What is a Microkeratome?

A microkeratome is a hand-held surgical implement containing an oscillating blade. It is used to create the corneal flap at the start of a LASIK eye surgery. Originally it was devised by the man who is now known as the "father of modern refractive surgery" -- Jose Barraquer. He was a Spanish ophthalmologist who moved to Colombia in the 1950s and worked on how the eye focuses and how it could be made to focus more accurately.

Barraquer invented the vision correction surgery that developed into LASIK. He called it Keratomileusis. LASIK stands for Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis. In Keratomileusis, Barraquer cut off a thin layer from the corneal surface, froze it, reshaped it with a lath, and then stitched it back in place. This changed how the cornea focused light.

The Early Microkeratome

To cut the corneal surface, Barraquer developed the microkeratome, although not exactly in the form that is used today. A few years later he worked with one of his many proteges to automate the microkeratome. This enabled them to make a corneal flap without entirely removing any tissue and freezing it. In other words, they worked on the cornea in situ -- in place on the eye, rather than on a removed part of it. You could say this was "in situ Keratomileusis" -- the "Laser Assisted" part came later.

How a Microkeratome Works

A microkeratome has a motor, gears (most models), and a disposable blade housing. Before it is used, a suction ring is placed on the eye to ensure even and close contact with the microkeratome blade. There is a built-in groove for the blade to slide along as it oscillates to make the corneal flap. The blade is very tiny and precise and along with its housing, should be replaced each time the microkeratome is used. This ensures sterility and sharpness.

As the blade moves across the cornea, there is a part called a plaque that slightly compresses the cornea a little ahead of the blade. This determines how thick the corneal flap will be. Typically the flap will be between 100 and 200 micrometers thick and on average, the human cornea is between 500 and 600 micrometers thick.

Corneal Thickness

Some people have thinner corneas than average. They are not good candidates for LASIK because after the corneal flap is cut, there still needs to be enough corneal thickness to maintain the eye's shape. To offer laser vision correction to these people, other procedures have been developed, one of which is IntraLase. It uses a laser to make the corneal flap instead of a microkeratome. This enables a thinner flap and one that is more microscopically uniform in thickness. You can read more at IntraLase vs. Microkeratome

To find an experienced LASIK surgeon in your area, please use the links below.

Correcting Your Vision In Time For Summer

For most people, the summer months are a time to enjoy the outdoors, pick up new activities, or travel. However, for people with contacts or glasses, the summer can bring about new troubles.

Traveling with contacts or prescription glasses means constantly having to worry about contact lens solutions, back-up glasses, and other eye accessories. If you're tired of dealing with these problems, LASIK vision correction may be the best option for you. With LASIK, you'll be able to go swimming, jet skiing, or rafting without worrying about losing your glasses or contact lenses.

During the LASIK procedure, a small flap is made in your corneal tissue with either a microkeratome blade or laser technology. After the flap is made, the underlying tissue is reshaped using a laser. The corneal flap is then replaced so that it can heal. Over the next few days, your vision should improve enough so that you'll never need to use glasses or contacts again.

While there are some risks associated with LASIK, for over 95% of LASIK patients, the results from the procedure provide them with 20/40 vision or better. This means no more misplacing glasses, no more taking care of contacts, and no more money spent on new prescriptions.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.

Topical Anesthetic Gel May Increase Your Comfort During LASIK

LASIK doctors have recently discovered that applying topical anesthetic gel to eyes could help patients limit their pain during LASIK procedures. The research was performed in order to help patients who suffer from enough pre-op and post-op pain that it affects results.

During the study, the doctors determined that whether the topical anesthetic was applied before, during, or after the LASIK procedure, patients suffered much less discomfort than if the anesthetic gel had not been applied. Although LASIK is much more comfortable than other refractive procedures such as LASEK or PRK, the body's natural reactions to pain and discomfort in the eyes (blinking or rubbing) can lead to unwanted LASIK complications.

