General information for families:
The following information is intended to help you make an informed decision about having Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) or laser eye treatment to correct your vision. The most satisfied patients are those who have a thorough understanding of the procedure and realistic expectations.
Millions of people worldwide have undergone LASIK without complications.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved of the use of the Wavelight Allegretto excimer laser for use in LASIK. We have upgraded to the Next Generation Laser – The Wavelight Concerto 500 Hz – The only one of its kind in India.
LASIK is one of a number of alternatives for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism.
LASIK is an elective procedure. There is no emergency condition that requires or demands that you have it performed.
An Overview of the LASIK Procedure
LASIK permanently changes the shape of the cornea. It is performed under topical anaesthetia (drops in the eye). The procedure involves folding back a thin layer of corneal tissue (corneal flap) with an instrument called a microkeratome. The excimer laser painlessly reshapes the cornea with submicron precision. The flap is replaced and bonds back into place. The procedure causes the center of the cornea to flatten in the case of nearsightedness, or steepen in the case of farsightedness or become more rounded in the case of astigmatism. This changes the focusing power of the cornea.
An Overview of the LASIK Procedure
The goal of LASIK is to improve vision to the point of not being dependent on glasses or contact lenses, or to the point of wearing very thin (low powered) glasses, usually for very visually-demanding tasks.
Additional procedures, spectacles, or contact lenses may be required to achieve best vision, depending on your refractive powers. LASIK does not correct the condition known as presbyopia, which occurs to most people around age 40 and may require them to wear reading glasses for close-up work. If you presently need reading glasses, you will likely still need reading glasses after this treatment. If you do not need reading glasses, you may need them at a later age. LASIK does not prevent or hasten development of naturally occurring eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal degeneration or detachment.
Overcorrection or Undercorrection: It is not possible to precisely predict how each individual eye will respond to this procedure. As a result a small correction (“number”) may remain. It is possible that your initial results could regress over time. It may be beneficial to have an additional procedure to fine-tune or enhance the initial result, called retreatment. In some cases spectacles may be required for very demanding visual tasks such as night driving or heavy computer usage, or as age related changes occur in the optics of your eyes.
LASIK will reduce or eliminate your dependency on glasses or contact lenses depending on your powers and corneal shape and thickness. LASIK will not treat the aging change called presbyopia (wherein glasses are required for close-up work usually after age 40)