Type of Surgery

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Last updated: 11/24/2009

Aftercare

After having LASEK eye surgery, a soft bandage contact lens will be placed on the eye to protect the cornea. This allows the epithelial layer to regrow across the eye. This regrowth takes several days; three-quarters of patients will heal by...

three days after the LASEK procedure and 99 percent will heal within the first week. It is critical to leave the bandage lens in place until the eye has healed. If it is removed too soon, the lens can pull the new epithelial layer away with the lens as it is removed. If this occurs, a new lens is placed and the epithelium must be allowed to heal all over again.
 
Steroid and antibiotic eye drops will need to be used for days to weeks after the LASEK surgery. This prevents infection of the epithelium and reduces inflammation. Deterring inflammation is important to achieve the best results. How well the epithelium and cornea heals can have a direct effect on visual acuity.


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This video shows how vision is dependent on light entering the front of the eye and focusing on the retina at the back of the eye. When this focus cannot be accomplished by the eye muscles or lens of the eye, it results in nearsightedness or farsightedness. Sometimes changes in the cornea can correct these errors of refraction.

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Most laser vision correction procedures like LASIK involve shaping the cornea so that light can be properly focused on the back of the eye, or retina. This video shows how the anatomy of the eye works to harness light so that we can see. The role of the cornea in vision is also discussed.

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Crisp images from our world require that light is focused on the back of the eye. When light cannot focus properly, it is called an error of refraction and is often caused by an irregular or improperly shaped cornea. LASIK improved errors of refraction in the eye by reshaping the cornea, as the animation explains.

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Any object that we see is a collection of light energy focused on the retina. The lens of the eye helps us see near and far things equally well. This animation describes how the lens of the eye changes to accommodate and focus light.

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This narrated animation describes the function of the major structures of the eye, namely the pupil, iris, lens, cornea, and retina.

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Other Information

Surgeons aim for results of 20/20 or better so that you can perform most daily activities without your glasses. However, there is a possibility that after surgery, you may need to wear reading glasses or corrective lenses for at least some activities.


-Eye Surgery Education Council

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