The Lasik Procedure Itself

LASIK is performed at Williamson Eye Institute using a state-of-the-art microkeratome and the VISX STAR S4 laser with CustomVue laser correction. Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kidd are the proud owners of a battery-backed laser that cannot fail in a power outage. In the event the surgery center would lose power during the Lasik procedure, not only could Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kidd finish the case they were on, but also they would be able to finish the rest of the cases for that day.

1. Once anesthetic drops have been placed on the eye, the suction ring is perfectly centered over the cornea. The suction ring serves to hold the eye in place as it reaches adequate pressure for the microkeratome to function.

2. By using the microkeratome, Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kidd create a partial flap of uniform thickness. The superior portion of the cornea is left uncut to create a hinge. This procedure takes less than 1 minute total.

3. After removing the suction ring and microkeratome, the cornea is folded back to expose the stromal bed, also know as the middle of the cornea.

4. Using the Visx laser, the cornea is then reshaped, based on the amount of the patient's nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or nearsightedness with astigmatism. The more nearsighted a patient is, the more tissue that will need to be removed and the longer the laser time.

5. The last step in in the procedure is to place back the flap into position after being irrigated carefully to remove any potential flap debris. The flap is then smoothed and allowed to dry approximately 2 minutes.