LASIK is an ambulatory procedure — you walk into the surgery center, have the procedure and walk out again. In fact, the actual surgery usually takes less than five minutes, and you’re awake the whole time.
Occasionally, the surgeon will give you a mild oral sedative beforehand.
Even though the surgery is relatively quick, LASIK is a very delicate procedure and it’s important to have it performed by a highly skilled surgeon with proper equipment. You also should have someone accompany you to drive you back home afterward.
Your eyes first are anesthetized with special drops, so most people don’t feel pain during LASIK surgery.
The doctor will have you lie down, then make sure your eye is positioned directly under the laser. (One eye is operated on at a time.) A kind of retainer is placed under your eyelids to keep them open — normally, this is not uncomfortable.
The surgeon will use an ink marker to mark the cornea before the flap is created. The flap is then created with either a microkeratome or with a femtosecond laser. Whichever device is used, it is securely attached to your cornea with a suction ring to prevent eye movements or loss of contact that could affect flap quality. During the procedure you won’t actually see the creation of the flap, which is very thin.
The surgeon uses a computer to adjust the excimer laser for your particular prescription. You will be asked to look at a target light for a short time while he or she watches your eye through a microscope as the laser sends pulses of light to your cornea.
The laser light pulses painlessly reshape the cornea. You’ll hear a steady clicking sound while the laser is operating. You also may smell a mildly acrid odor during the corneal reshaping process.
The higher your prescription, the more time the surgery will take. The surgeon has full control of the laser and can turn it off at any time.
After the procedure is finished, you will rest for a little while. If you’re having both eyes done the same day, the surgeon typically will begin working on your second eye immediately after treatment of the first eye is finished. Some people choose to have their second eye done a week later.
Your surgeon may prescribe medication for any postoperative pain, but many people feel no more than mild discomfort after LASIK. That’s one advantage of LASIK over PRK, which can cause significant eye discomfort for a few days.
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