LASIK in Southern Utah Eye Care – Everything You Need to Know (2021)
What is LASIK?
Southern Utah Eye Care offers LASIK surgery for people with refractive errors to restore their vision without wearing eyeglasses.
LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.
During this procedure, an ophthalmologist at Southern Utah Eye Care will use the beams of the laser to reshape your cornea – a dome-shaped window that aids in light refraction.
You see, all refractive errors are the result of an imperfect focus of light on the retina. In other words, the light coming from different objects is not perfectly projected on the retina, leading to blurry vision.
The LASIK procedure fixes this issue by reshaping the structure of the cornea.
In this article, we will cover the different aspects of LASIK surgery in Southern Utah Eye Care to prepare you for the procedure.
The indications of LASIK surgery in Southern Utah Eye Care
At Southern Utah Eye Care, surgeons recommend the LASIK surgery for the following conditions:
Nearsightedness
Nearsighted individuals can visualize close objects perfectly normal. However, distant objects look blurry and unclear. This condition is also known as myopia.
According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), myopia occurs because the eyeball axis is long in relation to the cornea. Therefore, light focuses in front of the retina – it is supposed to project on the retina.
Farsightedness
Farsightedness is known as hyperopia, where someone can see distant objects more clearly than nearby items.
Hyperopia occurs due to the short axis of the eyeball, or when the cornea is flatter than usual. In this case, the light focuses behind the retina.
Astigmatism
In astigmatism, the cornea curves unevenly, which creates several focal points. Astigmatic individuals experience:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Eyestrain
- Difficulty with night vision
- Squinting
All the vision problems listed above can benefit from LASIK surgery at Southern Utah Eye Care, especially when the patient does not prefer corrective eyewear.
To learn in detail about the different refractive errors, click on this link (insert link of the previous article).
How to prepare for LASIK surgery
There are numerous ways to prepare yourself for the LASIK procedure, including:
Avoiding contact lenses – wearing contact lenses can change the shape of the cornea, which may influence the effectiveness of the procedure. Instead, opt for eyeglasses before the surgery.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that candidates for LASIK should stop wearing contact lenses in the following order:
- Soft contact lenses: stop wearing them for 2 weeks.
- Toric soft lenses or rigid gas permeable lenses: stop wearing them for 3 weeks.
- Hard lenses: stop wearing them for 4 weeks before the first evaluation.
Wear appropriate clothes – clothes that produce lint can be irritating for the eyes.
Arrange for transport – do not drive immediately after the LASIK procedure. Instead, ask a relative or friend to drive you home.
Avoid makeup or lotions – to minimize the risk of infection, the eyes and face must stay clean.
During the procedure – LASIK surgery in Southern Utah Eye Care
In the Southern Utah Eye Care clinic, LASIK surgery takes less than 30 minutes.
Our experts will conduct a thorough examination of your eyes to look for any signs of infection, inflammation, or physical injury. Intraocular hypertension also needs to get excluded.
While patients can stay awake during the procedure, sedative medications may be necessary to make them relax.
The procedure starts with numbing drops administered into your eyes. There is also an instrument to hold the eyelids open.
The surgeon will use a soft corneal suction ring to hold the eye in place – it may cause the vision to dim.
Following this step, your surgeon will use a tiny blade to cut a hinged flap at the front of the cornea. With the flap folded back, it is time for the laser beams to remodel the cornea.
To produce precise results, the laser uses a tracking system that follows the eye’s movements to avoid targeting irrelevant corneal tissue.
Once the remodeling is over, your surgeon will carefully reposition the flap back into place over the cornea.
Finally, a natural adhesive is used to keep the flap in place.
Recovery time
While patients will be able to see shortly after the LASIK procedure, the FDA notes that the eye requires 3–6 months to fully heal.
Your doctor will instruct you to wait 3 days before engaging in non-contact sports. For strenuous contact sports, you need to wait at least 4 weeks.
Also, remember to not go swimming until 2 months have passed.
Additionally, you should avoid using cosmetic products around the eyes for 2 weeks to reduce the risk of infection.
LASIK Vs. PRK
Photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK for short, is another laser technique that improves eyesight.
PRK also uses laser beams to reshape the corneal surface in order to correct refractive errors. Unlike LASIK, however, PRK removes the most superficial layer of the cornea – known as the epithelium. After that, the surgeon will reshape other layers of the cornea to fix any irregularities.
PRK is highly accurate in correcting myopia. In fact, the vast majority of people have at least 20/40 vision without glasses or contact lenses after one year of surgery.
However, you can expect the following side effects:
- Mild discomfort 1 to 3 days after the procedure
- A longer recovery time (1–3 months)
- A need for glasses
Click on this link (insert link) to book an appointment at our Southern Utah Eye Care clinic to see whether you are a candidate for LASIK or PRK.
Takeaway message
The LASIK procedure is a common procedure that our Southern Utah Eye Care clinic performs to help patients with vision problems. Whether you have myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism, our clinic will help you figure out the best corrective measures to cure your problem.
We hope that this article managed to introduce the topic of LASIK in Southern Utah Eye Care and how it is helping hundreds of patients every year.
If you have any questions or concerns about the LASIK procedure, please do not hesitate to contact us by clicking on this link (insert link of contact us page).
Reach Out to Mountain Eye Institute, Southern Utah’s Best LASIK Surgeons!
If you are looking for more information on LASIK surgery in the Southern Utah area, reach out to Mountain Eye Institute in Cedar City at 435-586-1131 to schedule an evaluation today.
