It was fifty years ago in Bogota, Columbia when laser eye surgery got its start. When Dr. Jose Ignacio Barraquer finally determined a method called keratomileusis, whereby he could change the eye’s refractive power by altering the shape of the cornea. This procedure has since undergone many innovations. Its value lays in the fact that it has laid the ground work for the techniques that now comprise laser eye surgery.

It is true refractive surgery has enabled so many people to function more fully and have a more active lifestyle, with improved vision. Yet it is not the answer to all the eye conditions.

How does Laser Eye Surgery Work?

The corneas purpose is to bend and focus light, this is called refraction, and creates an image on the retina. If the shape of the cornea and the eye are less than perfect then the image created is blurred. This is called a refractive error. This is where glasses and contacts come in, to compensate for the imperfections of the eye.

During laser eye surgery, the eye doctor accurately aims the laser beam onto the cornea making the tissue disappear, without affecting any other surrounding tissues.  Each pulse of the beam removes a microscopic amount of corneal tissue in a painless way.

Different Laser Eye surgery procedures

1. Laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK), in this procedure a flap is created in the stroma, after which the eye doctor then uses the excimer laser to remove material under the flap.
2. Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis (LASEK) is similar to LASIK, except that the flap is created in the epithelium only, instead of through the epithelium and part of the stroma.
3. Epi-LASIK is like LASEK in that the flap is cut only in the epithelium; however, the eye surgeon uses a separator called an epikeratome, to create an epithelial sheet.
4. Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) procedure is where the eye doctor will use a laser to remove tissue from the surface of the cornea, with the result that the cornea has a new shape, thus reducing the vision problem.
5. Radial Keratotomy (RK) procedure is where the eye doctor makes incisions in a radial (spoke-like) pattern in your cornea, with the aim of flattening it, to reduce nearsightedness.
6. Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK) is the preferred laser refractive surgery wherein the eye doctor will cut the corneas in areas that are too bulgy. To flatten them to a more regular curve.

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Laser Eye Surgery Terms

LASIK stands for laser in situ keratomileusis. In this procedure, the cornea, the front of the eye, is made into a flap, almost like a trap door. The top of the cornea is then folded back, so that the laser can remove a thin layer of tissue. Afterwards the flap is put back in place, and that’s the end of the procedure. This procedure is used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism and usually takes less than one minute per eye.

PRK - which stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), preceded Lasik. Photorefractive alludes to the laser light changing the refraction of the eye. In this procedure laser actually works right on the surface of the eye. There’s no flap. In this procedure, the eye doctor uses the laser to remove tissue from the surface of the cornea. This ablation results in a new shape and usually less than one minute per eye. It is recommended for nearsightedness and mild to moderate farsightedness and astigmatism.