LASIK; and photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK.
LASIK Can Improve Your Life!
Facts obtained from Abbott Medical Optics in Harris Interactive Study- 94 percent of patients agree that LASIK has improved their lives.
- 40 percent of patients have noticed an improvement in their social lives.
- 40 percent of patients cite the convenience of not having to worry about caring for their eyewear as one of their top three motivating factors in their decision.
- 35 percent of patients believe that LASIK has improved their work life.
- 90 percent of LASIK patients are satisfied with its effects on their vision.
- Four out of five patients (80 percent) feel much happier since having the procedure.
Introducing Custom LASIK (also called wavefront technology)
Every human eye suffers from some type of optical aberration or distortions. Low order aberrations are the commonly understood refractive errors. (sphere and cylinder of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism) Higher-order aberrations such as glare, haloes, trefoil, coma, and other similarly unfamiliar terms cannot be measured with a standard refraction. These visual imperfections are measured with an aberrometer. The aberrometer has become a critical instrument in wavefront technology because it measures higher order aberrations and transforms this data into a wavefront map of the eye. When using this map in LASIK surgery we can produce a custom treatment. The wavefront map is then used to treat an individual’s unique vision. Because the procedure is unique to a patient’s eye we call this Customized LASIK.Believe it or not, wavefront technology actually had its origins with technology created for the Hubble Telescope. It was part of research and development for the Strategic Defense Initiative for (NASA). Engineers and ophthalmologists invested millions of dollars to develop wavefront technology in ophthalmology and its compatibility with excimer laser treatments. Who would have known that this NASA research would have led to such a breakthrough for eye surgeons.
VISX CustomVue technology is not the only type of wavefront technology although it has been selected by The Eye Care Institute as the preferred type of wavefront technology. For the most part, results have been excellent with all platforms with most patients achieving 20/20 vision.
What Can Custom LASIK do for you?
- Improve overall quality, contrast and crispness of your vision
- Possibly improve your night driving vision
- Allow you to see better than you can with glasses or contact lenses
- Improve your chances of seeing 20/20 or better
Custom LASIK Candidacy
You may be a good candidate for Custom LASIK- If you are older than 18 years of age and have stable vision
- If you want the best LASIK technology available
- If you already have night driving problems
- If your contact lenses are a problem with dryness and irritation
- If glasses are a lifestyle challenge
- If you have large pupils
CustomVue LASIK Clinical Study Results (VISX LASIK FDA STUDY)
VISX's FDA clinical study results were remarkable. Please feel free to review the data listed below.
- At one year after the VISX CustomVue procedure:
- 100% of the clinical study participants could pass a driving test without glasses or contacts
- 98% of the clinical study participants could see 20/20 or better without glasses or contacts
- 70% of the clinical study participants could see 20/16 or better without glasses or contacts
VISX/AMO Data 2005 - *Four times as many clinical study participants were very satisfied with their night vision after the VISX CustomVue procedure, compared to their night vision before with glasses or contacts.
LASIK Eye Surgery Cost
Cost of Laser Eye Surgery in Louisville, KentuckyThe cost of LASIK at The Eye Care Institute is $1,995 per eye. Pricing for LASIK surgery will vary from surgeon to surgeon typically based on experience and equipment. Finding the right surgeon for you should be the major objective in your search for a Louisville LASIK surgeon, but inevitably price will also play a role in your decision. You must note that the cheapest surgeon is not always the best surgeon to treat your eyes. Remember these are your eyes and this is not a reversible procedure so you want to trust your surgeon. Price ranges for LASIK eye surgery range from $999 to about $3,500 per eye. On the lower priced end of the LASIK price scale, be careful of what you sign up for. If the price is too low, the LASIK eye doctor may be leaving out some important fine details.
