LASIK - Process

At this time, LASIK is the most-commonly employed method for the correction of refractive errors worldwide.⁴

However, it can only be applied when the cornea is sufficiently thick (≥500 µm). ⁵
Because the procedure is executed underneath the surface of the cornea (the surface itself is sensitive to pain), the patient remains free of discomfort.⁶

Both eyes can be treated in one session using local drip anaesthesia. An analgesic can also be administered beforehand at the request of the patient. The actual procedure normally lasts a few minutes in each case.
First, a thin, round corneal lamella (flap) is peeled away and folded over to the side together with the epithelium, the topmost protective layer, using a small corneal blade (microkeratome). With the aid of a computer-guided laser (excimer laser), the correction is made in the inside area of the cornea (stroma) through the abrasion of a pre-determined layer thickness of corneal cells. The lamella is then folded back to its original position. The small corneal covering (including the epithelium) thus functions, to a certain extent, as the body's own ocular bandage. The reattachment of this flap should be realized within a few days; completion connation requires several weeks.⁷

Your doctor can clarify the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure as well as your personal suitability for it in a private preliminary conversation.