Lasik – The In and Out of the Procedure

Lasik is a fairly simple surgery that is performed on an outpatient basis to help in correcting vision problems. The patient can walk out of the operating room after the procedure is completed without any assistance. The procedure is very short and does not take more than half hour to get over with the patient remaining alert through the process.

Before the Surgery

Depending on the anxiety levels of the patient, the doctor may or may not advise the patient to take a sedative. This helps in keeping the patient calm and relaxed during the procedure. Before the surgery is initiated, the eye is anaesthetized using an eye drop. This will avoid any pain during the surgery.

Starting Off

Once the initial preparations are complete, the doctor advises the patient to lie down and positions the eye with the laser. Usually, a single eye is operated in one session. A retainer is placed over the eye to be operated to prevent the eyelids from closing down. A suction ring on the retainer helps in maintaining the pressure in the eye. This procedure aids the surgeon to cut the flap in the cornea and does not cause any kind of discomfort to the patient.

Marking the Area

Once the retainer has been placed, the surgeon marks the zone where the flap has to be cut by using a special marking ink. The flap is then shaped using a microkeratome blade or with the help of a laser. The methods used depends on the technique opted for by the surgeon. The flap created is not visualized by the patient owing to it being very thin.

The Actual Surgery

Once the flap has been reflected, the laser is placed in line with the eye. The patient will be asked to gaze at a target light until advised otherwise. The doctor then visualizes the eye through a surgical microscope and the laser is used on the eye which works on the data fed to the computer based on measurements taken during evaluation.

There are certain lasers that require the patient to look at the target light constantly failing which the outcome might not be very good. There are some lasers that are fitted with a tracking device that follows eye movements and helps in getting better results.

The laser targets light on the corneal surface which helps in getting rid of unwanted tissue and in the reshaping of the surface. There is no pain involved with this procedure. All that the patient perceives is the clicking sound from the laser and a slightly acidic odor arising from the removal of tissue. The duration of the treatment depends on the degree of vision problem the patient has.

While the procedure is being performed using the laser and the computer, the surgeon has total control on the laser through out the procedure and can switch it off or on as the case may be.

Immediately After

Once the procedure is over, the patient is generally asked to take rest at the clinic for a short period of time. If the surgeon is handling both the eyes, a gap is given between the surgery for one eye and the next. In many cases, the patients opt to get the surgery for the second eye a week after the first.

There might be some associated pain after the procedure is completed and the effect of anesthesia wears off. To alleviate the pain, the doctor might advise you to take some mild analgesics after the procedure is completed.

Healing

Once back home, the patient should follow the advice given by the doctor as minutely as possible to avoid risk of complications while healing. The patient should take proper rest and take the prescribed medications to avoid any infections from occurring. If any problem arises, the doctor should be consulted immediately to avoid complications from setting in. The healing period is as vital as the surgery itself as the results are dependent on both of these.

The patient should make adequate arrangements beforehand to get somebody to drive them back home once the procedure is completed. The patient is advised rest to allow proper healing to take place. Even though in many instances, there is no need to take off from work the doctors might advice the patient to abstain from work to avoid straining the eye. Also, straining the eye by undertaking any physical activity or sports is best avoided during the healing. Another important thing the patients need to bear in mind is that rubbing or scratching the eye should be avoided at all costs as this can lead to permanent damage and blindness.