LASIK, or laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is a procedure that uses cool laser energy to reshape the cornea. Candidates should be in good general health and present with a normal ocular health evaluation. The surgery takes about five to ten minutes, with the laser application taking less than two minutes.
The cornea is a part of the eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina. It works in much the same way that the lens of a camera focuses light to create an image on film. The bending and focusing of light is also known as refraction. Usually the shape of the cornea and the eye are not perfect and the image on the retina is out-of-focus (blurred) or distorted.
These imperfections in the focusing power of the eye are called refractive errors. There are three primary types of refractive errors:
- Myopia – A person with myopia, or nearsightedness, has more difficulty seeing distant objects as clearly as near objects.
- Hyperopia – A person with hyperopia, or farsightedness, has more difficulty seeing near objects as clearly as distant objects.
- Astigmatism – Astigmatism is a distortion of the image on the retina caused by irregularities in the cornea, or lens, of the eye. Combinations of myopia and astigmatism or hyperopia and astigmatism are common.
In LASIK surgery, a precise and controlled removal of corneal tissue by a special laser reshapes the cornea, changing its focusing power. LASIK is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, by using an excimer laser. The LASIK flap is created using a highly sophisticated and accurate instrument known as a “microkeratome” to create a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back, revealing the stroma, the middle section of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.
Am I a candidate for LASIK?
The ideal patient has not had a change in their prescription within the last year. This does not exclude candidacy for other patients who also may qualify. The surest way of defining your ability to fully benefit from LASIK is to have your eyes examined.
The LASIK procedure addresses nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK is the procedure of choice for over 2 million eyes every year. LASIK has produced consistently excellent results with rapid healing and minimal, if any, discomfort. This has made LASIK the most popular refractive surgical procedure in history. Although individual results vary, most LASIK patients see well enough to pass their driver’s license test without wearing their eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Our LASIK patients come to us from Boston, Danvers, Lynn, Marblehead, North Shore Boston, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. We provide the following products and services:
- Designer glasses
- Vintage eyewear
- Eyeglass frames for men
- Eyeglass frames for women
- Prescription eye glasses
- Prescription sunglasses
- Men’s sunglasses
- Women’s sunglasses
- Maui Jim sunglasses
- Ray Ban sunglasses
- Polarized sunglasses
- Progressive lenses
- Transitions lenses
- Contact lenses
- Soft contact lenses
- EyeMed Vision Care and VSP vision plans
- VSP eye doctor
For the finest selection of eyeglasses and contact lenses, call Banville Optical today at (978) 745-2774. You can schedule an appointment for an examination with an eye doctor or you can fill out our online Request an Appointment form. We welcome all outside prescriptions, so if you have a current prescription for your eyeglasses or contacts, we can fill that too!
