Dr. Starling is experienced with consulting patients for eye surgery and is happy to refer to skilled and knowledgeable surgeons in the area. Dr. Starling doesn't do the surgery herself, so this enables her to give a honest non-biased professional opinion regarding the most suitable surgeon for your unique situation. She routinely refers patients for Lasik and other clear lens exchange procedures.
Before considering Lasik or any other refractive surgery, we always recommend you try the newer generation contact lenses. They are better now than ever and are a reversible option, whereas refractive surgery is not.
Introduction to LASIK
LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. You may hear people calling it "LASIX," but the correct name is LASIK, which is short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis."
Why is it so popular? LASIK has advantages over other vision correction procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision usually is achieved by the very next day.
An instrument called a microkeratome is used in LASIK eye surgery to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. Another, newer way of making the flap is with a laser.
The surgeon folds the hinged flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The excimer laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it.
When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.
Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from the LASIK procedure. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Excimer lasers also can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.
Learn more about Vision Surgery including LASIK, PRK, Corneal Transplants and more.
Watch animated 3D videos about common eye conditions.