While this use of topical anesthetic gel and LASIK has not been approved for use in the United States, LASIK surgeons have a few different techniques that will make your vision correction procedure as comfortable as possible. In addition to using anesthetic eye drops during the procedure, you may also be able to have prescription anxiety medicine or prescription pain medicine prescribed before or after your LASIK procedure.

LASIK is one of the best ways to achieve fantastic vision without the assistance of glasses or contacts. If you are ready to correct your vision with LASIK, please contact a LAISK eye surgeon in your area today to schedule a consultation.

How to Deal With Dry Eyes After Your LASIK Surgery

Ever since people began correcting their vision with the application of lasers, patients have been suffering from dry eyes after the procedure. Dry eyes are a fairly common risk of LASIK vision correction, but with the right treatments, dry eyes will not affect your vision.

Dry eyes after LASIK is caused by the flap created in the corneal tissue of the eye. Creating the flap in the corneal tissue disrupts the nerves that run through the eye tissue, and once the flap is made, reshaping the corneal tissue can disrupt the eye's nerves even more.

When the eye's nerves are disrupted, it impairs your ability to determine when a new layer of tears needs to be made over the eyes. When your eye is dry, it can become irritated, and you may not see as clearly as you should because objects appear hazy or fuzzy.

Some of the ways you can improve your ability to treat dry eyes after LASIK include:

• Inform your ophthalmologist of any past dry eye symptoms
  
• Use the natural tear eye drops provided by your LASIK eye surgeon
  

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.

Mothers in Utah get Free LASIK

Four women in Utah received an incredibly special Mother's Day gift when a Utah ophthalmologist offered to give them free LASIK. The ophthalmology office offered the free LASIK procedure if family members wrote letters to nominate their wives or mothers for their compassion or care.

The women receiving the free LASIK had no idea they were being nominated by their loved ones and were truly surprised when they received their gifts. In at least one case, a mother had to cancel a LASIK appointment in the past in order to pay for a surgery for her child.

LASIK is a wonderful option for anyone who is forced to wear glasses or contacts all the time. If you would like to give the gift of clear vision, a LASIK office near you can help you set up a payment option that works for you. The experienced staff at the LASIK office near you will work with you to develop a payment plan that fits within your budget.

If you would like to learn more about LASIK and find out how you can surprise someone in your life with clear vision, please schedule an initial consultation with an experienced LASIK surgeon near you.

Is LASIK the Best Solution For You?

LASIK is a fantastic vision correction option for many people suffering from a wide variety of different refractive vision problems. If you are tired of constantly needing glasses or contacts to see clearly, LASIK can help you gain wonderful vision. Unfortunately, not everyone is an ideal candidate for LASIK.

LASIK is used to reshape the corneal tissue in the eye so that light enters the eye and is focused correctly. This works well for most patients suffering from astigmatism, myopia, or hyperopia.

While LASIK can be used to correct some forms of vision, many LASIK eye surgeons perform different kinds of procedures to correct your vision if you have:

• Cataracts -- These clumps of protein that form on the inner lens in the eye can cause blurred vision and over time they can get so bad that they impair you from living the way you want. Fortunately, Clear Lens Exchange can be performed to remove the clouded natural lens and restore your vision.
  
• Presbyopia -- As you age, the tiny muscles within your eyes that allow you to focus on objects at different ranges don't work as well. Many people find themselves squinting as they age or wearing reading glasses more often. With Conductive Keratoplasty, you will be able to see clearly again.
  
• Glaucoma -- This vision disorder develops when the pressure of the fluid within your eyes build up too high. When this occurs, you can lose your vision by damaging the optic nerve. An ophthalmologist will help identify possible stages of glaucoma and prescribe a treatment for your glaucoma.
  

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.

Reading Glasses vs. LASIK

Many people develop a condition called presbyopia as they age, which impedes their ability to focus on near images. As a result, the vast majority of the population over the age of 50 relies on reading glasses to help with daily tasks requiring good near vision.

While reading glasses may solve your vision issues and enable you to see well enough to go about your daily routine, they are still somewhat of a hassle. Reading glasses become especially inconvenient for people who also have poor distance vision and as a result are forced to switch between two pairs of glasses on a regular basis.

