LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK reshapes the cornea with a laser so that light focuses on the retina without glasses. Your surgeon lifts a thin flap in the surface of the cornea, applies the excimer laser to the layer beneath, and lays the flap back down, where it seals without stitches.

It treats short sight, long sight and astigmatism within a defined range. Suitability depends on the thickness and shape of your cornea, the stability of your prescription over the last year and the health of your tear film, so a detailed scan and dry eye assessment come first. Eyes with thin or irregular corneas are steered towards other options, since reshaping a weak cornea can destabilise it.

Anaesthetic drops numb the eye and you stay awake. A ring holds the eye still while the flap is created, either with a femtosecond laser or a blade, and vision dims for those few seconds. You then look at a blinking target while the excimer laser runs, which takes 10 to 30 seconds per eye and is accompanied by a clicking sound and a faint smell.

Both eyes are usually done in the same session and you are in the laser room for about 15 minutes in total. Someone else needs to drive you home.

The eyes water, sting and feel gritty for three to five hours, and sleeping through that period is the easiest way to pass it. Vision is usually functional the next morning and most people are back at work in one to two days.

Use the drops as prescribed and wear the eye shields at night for a week. Do not rub the eyes at all for a month, since the flap is held by healing and not by stitches. Avoid swimming pools for two weeks and dusty or smoky environments for a few days. Vision fluctuates for several weeks and settles by about three months.