Dr. Alpesh Narottam Toprani (Head - clinical services, Belgaum)

It is advisable to avoid undergoing the LASIK eye surgery procedure for patients on systemic medicines, preventing the complete recovery of the cornea. The eligibility of the candidate will be established through a Comprehensive eye check-up which will be done before the surgery.

If you go for a LASIK surgery procedure, the doctor will require an initial baseline evaluation to determine if you are a suitable candidate for the laser eye procedure, and then suggest the best available form of treatment for you.

You might be able to see clearly the same day or the next. However, for complete recovery and to stop using recommended drops/medications, it might take about a month. Blurriness immediately after the surgery is normal. Your eyes will take some amount of time to settle post-surgery. Therefore, you must do follow-up check-ups regularly to make the most of the procedure.

There is no unalterable age limit for LASIK, though doing so between 20 age 40 would be the most recommended. The surgery depends on the eye health of the individual. Patients with no organic reason for vision loss, such as cataracts or other medical complications, can easily go for LASIK surgery after initial evaluation.

Instilling numbing eye drops helps with the urge to blink in the patients during the laser eye treatment. A device is also used to keep the eyes open in times of need during the surgery.

LASIK eye procedure is not painful. Before starting the procedure, the surgeon will use numbing eyedrops for both eyes. While there might be a feeling of pressure during the ongoing procedure, there will be no feeling of pain.

Laser eye procedure for cataracts is a viable option since it helps rectify the refractive errors by reshaping the cornea using a laser. However, in cataract cases, LASIK will not correct the blurred vision caused by this disorder.

In this type of procedure, the tissues of the corneal surface are removed from the corneal surface (front part of the eye), which helps maintain the effects for a lifetime and are, therefore, permanent. The surgery helps with the correction of refractive error and clarity of vision.

This procedure involves the careful removal of the topmost layer of the cornea also known as the epithelium, followed by Excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm) delivery which reshapes the corneal surface – to correct the refractive power of the eye. A contact lens is placed for a few days to support the healing of the eye, the epithelium is very thin (50 microns) and usually grows back within 3 days.

This is a very popular procedure and involves creation of a flap (100-120 micron) in the superficial layer of the cornea. This flap can be created by two methods:

Microkeratome: This a small specialised blade that dissects the flap at the accurate depth, hence Microkertome assisted LASIK is also known as BLADE LASIK.

Femtosecond Laser (wavelength 1053nm): This is a specialised laser which creates a flap precisely at the desired depth, it is very different from Excimer laser described above and hence needs a separate machine for delivery. Femtosecond laser assisted LASIK is also known as FEMTO-LASIK.

After the flap is created by any of the above two methods, it is lifted and the residual bed is then treated with Excimer laser (same laser used in PRK). At the end of the procedure the flap is reposited back in place, on the corneal bed and patient is discharged with medication.

This is the most advanced refractive surgery and requires only Femtosecond Laser. Refractive power of the eye is corrected by using femtosecond laser to create a lenticule (of predetermined size and thickness) within the layers of the cornea. This lenticule can then be extracted in two ways: Femtosecond Lenticule Extraction (FLEX) (4-5mm incision) Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) (2mm incision) Extraction of this lenticule results in altered shape of the cornea and corrects the refractive power. This surgery is popularly known as blade-less, flap-less refractive surgery.

This is the most attractive alternative to LASIK and other refractive procedures as it is a removable lens implant. Here are a few main reasons people choose ICL:

Highly Accurate Results: ICL is a proven procedure with outstanding outcomes.

Excellent Night Vision: Many patients are able to see better at night after the ICL procedure, thus achieving excellent night vision.

Great for High Near-sightedness: It gives patients sharp clear vision and corrects and reduces near-sightedness.