Lasik Eye Surgery: Before, During and After

laser eye surgery procedure Lasik Eye Surgery: Before, During and After

 

Before Surgery

If you decide to go forward with Lasik eye surgery, you will need to have preparation as follows:

  • Stop wearing hard contacts four weeks prior to your baseline evaluation; three weeks for rigid lenses and two weeks for soft contacts. Contacts alter the cornea’s shape
  • Stop using creams, lotions, make up, and perfumes the day before surgery
  • Arrange for a ride to and from the surgeons office

During Surgery

Lasik laser pulse removes less than one hundred-thousandth of an inch to alter the cornea’s shape. This will occur in about 12 billionths of a second. The whole Lasik procedure may take 15 to 30 minutes for both eyes.

As the patient reclines under a Lasik laser the eye is numbed with drops of a topical anesthetic. Then:

  • An holder is placed between the eyelids to keep the eye open and prevent blinking
  • A suction ring keeps the eye still (You may feel pressure from these devices. It is similar to having a finger pressing on the eyelid)
  • When the cornea is flattened, a hinged flap is created with a microsurgical tool. It is lifted then folded back
  • While you look at a special pinpoint light, the ophthalmologist sculpts the cornea with the laser
  • The surgeon then re-adjusts the flap. It sticks to the main cornea in two to five minutes, eliminating any need for stitches
no glasses 300x240 Lasik Eye Surgery: Before, During and After

 

After Surgery

To protect the healing cornea from an accidental rub, you may be asked to wear a transparent eye shield for a short time.

Your eye may itch or burn. It may feel like there is something inside. You may experience mild discomfort, pain, blurry vision, light sensitivity, halos, glares or blotches of pink or red in the eye.

These symptoms should subside considerably within the first few days after surgery.

See your doctor in the next 24 to 48 hours. He’ll remove the eye shield, examine your eye and test your vision.  Consult regularly for the next six months for instructions on any activity you are permitted or not permitted to do.

It may take three to six months before your vision stabilizes and the side effects disappear.