What are the steps involved in LASIK surgery?
The procedure is performed as an ‘outpatient basis’ on the day of surgery. Anaesthetic eyedrops is instilled to numb the eye for a painless surgery. The overall procedure takes around 20 minutes to perform while the duration of laser is less than 1 minute. During the surgery, the patient is conscious but is not in pain at any time. The eyelids will be kept open using a speculum while the patient is requested to maintain fixation on a red target light during the procedure. An instrument called a microkeratome will be placed onto they eye to create a corneal flap, which is lifted up so that the laser can be used to reshape the cornea. During this time, the patient is required to look at a fixation light to allow accurate delivery of the laser light. A camera-tracking device is also used during this time to ensure that the laser light is constantly on target. The computer, based on the refractive error has already calculated the laser power required for each patient. At the end of the pro
