Lasik Surgery Can Correct AstigmatismAstigmatism surgery is becoming a popular method to correct vision problems. Lasik can give people freedom from glasses and contacts with fairly predictable results. Most cases of astigmatism can be fixed with LASIK. If the astigmatism is caused from cataract surgery, astigmatic keratotomy may be the treatment of choice. Lasik surgery is the safest technique for correction of astigmatism in 90% of patients. LASIK reshapes cornea's stroma layer to correct its refractive ability to allow light to focus on the retina properly. The cornea is the main optical component of the eye. The biggest advantage of LASIK compare to other laser surgery is that it reshapes the deep layers of the cornea. Who can benefit from LASIK astigmatism surgery? Ninety percent of people who have astigmatism will be able to benefit from this corrective surgery. Is astigmatism surgery safe? As long as you have found a good surgeon, LASIK is extremely safe. A few criteria make it even more so. The patient must have stable astigmatism, which happens around 18 when the eyeball stops growing, ranging under 6 diopters. There should be no evidence of Glaucoma, Queratoconus or other eye conditions. The cornea has to be of Adequate thickness. Pregnant women should not have refractive correction surgery. Of course, like any other surgery, LASIK has some risks. A complication typically arises in one out of a hundred patients. However, the problem is usually easily solved. Rarely will a patient suffer severe complications. What do I do to be ready for LASIK? Once your doctor has ruled out other problematic eye conditions, there is no special preparation needed for LASIK. The doctor will complete a topography and pachimetry to map out the exact shape of the eye, along with the cornea's curvature and thickness. This data will help him plan the laser eye surgery. What happens during surgery? During surgery, you will find a special operating bed designed to be used with the excimer laser. The operating microscope will be located in front of you . Throughout the surgery, the microscope will project a bright light. The doctor will cover your face with sterile drapes with oxygen given under them. To maintain the sterile field, you should not touch the drapes. To keep your eyes open, a small device will be placed on the eyelids. You will only feel pressure as the first cut is made with the microkeratome. As the microkeratome blocks the light as it passes in front of the eye, the doctor will have you to look inside the laser for a blinking light. You should try your best to hold your head and eye completely still. Finally, the doctor will replace the layers of the cornea to finish the surgery. A solution is used throughout the procedure to keep your eye hydrated; it may feel like cold water. How long will it last and does it hurt? LASIK is performed with anesthetic eye drops. There are no shots or general anesthesia. You will be awake the whole time but feeling no pain. The surgery takes only 5 minutes per eye, usually. This is an out-patient operation so no hospitalization is needed. What do I do after surgery? For proper recovery, do not squeeze your eye for the first 5 days afterwards. Normally, it will feel like something is in your eye, like an eyelash. Although you leave with no bandages, for a couple of days your vision will be blurry. The doctor will prescribe eye drops for 2 to 3 weeks. Only two weeks after surgery, you should be back to your normal activities. How well will it work? The final outcome of astigmatism surgery depends on how well you could see with glasses or contacts before surgery. Usually, you will be able to see without glasses as well as you did with glasses. The majority of patients (90%) have better than 20/40 vision within one week after LASIK. |