Life123

Home > Beauty > Cosmetic Procedures > LASIK Eye Surgery > How to Decide if LASIK Surgery Is Your Best Option
E-mail Print Facebook Digg
Article ID: 2217
Title: How to Decide if LASIK Surgery Is Your Best Option
By: LuAnn Schindler

Reason for flagging?



Comments:



How to Decide if LASIK Surgery Is Your Best Option

Eyeslasiklaser

Wear glasses or contacts and wish you could see without them? LASIK surgery is an option, but you need to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

What Is LASIK Surgery?
LASIK is a surgical process that lowers a person’s reliance on glasses or contact lenses. LASIK is an acronym for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. The procedure changes the shape of the cornea, which is the clear covering of the front of the eye, by using a laser. A blade or laser keratome cuts a section of the cornea, forming a hinge on one end. The section is folded back so the stroma, or midsection of the cornea, is uncovered. A computer operated laser vaporizes part of the stroma, and the original section of the cornea is replaced.

What Happens Before the Procedure?
If you think LASIK might work for you, you will need to consult your eye doctor. Contact lens wearers need to stop wearing them for several weeks prior to the initial appointment with the eye doctor since contact lenses change the shape of the cornea. Your cornea needs to be in its original shape for the doctor to figure out how to reshape the cornea with the laser.

The amount of time you need to go without wearing your lenses depends on which type of lenses you use. Anyone who wears soft contact lenses should stop wearing them two weeks before going to the doctor. Those who wear rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses should take them out three weeks ahead of time, and hard lens wearers need to take them out four weeks in advance.