You no doubt have heard about LASIK eye surgery, but may not be exactly sure what it is. The full name of the procedure is Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. That is a long-winded way of saying laser surgery. The benefit of the procedure is that it corrects your vision problems, making it unnecessary to wear glasses or contact lenses.

If you are interested in the procedure, you should contact your eye care professional who handles your normal routine eye care. He may be licensed to perform the procedure or, if not, may be able to give you a referral to someone who can.

The first step will be a consultation to determine whether you are a good candidate for the procedure. The doctor will give you an eye exam, ask you questions about your vision and medical history, and likely look through your records to see if your vision has gotten worse over time or stayed pretty steady. The doctor will use a corneal topographer to make an image, or map, of your cornea so that he can know how to perform the procedure.

The surgery will be performed as an outpatient procedure and is relatively quick. You will be awake during the procedure. You will receive eye drops that work as an anesthetic so that you cannot feel pain in your eyes. Then the doctor will use a laser to create a flap on the surface of the eye, so that the doctor can have access to the cornea. He will then make whatever adjustments are necessary to your cornea, based on the vision problems you have.

Most people claim to have little pain from the procedure, and many can see the next day. You can opt to have both procedures done at once or have them done a week apart. You can discuss with your surgeon which option is best for you.

It is important to note a few things about this procedure. First, while it does offer many patients the possibility of 20/20 vision, it will not achieve that result in all people. Those people who have especially strong prescriptions for their eyeglasses may still need to wear glasses after the surgery. Of course, their eyeglasses would be a much weaker prescription than before. In that way, it may benefit people in a different, but still valuable, way.

Also, as you age, your vision may decrease naturally. It is common for adults over 40 to need reading glasses, for example. This is likely not going to change, even if you have LASIK.

Another thing that many people don’t know is that LASIK is not an option for children and teens under the age of 18. This is because the FDA has only approved the practice for adults. This is a result of the eyes still growing and changing shape during the childhood and teen years.

While it is not as scary as you may have feared, it is still a serious procedure. For that reason, it is important that you choose a licensed, qualified surgeon to perform the procedure.

About the Author: Mark Masters has authored may pieces on the eye care & surgery industry and enjoys keeping his readers up to date in this field