Today?s technological advancements have contributed a lot to the field of medicine. One of the areas that has benefited a lot through these improvements is Opthalmology. LASIK eye surgery is one of the latest laser assisted treatment methods used today to treat vision related problems. The acronym LASIK is from Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis. There are different types of eye surgery performed today and one of the types is custom LASIK. Custom LASIK is also commonly known as wavefront LASIK.
Custom LASIK is performed only to those who qualify the examination of the physician based on the guidelines offered by the Food and Drug Administration Committee. So anyone and everyone cannot undergo this surgery. Your ophthalmologist will be able to advise you on your suitability for this type of eye surgery. If you do not qualify then your physician will be able advise on a suitable method of treatment.
Custom LASIK is not suitable to treat all forms of corneal aberrations, it can be used only to treat myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. It is one of the most expensive forms of eye surgery procedures. The type of procedure required to treat your eye will be decided by your ophthalmologist after a close examination of your eye condition.
The reason why Custom LASIK is called Wavefront LASIK is due to the usage of wavefront device to diagnose the corneal aberrations. The wavefront device creates a 3D map which helps the surgeon during the operation. Many go for Custom LASIK because it has very little post operative complications when compared to other forms of eye surgery.
There are number of steps to be followed for LASIK eye surgery. The preparation stage starts at least 7 days a head of the procedure. The patient is asked to stop the usage of any contact lenses he or she may have been using. During the preparatory stage the corneal thickness is measured to help the surgeon understand the problems in the cornea. The patient for Custom LASIK is prescribed antibiotics to prevent post surgery infection.
The next step in the LASIK eye surgery is the surgery itself. For Custom LASIK procedure, the candidate is not given total anesthetic to ensure that the patient is awake. They are given mild dose of anesthesia and anesthetic eye drops. Once prepared this way, the next step is to create a flap in the cornea. The flap that is created is folded back and held in position so that the surgeon can reshape the cornea beneath the flap created. The remodeling is done through laser beam.
Once the inner layer of cornea is reshaped the flap created in the previous stage of the custom LASIK procedure is put back to its original form. So special material is used to seal back the flap in the eye surgery. It heals naturally.
At the completion of the LASIK eye surgery the patient has to take all possible preventive measures so as to avoid any possible infections of the eye. Though Custom LASIK procedure has very little post operative risks, usual care is given like any other form of eye surgery. The patients are given special dark glasses after the Custom LASIK procedure to prevent the exposure to bright light that will hinder the healing process.
Before you talk to the salesman at the surgery center get the unbiased facts about the pros and cons of the custom lasik procedure. Check out all the best insider tips on lasik eye surgery. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.