LASIK eye surgery is an outpatient refractive surgery procedure. It is performed under local anesthesia in a same-day surgery center or a surgeon's office. It is performed while you are awake, but sometimes your doctor may give you a mild sedative to make you relax.
LASIK is a painless surgical procedure typically performed on both eyes during the same session.
First, you will lie down in a bed, which is adjusted to exactly line up the eye to be treated with the laser. One of your eyes is covered to reduce distraction.
Next, the medical staff clean your eye with a cotton swab. Then they put anaesthetic drops in your eye. These drops keep you from feeling pain during the LASIK procedure and help keep you from blinking. You may be given other medicine as well.
After your eye has been cleaned and medicated. Your LASIK surgeon places a metal device in your eye called the speculum. The speculum keeps your eye open during surgery. This might feel a little uncomfortable, that's normal.
You will be asked to look at a blinking red light. This helps make sure your eye remains in the correct position during LASIK surgery. Next, the doctor makes three or four ink marks in your eye. These marks show the doctor exactly where to put the flap. When the procedure is done, you will not feel the ink marks being applied.
Then your LASIK doctor places a small metal plate on your eye called a suction ring. The suction ring helps to hold your eyes still during surgery. After the suction ring is in place, it is pushed down onto the cornea. This will not hurt but it may feel like a vacuum has been placed on your eye.
Your vision may go black for a few moments. These sensations are normal. The doctor then starts the LASIK flap creation process. First, He puts a cutting tool on top of the suction ring. The cutting tool is called a microkeratome.
Next, the doctor uses the cutting tool to make a small incision in the top of the cornea. You may feel a slight tugging sensation on your eye. The doctor then returns the cutting tool to its original position. This leaves a flap of tissue on the top of the cornea.
The doctor pulls the flap back with a thin metal rod. You will still be able to see but your vision may become hazy. The Excimer laser is then projected into your eye for a few moments. You won't see the laser, but you may hear a loud clicking and notice a burning smell. The laser stops when the cornea is in the right shape.
The doctor may add eye drops and clean the exposed area. The flap is then put back into its original place using a small metal rod. The doctor makes sure it is in the right place by lining up the ink marks, more drops are placed in your eye to make sure it heals well, the speculum holding your eye open is removed and you will be asked to blink a few times.
Watch the video to learn how LASIK laser eye surgery is performed.