LASIK eye surgery can sound complicated at first, and if you live in New York City, chances are you’re a busy person and don’t have time to learn the ins and outs on your own. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place to get all of the important information quickly and easily? Lucky for you, that’s exactly what we aim to do here!
First, What Exactly Is LASIK Eye Surgery?
LASIK is a surgical procedure that aims to improve eyesight. Your LASIK surgeon achieves this by correcting your “refractive errors”. When you have a refractive error, it means that your cornea is misshapen, causing light to focus improperly onto the retina. This, in turn, causes blurry vision.
Common refractive errors include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Another refractive error, called presbyopia, occurs due to a loss of elasticity by the eye’s lens and is related to age, and cannot be treated with LASIK.
How Does LASIK Work?
The basic goal of LASIK is to reshape the cornea to correct your refractive error, thus allowing light to focus properly.
First, a circular corneal flap is carefully made on the surface of the eye, either using a highly specialized blade, or a laser called a “femtosecond laser”. With the flap pulled back, an excimer laser is used to carefully reshape the cornea, either making it flatter or steeper depending on your needs. The flap is smoothed over and you are sent on your way after some rest. Bear in mind, you won’t be able to drive yourself. Make sure to bring someone that can drive you home.
The entire procedure takes less than 30 minutes, including rest time, assuming you are having both eyes corrected. It is virtually pain-free due to anesthetic eye drops, though you may feel an uncomfortable pressure while the flap is being created.
What Do I Need to Worry About?
The things you’re responsible for can be divided into two categories: before the operation and after the operation.
Before LASIK Surgery:
You will go through a comprehensive eye examination to determine what exactly needs to be done in order to improve your vision.
You will be asked to refrain from wearing contacts for several weeks before the exam (depending on the softness of the contacts), as these can affect the shape of your cornea. You will also need to forgo any makeup, perfumes, lotions, or any other topical face applications. This will help prevent infection, as your eye will be very sensitive after surgery.
As mentioned above, you will need to arrange a ride home.
After LASIK Surgery:
Expect your vision to be blurry immediately after surgery. For some people, vision is noticeably improved after surgery, but still blurry. This should improve rapidly. As the numbing eye drops wear off, you may feel some irritation and discomfort. We recommend taking a nap right after surgery and using lubricating eye drops as needed.
You will need to be very careful as to not hit, rub or otherwise touch your eyes during the healing process. This can significantly hinder the healing process, and make you more prone to complication and infection. Be sure to follow all aftercare instructions as laid out by your LASIK surgeon.
You will attend several post-op checkups to make sure that your recovery is progressing normally. If you ever experience any severe pain, long-lasting visual disturbances or anything else deemed out of the ordinary, contact your eye doctor right away.
NYC Has the Best in LASIK Eye Surgery
Dr. Ken Moadel and his team of eye care specialists are devoted to giving you the sight you deserve. Set up a LASIK consultation at our NYC office today to get more details on the surgery that could improve your vision!
