Free Custom «Contribution of Lasik Technology» Essay Paper

Lasik technology is a technology which uses laser to correct defects in human eye, be it for shortsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. This has ensured that patients will not depend on the eyeglasses. This technology has made it possible to do eye operations which are difficult to work on hence many people are able to regain their sight through the use of this technology. It is much easier to use LASIK technology in the eye operations since it does not require a lot of opening up the cornea in order to do some repair on it. Laser in Situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is associated with very minimal pain during operation, vision is corrected immediately or a day after. No bandages or stitches are needed after LASIK operation and patients would not require corrective eyewear. This technology is safe, effective and predictable when done by a qualified and competent surgeon who does the formalities of thorough examination of the patient, consultations and careful pretreatment testing procedures. This is more possible to healthy patients with stable prescriptions and their eye anatomy and shape free from eyes conditions and problems which can affect the result of the operation.

The process of operation is easier and takes the following simple steps: the first laser creates a fine layer which makes a “flap” of clear tissue on the center of the eye. Then the flap is folded back gently to expose the underlying cornea and the surgeon is able to apply the laser treatment to reshape the cornea. The laser is programmed according to the prescription of the patient in order to achieve the desired correction of the patient’s eye. The computer is used to control the excimer laser application under the watchful eye of the surgeon until the curvature of the cornea is altered to the required correction. Once the correction has been done, the flap is gently laid back without the need for stitching, the eye shield is applied and the eye is given some time to heal normally within a day and then the patient is able to regain his sight immediately after the eye shield has been removed.

Despite the success of the procedure, there are some side effects of the operation which might be experienced by some of the patients which will include the following:

Infection

There is a risk of infection after the operation and extra care should be taken as infection of the cornea could lead to permanent loss of sight and this can be corrected only by a transplant or repeat of the treatment. This could lead to a lot of money being used in doing this operation consequently impacting on the resources of the patient.

Regression

This is the tendency of the eye to drift back slightly towards the original prescription. So enough care should be taken into account to ensure that the cornea is placed back into its normal position to avoid this occurrence as it will require the patient to undergo the same procedure to correct the defects and it might lead to the patient loosing a lot in terms of money and time to recover.

Overcorrection

This is where the patient’s prescription is corrected more than it was intended. A significant overcorrection makes both the long and short vision to be blurred; this will lead to further treatment or alternatively use of glasses. The surgeon while doing the operation should be careful to ensure that there is no exaggeration while correcting the defects.