Laser Surgery Specialist

What is laser eye surgery?

Refractive surgery involves using a specialized laser cutting tool to correct vision problems. There are various types of laser eye surgery, but LASIK is the most common and well-known refractive surgery in the United States.

The goal of laser eye surgery is to improve your vision by making precise changes to the shape of your cornea, or the clear, dome-shaped tissue at the front of your eye. The cornea helps you see by bending (refracting) light rays to focus on your retina.

Why would I need laser eye surgery?

If you’re considering laser eye surgery, chances are you already wear glasses or contact lenses. Laser surgery can correct many of the same common vision problems that glasses and contacts do, including:

• Nearsightedness (myopia)
• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Presbyopia, or the inability to focus up close
• Astigmatism, or an irregularly shaped cornea or lens

The team at Goetzinger Eye Institute may also perform laser surgery to remove a cataract and replace it with a clear intraocular lens.

What should I expect from a LASIK laser surgery procedure?

First, your provider at Goetzinger Eye Institute performs a comprehensive eye exam and reviews your medical history to make sure you’re a good candidate for laser eye surgery.

If you’re considering LASIK or another refractive surgery, they evaluate which areas of your cornea need to be reshaped and the precise amount of tissue they need to remove.

Before the procedure, you may need to stop wearing contacts for a few weeks because contact lenses can change the shape of your cornea. You should also arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure because your vision may be blurry.

A LASIK procedure typically lasts 30 minutes or less for each eye. Your provider at Goetzinger Eye Institute may give you medicine to help you relax. Then, they place numbing drops in your eye and use an instrument to hold your eyelid open.

They use a laser to cut a small flap in your cornea. They fold the flap back to carefully reshape your cornea and then replace the tissue. The flap typically heals without stitches.

After surgery, your provider at Goetzinger Eye Institute gives you eyedrops to help your cornea heal. It usually takes about 3-6 months for your vision to improve after LASIK.

To find out if LASIK or another type of laser eye surgery is right for you, call Goetzinger Eye Institute or book an appointment online today.