LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure; the name is short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis." Why is it so popular? LASIK has advantages over other procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision is usually achieved almost immediately or at least by the very next day.

A thin flap is created in the cornea, either with an instrument called a microkeratome, or with an all-laser method, Intralase. With traditional LASIK, an instrument known as a microkeratome creates a thin, hinged flap on the eye's cornea. Another method of creating a LASIK flap, introduced in 1999, uses a type of high energy laser (IntraLase) instead of a microkeratome. IntraLase often is marketed as "all laser" LASIK. At this point, clinical results have indicated good results with both methods. Your surgeon will decide which method is most beneficial for your individual case. After the flap is created, the surgeon folds the flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The 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.

In order to decide whether you're a good candidate for LASIK, your eye doctor will examine your eyes to determine their health, what kind of vision correction you need, and how much laser ablation is required. 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. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism, by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

Custom LASIK

The Technology Behind the Procedure Wavefront Technology:

New scanning technology takes LASIK to an entirely new, personalized level. Scanning technology provides your doctor with a unique map of your eye, allowing the surgeon to custom tailor your LASIK procedure to the unique characteristics of your vision. It is groundbreaking because it has the potential to improve not only how much you see, but also how well you can see, in terms of contrast sensitivity and fine detail.   Custom mapping provides a precise, more detailed analysis of the way your entire optical system operates. With the map, your surgeon can have a detailed understanding of your vision correction needs for the development of your personalized laser vision plan. This information is then transferred to the laser, enabling the surgeon to customize your LASIK procedure. The final result is a treatment as unique as your DNA or your fingerprint. With Custom LASIK, a tracking device is used. By automatically tracing the tiny motions of your eye, a new level of accuracy and safety is achieved.

Taking the Mystery out of Laser Vision Correction

The Custom LASIK process begins with a consultation to inform you about the technology and the procedure. An evaluation follows to assess overall eye health and measurements are taken to create a detailed, unique map of your eyes. On the day of the procedure, your personalized correction information is transferred directly to the laser. Custom LASIK works by gently reshaping the cornea with the cool beam from the laser to remove microscopic amounts of tissue less than the thickness of a human hair in most cases to create a new curvature. The procedure typically takes less than a minute and the majority of patients feel little or no discomfort. Many notice immediate results and vision continues to improve over several days. Routine follow-up visits complete the process.

Some of the Proven Benefits of Custom LASIK are:

• Improved overall quality of vision
•  Improved night vision
• Uses the smallest and fastest laser beam for precision and overall improved health of the cornea
• Custom LASIK is 25 times more accurate than the traditional method of measurement
• According to national statistics, 98% of treated eyes achieved 20/20 vision or better
• Customized treatment for each individual