You may well have heard of laser eye surgery, but have you heard of lasik? This is short for "Laser in situ Keratomileusis" and it is a particular type of refractive laser eye surgery. It is used for a variety of conditions of the eye and can correct short and long sightedness among other things. During the procedure, a small incision is made in the cornea. An excimer laser is then used to change the shape of the central part of the cornea called the stroma and therefore make the necessary correction. The flap is then replaced to complete the surgery. Although it may sound like a serious operation, it is just a few minutes long and totally painless for the patient who is under anesthetic.

There are a few different types of lasik surgery. Advanced surface ablation (ASA) reshapes the cornea as described above but without lifting the flap of the cornea. This is one of the most advanced types of laser eye surgery and is only used in a small number of cases. Recovery time for this type of surgery can be a few weeks as opposed to a few days as in other types of procedure. Blended vision is another form that treats each eye separately to improve both short and long sightedness. In other words one eye is reshaped to correct short sightedness and the other eye is corrected to balance out long sightedness. For surgery where the corneal flap is created with a laser the procedure is called IntraLasik. Although this does take longer to do, because the flap is thinner and neater there are fewer imperfections made.

Finally there is Wavefront or custom lasik surgery. This procedure is tailor made to the individual and their unique eye structure. A 3D map of the eye is created by measuring light as it travels through it. Using this map a comparison can be made between it and an eye that has perfect sight. From here the surgeon or eye doctor has a guide to what needs doing to the eye in order to correct any problems. A range of disorders can be corrected with Wavefront lasik surgery including halos and glare.

There are a large number of conditions that can be helped with lasik surgery. Included in these are myopia which is the correct name for short sightedness or nearsightedness as it is sometimes known. This happens when a person's cornea is too curved. During laser treatment to correct this problem, a laser flattens the front surface of the cornea. Hyperopia is another condition that can be corrected with lasers. This is long sightedness or farsightedness and occurs when the cornea is not quite curved enough. The procedure to correct this involves removing tissue from the cornea to make it more curved. Another common problem that can be fixed with lasik surgery is astigmatism. This is when the cornea curves differently in one direction than it does in the other. Both short and long sightedness can be caused and even blurred vision. Although it is not sight threatening it can cause problems to anyone growing up with the condition. During the procedure the steepest part of the cornea is reshaped to make it more spherical.

Lasik surgery is very popular because it is quick, painless and can have your eyes restored and back to normal (with perfect sight) in just a day or two. There are very few risks and it is an effective treatment for all types of conditions. Lasik laser eye surgery has helped people all over the world see better. When considering UK medical centres that specialise in this kind of eye surgery, Yorkshire is just one area that contains an appropriate eye hospital. They provide a great alternative to wearing glasses or contacts throughout life. Laser treatment works well for cataract eye surgery too.