Lasik is a laser eye surgery performed with the advanced technology and equipment. The key of the procedure is the laser. The procedure is very advanced but completed in very little time, because of the usage of advanced and sophisticated equipment.
Time Taken For Lasik
The total Lasik procedure needs less than 10 minutes for each of the eye. In these 10 minutes, the core process takes only 20 seconds to 50 seconds to perform the corrections for each of the eye. One needs to prepare to stay in the hospital for at least one and half hours totally.
Before the Procedure
One has to reach the hospital before 30 minutes to 1 hour, the procedure starts. Eye drops are initially applied to get the eye numb, so that any kind of pain would not be occurred. These drops help to reduce any impulse to blink the eye.
Then in a couple of minutes, a small device called precision flap-making instrument is held to hold the eyelids enough open to perform the surgery. Then eye tracker is connected to the monitor. It helps to track the position of the eye. The same device compensates any possible eye movements done involuntarily, so that the laser is focused on the right site and spot. This arrangement is needed to ensure that the eyes are not blinked and any involuntary movements occur to the eye. the patient will be asked to focus over light, fixed specially for this purpose. Then the precision instrument is then activated and reveals the middle cornea layer, after folding the corneal flap. Setting all these arrangements would take about 5 minutes.
During the Procedure
During the procedure, the cornea is attempted to reshape. The procedure of reshaping is different for different refractive error procedure.
For treating nearsightedness or myopia, flattening of cornea is attempted so that the eye converging power can be reduced. It involves removing the excess tissue from the central part of and around the cornea.
For treating farsightedness or hyperopia, the eye converging power is enhanced, through steepening the central cornea. The same is achieved through removal of excess tissue, not from the center but the periphery area.
For treating astigmatism, removal of tissue is performed usually in one direction, by making the cornea as uniformly curved or shape of spherical.
After any one of the procedure is completed, corneal flap is positioned to back. The flap is held naturally in place, till the completion of surface healing
Any one of this procedure takes total of 5 to 7 minutes for each of the eye.
After the Procedure
Once the procedure is over, the patient is held for a moment and is brought to the recovery area. The vision becomes blur and nothing to worry, as it is continued for only a few minutes. The patient has to be accompanied by another person to take home, without needing them to drive.
So, on an overall, the procedure can be completed within 20 minutes and one can get back home in one hour.