LASIK: What to Expect

To establish your candidacy for LASIK, we must perform a refractive surgery evaluation. A refractive surgery evaluation will encompass everything that our comprehensive eye exam does plus several additional tests:

• Full dilated eye health examination
• Undilated and dilated prescription measurement
• Normal and dim light pupil measurements
• Orbscan II corneal thickness measurement and corneal mapping
• Dry eye evaluation

The refractive surgery evaluation takes about 120 minutes.

Click here for an explanation of the difference between a free LASIK screening and a full LASIK evaluation.

The LASIK Procedure

Once you are found to be a candidate for LASIK, your procedure will be scheduled.

On the day of your procedure, you should have a friend or loved one drive you. Your eyes will be numbed with special drops, and you will be led into the laser suite. You will remain awake throughout the procedure, and will be asked to focus on a fixation light.

LASIK corrects your vision in three steps, shown in the animation to the right:

1. A small instrument called a microkeratome is used to create a thin flap, which is then carefully folded out of the way.
2. The excimer laser reshapes the corneal
3. The flap is replaced, where it adheres naturally.

The procedure takes about 3 minutes per eye, and you will not feel any pain. Return of vision begins immediately following the surgery, and most patients are able to drive and return to their normal activities the following day.