LASIK Frequently Asked Questions

The eye care experts at Wills Eye Physicians Bailey Weber Wisner tackle your LASIK frequently asked questions and provide the ins and outs of this extremely common procedure. 

What is LASIK?

LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.  Basically, you’re using a laser to reshape the surface of the eye to focus light differently. You can think of it like embedding the prescription on the surface of the eye, which is how it can reduce or eliminate a person’s need for glasses or contacts.

Does LASIK refer to one specific procedure, or is it a catch-all term?

In general, LASIK is a catch-all term, almost like Kleenex is for tissues. The predecessor to LASIK was a procedure called PRK or photorefractive keratectomy, and it’s still used today. The reason that LASIK is the most popular procedure is because the healing process is very quick. People often see better the day after surgery with minimal discomfort.

How would you describe the risk involved in a LASIK procedure?

In general, LASIK is a very safe procedure, but it needs to be performed on people who are good candidates. The surgery itself is relatively straightforward, but there’s a lot of legwork that goes into determining if someone qualifies. There are always risks when you do eye surgery, and, with LASIK, it’s completely elective since the candidate can see perfectly fine with glasses or contacts. The actual risk of permanent vision damage is very low for good LASIK candidates

People who are not great candidates for LASIK are people who have certain types of eye disorders. For example, people with significant dry eye, or people who have very high degrees of refractive error. A very high degrees of astigmatism, nearsightedness, or farsightedness would also disqualify a candidate. At Wills Eye Physicians Bailey Weber Wisner, we’re fairly conservative about who we’ll offer the procedure to because we don’t want anybody to have a problem.

 

 

 

The eye care experts at Wills Eye Physicians Bailey Weber Wisner tackle your LASIK frequently asked questions and provide the ins and outs of this extremely common procedure. 

What is LASIK?

LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.  Basically, you’re using a laser to reshape the surface of the eye to focus light differently. You can think of it like embedding the prescription on the surface of the eye, which is how it can reduce or eliminate a person’s need for glasses or contacts.

Does LASIK refer to one specific procedure, or is it a catch-all term?

In general, LASIK is a catch-all term, almost like Kleenex is for tissues. The predecessor to LASIK was a procedure called PRK or photorefractive keratectomy, and it’s still used today. The reason that LASIK is the most popular procedure is because the healing process is very quick. People often see better the day after surgery with minimal discomfort.

How would you describe the risk involved in a LASIK procedure?

In general, LASIK is a very safe procedure, but it needs to be performed on people who are good candidates. The surgery itself is relatively straightforward, but there’s a lot of legwork that goes into determining if someone qualifies. There are always risks when you do eye surgery, and, with LASIK, it’s completely elective since the candidate can see perfectly fine with glasses or contacts. The actual risk of permanent vision damage is very low for good LASIK candidates

People who are not great candidates for LASIK are people who have certain types of eye disorders. For example, people with significant dry eye, or people who have very high degrees of refractive error. A very high degrees of astigmatism, nearsightedness, or farsightedness would also disqualify a candidate. At Wills Eye Physicians Bailey Weber Wisner, we’re fairly conservative about who we’ll offer the procedure to because we don’t want anybody to have a problem.

 

 

woman prepares for LASIK after having her frequently asked questions answered