lasik eye surgery los angeles

LASIK, Laser Vision Correction in Los Angeles

The LASIK surgeons at the East West Eye Institute utilize the latest technology such as the VISX S4 excimer laser with advanced eye tracking capability and CustomVue wavefront technology. All are Board certified ophthalmologists with years of experience performing lasik and other refractive surgical procedures. We welcome you to a free LASIK evaluation to determine if you indeed are a candidate.

How LASIK Eye Surgery Works

LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce or eliminate one’s dependency on glasses or contacts. The term LASIK stands for Laser Assisted In-situ Keratomileusis. This is just a fancy way of stating that a cool laser beam is used to gently reshape the cornea, ie the clear dome or window forming the front surface of the eye. It is the shape of the cornea that determines whether one has a refractive error. A person with pure myopia, or nearsightedness, has a rounded cornea that is too steep. A person with pure hyperopia, or farsightedness, has a rounded cornea that is too flat. A person with astigmatism has a cornea that is irregularly shaped, like a football or the back surface of a spoon. In other words, it is not perfectly round. One can have astigmatism in addition to nearsightedness or farsightedness. With LASIK, an excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea. In the case of nearsightedness, the steep cornea is made flatter, in farsightedness, the flat cornea is made steeper. Perhaps an easier way to understand lasik is to think of the laser incorporating one’s glasses or contact lens prescription directly onto the surface of the eye.

There are essentially 2 major steps to the LASIK procedure. After the eye is numbed with special numbing eyedrops, an instrument called a microkeratome is used to create a thin flap of corneal tissue. The thin flap is gently lifted away from the surface of the eye. It remains attached to the eye by a small hinge however. The second step of the LASIK procedure involves the actual application of laser. The laser treatment is applied beneath this thin corneal flap to reshape the cornea to the desired contour. The flap is then gently positioned back into place. Due to the unique characteristics of the cornea, the flap heals into place without the need for stitches. The cornea is permanently reshaped into the desired contour thereby decreasing or eliminating one’s refractive error and thus their need for glasses or contacts.

Selecting Your LASIK Eye Surgeon

At the East Wets Eye Institute we realize you have many options for Lasik in Los Angeles. We feel that the right surgeon can often be the difference between a successful procedure and one with a suboptimal result.  Asking the right questions is very important when selecting a quality LASIK surgeon. We have included this list of questions on our website to better educate LASIK candidates as to what they should look for when selecting a LASIK surgeon.

Sources:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/default.htm
http://www.aao.org/

LASIK Facts from the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/lasik.htm

Other Facts About Lasik Eye Surgery:

• Lasik involves serious eye surgery to a very sensitive and delicate part of the eye.
• Hundreds of thousands of people have had LASIK eye surgery.
• As with any surgery, there are risks and possible lasik related complications. Never hesitate to do alternative research on the associated risks with this type of LASIK eye surgery or laser vision correction.

COSMETIC PROCEDURES