Laser eye surgery is a refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. It is performed by ophthalmologists using a laser. This surgery reshapes corneas for sharper vision. This surgery is also known as LASIK (Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis).
LASIK is similar to other similar corrective procedures such as photorefractive keratectomy, ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation) though it provides benefits such as faster patient recovery and simplicity of operation. Both Laser Eye Surgery and ASA (also known as PRK – Photorefractive Keratoctomy) represent advances over radial keratoctomy in the surgical treatment of vision problems and are thus viable alternatives to wearing corrective eye glasses ot contact lenses for many patients after the operations.
The operation involves creating a thin flap on the eye, folding it to enable remodeling of the tissue beneath with a laser. The flap is repositioned and the eye is left to heal in the post operative period.