To do this a suction ring will be applied to your eye to create pressure and keep your eye from moving. You may feel some discomfort during this process. Once the flap in the cornea is created a computer will be used to adjust the laser that will reshape your cornea.
Numbing drops are applied to your eyes prior to surgery to make your LASIK procedure comfortable and decrease your natural urge to blink. Also, a small device will hold your eyelids open during the procedure so you can't accidentally blink and your eyelids cannot interfere with any step of the surgery.
If not, the technology instantaneously compensates for any movements. This incredible technology means that even if you move your eye, blink, sneeze – or even fall from the bed – the results of your surgery will not be affected.
The motor supply of the extraocular muscles and levator palpebrae superioris is carried by the oculomotor (III), trochlear (IV), and abducens (VI) nerves. Paralysing these muscles by blocking their motor supply provides akinesia so that the eye does not move during surgery.
First things first: You will not be able to blink during the actual surgery. Patients are often worried that they will not be able to keep their eyes open during LASIK surgery. Well, the good news is that you do not have to—we do it for you!
Most retinal surgery is performed while you are awake. Retinal surgery is usually painless and performed while you remain awake and comfortable. Advances in technology have decreased the length of surgery making outpatient eye surgery possible.
Many people worry that blinking or sneezing during laser surgery will affect the end results. Fortunately, that's not the case.
Should you sneeze during the procedure, the laser will simply shut off and readjust. Once you have settled back into a still position, the laser will resume, perfectly centered, to complete treatment. Sneezing, blinking, coughing or any other involuntary movement will not affect the outcome of the LASIK procedure.
Fortunately, LASIK eye surgery is not painful. Right before your procedure, your surgeon will place numbing eye drops into both of your eyes. While you may still feel a little bit of pressure during the procedure, you should not feel any pain.
Plus, a small device holds the eyelids open during the procedure so the patient can't accidentally blink and your eyelids open during the procedure so the patient doesn't unintentionally blink and their eyelids can't interfere with any stage of the surgery.
The doctor will gently tape your eyelids open to expose the entire cornea. Next, the laser will be applied to the corneal surface. This takes 10-30 seconds—depending on how much the cornea needs to be altered.
The actual corneal reshaping is typically done by a laser and lasts less than a minute for each eye. The whole procedure takes about twenty to thirty minutes from start to finish. Going through the procedure without general anesthesia (being put to sleep) will mean less recovery time and fewer overall health risks.
Are there any risks? Most people have some visual side effects and discomfort in the weeks or months after surgery but these should gradually settle down. Serious complications are more common after RLE than after laser eye surgery or PIOL surgery. About 1 in 500 people have significant loss of vision after RLE.
The cost of consultation fees across Australia range and can be as much as $250 each. At personalEYES, your initial LASIK assessment is completely FREE. The actual cost of laser eye surgery ranges from $2,525 to $6,200 per eye in Australia, depending on the clinic and the type of procedure.
During the procedure, the eyelids are held open with a small medical device to prevent blinking. It is therefore impossible for you to close your eye or blink during the procedure. We keep the surface of your eye lubricated with drops, so your eye does not get dry, and you will not feel the need to blink.
During the first few weeks after LASIK, your eyes will still be healing. This may make them more likely to lose moisture, resulting in dry eyes. Using a computer can potentially exacerbate this issue since we tend to blink less when staring at a computer screen.
Be careful not to squeeze your eyelids tightly closed because this could cause the flap to become dislodged. Keep the shields on until the next day.
How long does the laser eye surgery procedure take? You will be in and out of theatre in under 30 minutes, although the length of time that the laser is applied to your eye ranges from just a few seconds to two minutes, depending upon the complexity of your prescription.
You have a thin or irregular cornea
If you have a predisposition to corneal shape irregularity, this can be made worse by laser eye surgery, and a condition called corneal ectasia may develop. This occurs infrequently and can often be treated successfully without the need for a corneal transplant.
Most people recover and are able to resume normal activities 24 hours after laser eye surgery and most patients notice the improvement in their vision straight away.
Recovering with your head down allows the bubble to float into the correct position. The bubble holds the retina in place to heal correctly. Your doctor will tell you how long you need to stay face down. It could be anywhere from a few days to a week or more.
During surgery, we use a local anesthetic to numb your eye so you won't feel anything during the procedure. You'll be awake during surgery, but you won't be able to see what's happening in your eye.
Many patients fear blindness after LASIK; however, to date, there have not been any reported cases of blindness stemming from LASIK. On the other hand, there have been injuries reported from contact lenses. LASIK eye surgery uses a very precise excimer laser to thin out or reshape the cornea.
The American Refractive Surgery Council says the procedure's complication rate is less than 1% (though 30% of people may see short-term side effects like dry eyes).