While contact lenses provide a great alternative to reading glasses, they still can be a bit inconvenient and require daily care. Fortunately, advances in refractive surgery techniques now provide you with several excellent options to help you see well without the use of glasses or contacts. Options such as LASIK, PRK, and LASEK can provide you with excellent vision so that you can get rid of your reading glasses once and for all.

For many people, a major factor preventing them from getting LASIK is cost. The surgery is generally not covered by insurance, and it will cost several thousand dollars to complete. As a result, many people choose to stick with their reading glasses to save a few dollars.

However, when you compare the amount of money you spend on contacts or glasses over the course of several years, there is not that much of a difference between the two. When you add up the amount of money you spend each year on ophthalmologist visits, new glasses and frames, prescription sunglasses, and other accessories, you'll find that about three years of these costs will equal the price of your LASIK procedure. When you factor in the additional expenses involved with contact lenses and the cleaning solutions that accompany them, the breakeven point would probably be even sooner.

Furthermore, most ophthalmologists offer various financing options that will allow you to spread out the cost of your surgery over several years. You may actually find that you are spending roughly the same amount of money on your LASIK payments as you would on all of your eyeglass and contact lens accessories.

If you are tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses, don't let price deter you from having the excellent vision you have always wanted. You just might find that it is worth the investment.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.

2 Things to Be Aware of Before Opting for LASIK

In recent years, LASIK surgery has become an increasingly popular option for correcting refractive errors in vision, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Advances in LASIK technology have made the procedure routine, and as a result, the procedure is almost always successful.

While this procedure has become very standardized and is widely considered one of the safer surgical procedures you can undergo, there are still a few caveats to be aware of before deciding if you are an ideal candidate for LASIK.

First, it is important to remember that while LASIK is reshaping your cornea, the procedure also affects the operation of your retina, which is one of the most sensitive parts of your eye. Anytime you undergo an operation that affects your retina, there are certain risks associated with the procedure.

While major errors are highly uncommon, it is possible that one can occur which could cause permanent vision damage. This is an important factor to consider when deciding whether or not to get LASIK.

Second, while LASIK has a very high success rate, it is not perfect. If you are expecting to gain perfect vision from your procedure, you may end up disappointed with your results. Approximately 70% of LASIK patients end up achieving 20/20 vision, and more than 90% achieve at least 20/40 vision. However, it is statistically possible that you will not achieve these results. Therefore, it is important to go into the procedure with reasonable expectations.

Furthermore, even if you achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK, you may experience certain higher order aberrations, such as halos, glare, and starbursts. You should be prepared to deal with these complications.

Overall, LASIK is a very safe procedure that yields a high percentage of success stories. However, it is still wise to evaluate the potential risks and complications of LASIK when deciding whether or not it is right for you.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified LASIK surgeon in your area.

LASIK Alternatives

While LASIK surgery has enabled millions of people across the world to improve refractive errors and get rid of glasses and contact lenses, the procedure is not for everyone. For various reasons, including thin corneas, abnormally shaped corneas, and being too nearsighted, there are many people who are not ideal candidates for LASIK.

Fortunately, there are many alternatives to LASIK available. It is important to consult an eye surgeon who has experience with many different procedures and can recommend the right one for your needs.

Some common alternatives to LASIK include:

• PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is a procedure where a laser reshapes the surface of your cornea. Unlike LASIK, there is no flap cut into your cornea, which may cut down on the risk of dry eye associated with LASIK.
  
• CK (conductive keratoplasty) uses radiofrequency waves to correct refractive errors such as farsightedness or astigmatism. The radiofrequency waves are applied to the edge of your cornea to correct your vision problems.
  
• Implantable contact lenses provide patients whose nearsightedness is too severe for LASIK or PRK an excellent option for vision correction. An incision is made in the eye so that a hard, plastic lens can be inserted in front of your eye's natural lens.
  
• Refractive lens exchange replaces your eye's natural lens with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). It very similar to cataract surgery and is an excellent option for patients who are not suitable candidates for LASIK.
  

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified ophthalmologist in your area.