What does “LASIK” mean?

LASIK is an acronym that stands for Laser Assisted in-situ Keratomileusis. This means that an excimer laser is used to sculpt a glasses prescription onto the cornea. A flap is created on the cornea (which acts like a bandaid), which is lifted to expose the inner layer of the cornea. The custom laser treatment is applied to the inner layer of the cornea, and the flap is gently replaced.

Am I a candidate for LASIK?

  • 20 years old
  • Stable glasses prescription for at least 1 year
  • Normal corneal shape and thickness
  • Free of eye disease

How is LASIK done?

At LCC, we understand that you feel nervous about eye surgery, and are committed to making the LASIK process as easy and stress-free as possible for you. When you come to LCC on the day of surgery, you will be given 2 small tablets to help you feel more relaxed. The procedure takes about 20 minutes and is not painful. After the LASIK procedure is done, we will give you a package with the eye drops you need and clear written instructions. The nurse will give some frosted goggles to wear for the first day, and Dr. Lane will check your eyes himself the next day.

At LCC, all LASIK is performed using a “LASER ONLY, BLADE FREE” technique. This is a more accurate and safer technique using a femtosecond laser to make the LASIK flap. No microkeratome is used at LCC.

There are 2 parts to the procedure:

  • Flap creation - you will feel some pressure as the flap is being made. This takes 30 seconds.
  • Excimer laser treatment - the excimer laser treatment is completely painless. You will hear a buzzing noise, and see some water moving.

 

What equipment is used at LCC for refractive surgery?

FEMOT LOV z4FEMTO-LDV Z4

At LCC, we are proud to offer the latest technology for custom vision correction. A ziemer femtosecond laser is used to make LASIK flaps.

The LDV Ziemer femtosecond laser is an advanced low energy laser that allows for 3D custom corneal flaps (adjustable flap thickness from 90-160 microns, and adjustable diameter from 6.5-10mm).

These special 3D laser flaps create an advanced “self centering” flap which makes the procedure safer.

The Ziemer femtosecond laser has lower energy settings, and higher repetition rates than other femtosecond lasers, which allows for faster visual recovery.

Once the flap is made, an excimer laser is used to sculpt the glasses prescription onto the cornea.

Wavelight EX 500Wavelight EX500 

At LCC, we are proud to offer the new Wavelight EX500 excimer laser, the world’s fastest excimer platform, offering the widest range of customized laser treatments.

The EX500 uses WAVENET to link all diagnostic equipment directly to the laser, so any custom treatment plans are directly sent to the laser (no risk of transcription errors).

The EX500 maps to your eye and adjusts for cyclotorsion (rotation of the eye when you lie down).

This “cyclotorsion adjustment” is critically important if you have astigmatism, as the ablation needs to be placed exactly at the correct axis. The EX500 is also able to perform custom “topography guided” treatments to correct for higher order aberrations on the cornea.

The WAVELIGHT EX500  maps to an individual person’s eye, and track eye movements during treatments with 2 milliseconds of latency; in other words, the laser is able to track your eye, faster than you are able to move it.

  • New LASIK video of “Owen” (coming soon)

What are the risks with LASIK?

It is the most widely performed surgery in the world (over 40 million procedures in the last 20 years)
LASIK technology has progressed over the past 20 years, similar to how computer technology has advanced. LASIK is a very safe procedure, but does come with some risk, as any surgical procedure.

Intraoperative
  • Flap problem - this is very rare with the “bladeless approach”
  • Decentered ablation  - very rare with modern excimer lasers
Postoperative
  • Undercorrection or overcorrection of prescription (occurs about 2% of cases). An enhancement can be performed once the refraction is stable (usually around 3 months)
  • Dry eyes
  • Epithelial ingrowth - surface tissue grows under the flap (very rare with bladeless approach)
  • Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis - a haziness at the flap interface
  • Corneal Ectasia - a thinning problem of the cornea, which may require cross linking treatment

Is LASIK painful?

The procedure is not painful.

Will LASIK affect my night vision?

Older LASIK treatments flattened the cornea but did not smooth the edges of the treatment ablation well, which sometimes caused halos and glare at night.

Newer technology provides custom smoothing at the edges of the laser treatment ablation, allowing for a more natural shape of the cornea.

With modern LASIK halos/glare at night should be the same or better as pre-operatively.