About LASIK At Boothe Eye Care
LASIK is a popular surgical procedure that uses laser technology to correct vision for people living with nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK treatment involves using an excimer laser to reshape the cornea and refocus light on the retina, thereby eliminating blurriness and restoring clear vision for the patient.
Short for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis,” LASIK has quickly become the most common procedure in refractive eye surgery today. New technologies in recent years have enabled surgeons to perform the procedure with incredible precision, by mapping the exact contours of the eye and customizing treatment to address the unique refractive error in each patient’s eye. Recovery time for LASIK is minimal and patients experience little to no discomfort either during or after the procedure.
At Boothe Eye Care, the first step in LASIK procedures involves creating a corneal flap to expose the corneal tissue for reshaping by the laser. The cornea is the clear curved window of the eye that bends the rays of light entering your eye to focus the light on the retina. Optical errors occur when the cornea is not spherical, causing light to focus in the wrong place. In traditional LASIK procedures, the surgeon uses a handheld blade, or microkeratome, to create a thin flap on the surface of the cornea to expose underlying tissues. In INTRALASIK procedures, however, a laser is used to create the incision instead of the blade.
Once created, the corneal flap is gently folded back like a hinge, allowing the laser to vaporize tissues as needed. Several highly advanced systems may be employed to ensure the pinpoint accuracy of the laser during this process and achieve the best possible results for the patient. Dr. William Boothe uses laser energy pulses are meticulously calibrated based on a unique computer-generated map of each patient’s eye. Throughout the procedure, an advanced tracking system follows the eye’s movements, repositioning the laser as needed (up to 4,000 times per second). This phase can last anywhere from a few seconds to one minute, depending on the severity of the optical error.
Once the reshaping is complete at Boothe Eye Care, the corneal flap is restored to its original position where it heals naturally. After resting at the clinic, patients are provided with instructions for administering medicated eye drops and are allowed to return home. Vision may initially be blurry, but many often experience improved vision immediately after the procedure. Most patients are able to resume normal activity shortly thereafter. If you feel complications, feel free to contact Dr. Boothe for more information.
Nearsightedness: Nearsightedness is a condition in which the cornea is shaped too steeply, causing light entering the eye to focus in front of the retina, rather than directly on the retina. People who are nearsighted have blurred vision when viewing objects at a distance. LASIK surgery corrects nearsightedness by removing tissue at the center of the cornea to flatten it out. The medical term for nearsightedness is myopia.
Farsightedness: Farsightedness, or hyperopia, is a condition in which the cornea is shaped too flat, causing light entering the eye to focus behind the retina, rather on the retina. People who are farsighted have trouble seeing objects at a close distance. Treating farsightedness with LASIK surgery requires removing tissue on the outer edges of the cornea to increase the depth of the cornea.
Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a condition that causes eyesight at all distances to be blurred. People with astigmatism have corneas that are abnormally shaped like a football, which prevents light entering the eye from focusing at a single point. This results in vision that is out of focus. Laser surgery can correct this disorder by shaping the tissue to make the cornea more spherical.