The majority of people considering lasik eye surgery are of the belief that their vision will be near perfect following the surgery and for many of them this is a fair assessment. However, there are some who undergo the cornea reshaping laser surgery who, do not come away with the visual acuity they had expected. The level of expectation and the condition of their eyes before laser eye surgery is only part of the process that determines their satisfaction with the procedure.
When considering wavefront lasik eye surgery, Los Angeles area patients have numerous choices of surgeons and facilities at which the procedure is available. While the procedure can be performed as an outpatient, there are specific instructions the patient must follow before and after lasik surgery to insure their recovery is quick and complete. The lasik eye doctor will meet with the prospective patient to determine if they are a good candidate for laser eye surgery prior to beginning any pre-operative procedures.
People looking to find out about lasik eye surgery generally do so to end their dependence on corrective eye wear and if they wear contact lenses, they will have to go without them for at least six weeks prior to the surgery. If they wear hard contact lenses, the wait will be longer, partly dependent on how many years they have been wearing them, in order for the eye to return to its normal, natural shape.
The patient will also have their eye mapped by the laser eye doctor, which provides a visual picture of the surface of the cornea, along with its peaks and valleys, to determine how much has to be burned away during the laser eye surgery. The procedure actually levels the surface of the cornea, returning it to a natural shape, which provides better focus of light to the lens in the eye, providing clearer vision.
When undergoing lasik eye surgery, Los Angeles patients will be awake and alert, with a light eye anesthetic and a calming drug used to keep them calm during the procedure. The lasik eye surgeon will use the laser to cut a flap in the front layer of the cornea with a hinge left on one side. It will be pulled back to expose the cornea, which is then leveled by laser, according to the map made of the eye's surface. Following the procedure, the flap is placed back in position and checked for air bubbles or any debris that may have made its way onto the eye.
The patient is usually then released, however they will need someone else to drive them home, with a pair of sunglasses to reduce the amount of light that gets through their enlarged pupils. There will be a few precautions they must follow, after leaving the lasik eye surgery Los Angeles center including keeping their hands off their eyes as rubbing can dislodge the loose flap and dry eye is a real possibility. Keeping the eye moist is a real concern, especially for the first few days following the laser eye surgery.
