Is laser vision correction safe and will it last over time?
The excimer laser has been used to perform refractive eye surgery since 1987 and corneal flaps, like the ones used in LASIK have been produced during eye surgery since the mid 1960s. Since the excimer laser emits light at a wavelength of 193nm, it can be used to remove corneal cells with an accuracy of 0.24 microns per pulse. With this level of precision, the excimer laser does not cause damage to the corneal tissue immediately adjacent to the treated eye. It also prevents long-term damage to other parts of the eye. It simply removes a thin layer of non-regenerating corneal cells and re-shapes the front curvature of the eye so that light can be more accurately focused onto the retina. Because only a small amount of corneal tissue is removed during the procedure, the cornea is not significantly weakened and it becomes stable shortly after surgery. Although some fluctuation in vision can occur in the early postoperative period after LASIK, the vision usually stabilizes quickly and remain
