How is the LASIK procedure performed?
This is an outpatient procedure, which means you’ll only spend an hour or two at the surgeon’s office. The laser treatment usually takes less than a minute, while the entire procedure takes around 15 minutes. Someone else will need to drive you home. Prior to the procedure you’ll have a series of numbing drops placed in your eyes. During the procedure you’ll lie on your back and your head will be positioned under the laser. An instrument called an eyelid holder is placed on your eye to keep you from blinking and you’ll be asked to focus on a specific light. If you’re having PRK, the laser removes the outer layer of the cornea. With LASIK, the surgeon cuts a thin flap in the inner layer of the cornea. Both procedures then use the cool beam of the Excimer laser to re-shape the cornea. The flap is then repositioned. In both procedures, the amount of corneal tissue removed by the laser is microscopic – less than the thickness of a human hair. During the LASIK procedure there is usually no
