Back to Procedures and Treatments

Watch a LASIK procedure

LASIK surgery is a common surgical procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Using the excimer laser, or cold laser, the doctor removes the damaged tissue beneath the corneal flap with very little or no scarring. The entire procedure from start to finish takes a matter of minutes. Patients have reported clearer vision within a few hours following the surgical procedure.

Advantages of LASIK include:

• Faster healing time
• Rapid visual recovery
• Less risk of scarring
• Less risk of corneal haze
• Less post-op discomfort
• Treatment of a wide range of refractive errors

Procedure

In LASIK, using the IntraLase Laser, a small flap is made on the surface of the cornea. A suction ring will hold the eye in place. You will not see anything or feel any pain, but you may feel some pressure at this time. When the flap is turned over, your vision will become a little blurry. You will be asked to fixate on a red target light.

The excimer laser part of the procedure is performed in 20-60 seconds.

The flap is then placed back into position and the surgeon will wait 3 to 5 minutes for the eye to create a natural vacuum to hold the flap down. The typical LASIK procedure takes about 10 minutes per eye.

Once the surgery is complete, you will be able to go home almost immediately. First, we place some additional drops into your eyes and instruct you on using your medications.

Dr. Jenkins discusses refractive surgery on Olelo's Health TV:

Back to Top