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LASIK eye surgery

LASIK eye surgery is the best known and most commonly performed laser refractive
surgery to correct vision problems. Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) can be
an alternative to glasses or contact lenses.

During LASIK surgery, a special type of cutting laser is used to precisely change the
shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of your eye (cornea) to improve vision

Why it's done

LASIK surgery may be an option for the correction of one of these vision problems:

 Nearsightedness (myopia). When your eyeball is slightly longer than normal or

when the cornea curves too sharply, light rays focus in front of the retina and blur
distant vision. You can see objects that are close fairly clearly, but not those that are
far away.

 Farsightedness (hyperopia). When you have a shorter than average eyeball or a

cornea that is too flat, light focuses behind the retina instead of on it. This makes
near vision, and sometimes distant vision, blurry.

 Astigmatism. When the cornea curves or flattens unevenly, the result is

astigmatism, which disrupts focus of near and distant vision.

If you're considering LASIK surgery, you probably already wear glasses or contact lenses. Your eye doctor will talk with you about
whether LASIK surgery or another similar refractive procedure is an option that will work for you.
Risks

Complications that result in a loss of vision are very rare. But certain side effects of LASIK eye surgery, particularly dry eyes and temporary
visual problems such as glare, are fairly common.

These usually clear up after a few weeks or months, and very few people consider them to be a long-term problem.