How does LASIK work?
LASIK is “hybrid” procedure, combining the ALK technique with the accuracy of the Excimer Laser. First the doctor will use an instrument called a Hansatome Microkeratome or the Intralase laser to create a thin surface-flap under a microscope; this will only take a few seconds. Then the Excimer Laser, which has been pre-programmed with your exact correction, applies a rapid, cool ultraviolet light that precisely sculpts a very small amount of the sub-surface of the cornea. These short laser pulses correct the curvature of the cornea, allowing images to be focused clearly on the retina. The flap is then smoothed back down where it quickly bonds back in place, usually in three to five minutes, restoring a smooth, intact surface.
LASIK laser vision correction, a procedure that our Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama surgeons are proud to offer, uses a cool laser beam to reshape your cornea so that it can focus light and images on the back of your eye more correctly. The beam is computer-controlled, based on an extremely precise set of calculations which are taken when you have your pre-LASIK examination. The most recent advances in LASIK surgery have shown that this reshaping works best if we do the reshaping process “internally” by folding back a thin flap from the top of the cornea. We replace the flap after the laser beam shapes your cornea, and it begins to reattach itself almost immediately without stitches. The word LASIK stands for Laser–in–Situ Keratomileusis — the medical term which means “to shape the cornea from within.
